Thread by @LIVESTYLEVT

Howdy, y’all! @CriticalReikan here to teach y’all a thing or two about Networking!

I've been networking pretty much everyday for the past 10 years.

Here's what I learned in a thread, so buckle up

[NETWORKING THREAD, POST YOUR PNGs]

#ENVtuber #VTuberUprising #TwitchStreaming

Search: “How to network” and this is what you get: a whole lotta nothin about business n hustle culture.

This advice is dandy when you want to be entrepreneurial.

“Networking” feels inaccessible doesn’t it? [1]

#ENVtuber #LGBTuber

From experience and by trade, social media was game changing with how a lot of us network. Networking is, once again, a social activity, not commercial.

Networking stops being goofy and starts looking more like talking with people.

(Latest Chirpty ayooooo) [2]

For most of us on social media, we crave community and fun. Juggling content creation as a hobby and continuing to have fun is an honest to god balancing act. Lean too much one way and the other suffers. It’s cruel, but that’s how things go with this grind [3]

What to do instead?

Start by understanding that networking isn’t about “putting yourself out there”. Networking is about making connections with others. It is social, not commercial--any expert worth their salt will admit this. [4]

For some who call themselves extroverts, it can come off as easy to strike up a conversation. The energy is there and ready for use.

I'm an ambivert. My energy for social interaction fluctuates. Only by experience do I have muscle memory for this. [5]

Are you introverted? Do enough research and you end up seeing exactly what I’ve been talking about applies to everyone.

What makes you introverted for this kind of stuff is your capacity and energy to socialize is all.

Mystery solved, a bit. [6]

Not all uses of time and energy are equal!

Everybody has a different capacity to process emotions and information. Imagining such a capacity as "spoons'' is a helpful concept.
[7]

The average blog, podcast, and hustle oriented influencer will mislead you on how easy Networking is. Being able to make meaningful connections with others is challenging and nerve-wracking. [8]

I mentioned that I’ve been doing this for a decade at the start. Everything discussed so far was only what I had learned recently as a professional.

I started networking in high school when my social skills were developing. As we know growing up, we’re all awkward as teens [9]

The primary place where I did my networking was at anime conventions!

I developed my public speaking skills at anime cons by hosting panels at every con I attended for 10 years~

I would host a panel, do my best, and talk with attendees after. [10]

This didn’t always happen at first! I used to be awkward I used to have nobody show up to my panels and even lose audience members. I had a lot of failure and rejection despite having rejection sensitive dysphoria. It hurt lots! But I kept doing it anyways. [11]

Why?

Simple.

I.Wanted.Friends.

That’s it. That’s all there was to it. I wanted friends who understood me. I ended up sleeping around, dating a lot, and had shallow friendships and followers online.

[12]

I didn’t realize what I was doing wrong until I came out as trans in 2018. Wanting friends wasn’t enough.

I have a lifelong dream of being a content creator. I also want genuine friendships and “community”. What I was doing neglected this and improvement to connect it all [13]

This devastated me because I started to realize how different a lot of my “friendships” were. There were acquaintances, friends, people close to me, and professional contacts.

The difference definitely exists, trust me!
[14]

Once understood, begin to understand that setting up boundaries is necessary. Establish what you want out of your interactions with the right people. This pays off in the long term. You will be able to better control your own time, energy, and emotional capacity/spoons [15]

Establish your boundaries. Organizing your contact list into different categories. This makes life so much better (whether this is a mental effort or a literal effort is up to you). You are ready to set goals and make more relationships as they come! [16]

It wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic started that I realized that having “purpose” with networking was a facade. I did it to keep myself busy to feel good about myself. I wanted to know a lot of important people rather than accomplishing goals. [17]

I learned recently that setting things up for success is all that’s needed at this point.
Having foundations allows me to optimize my time, energy, and spoons. [18]

Let's define, "foundations". Foundations here include: your career, community building, and having fun with friends. Get that stuff in order first! [19]

With foundations and learning from failure, lick your wounds and keep socializing. Build genuine connections and setting up those boundaries. Over time, people will notice you over time and appreciate you and your efforts! [20]

And if it doesn’t? Keep trying and fix what you do and how you do it. Spend time getting feedback from others about how you approach others. Learning basic Sales skills, some Behavioral Psychology, and more Business skills can go a long way to make this stuff easier. [/end]

If this thread is confusing in any way or clarification is needed, or just general comments and compliments you’d like to give @CriticalReikan , please do not hesitate to comment or DM us or Reikan! We will answer back when we can.

Thanks for reading