By Unni Nair, Coordinator of the UN Global Compact’s US Secretariat at the Fowler Center for Sustainable Value, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University

Recent technological advancements have made social networking a valuable tool for professionals in the development field. There is little debate that ongoing, productive collaboration can facilitate quicker, more effective answers to many sustainable development questions.

Genuine collaboration derives from open, sustained dialogue around issues of mutual concern.  Organizations like BCLC and the United Nations Global Compact are prime examples of entities that have the unique ability to bring about cross-institutional dialogue and convenings surrounding issues in sustainable development, including the two organizations’ October 2009 conferences.  

However, maintaining the positive momentum from conferences and other events is not always easy. Far-sighted companies realize the importance of social networks and being co-learners in areas of mutual concern.  These organizations realize that collaboration does not necessarily compromise competitive advantage, and they encourage their employees to attend conferences and access tools to leverage for the opportunity for shared learning.

Most of the time, casual interactions between conference participants are limited to names, titles, and possibly short blurbs on what their respective organizations do.  An exchange of business cards typically ensues, which later on might become useful but usually fall into a desk drawer or filing cabinet destined to be forgotten over time.  Maintaining these casual relationships is challenging. 

Although it is implicit that everyone has aligned interests, conference participants must think outside of the box in order to maintain and leverage these relationships far after the conference has ended. New technologies continue to become available to give one options on how to keep in touch with people, with even Facebook and Twitter reaching legitimacy in the professional realm.

So the next time you are at a conference, make sure to leverage technology to make the most of your networking. Here are some tips:  

Establish an online presence on existing networks (i.e. Development Crossing, LinkedIn, Justmeans, etc.) and stay active

Many professionals do not always take advantage of the resources the internet affords to maintain and enhance their professional network.  Casual relationships developed at conferences often do not develop into meaningful ones.  It is important to not only collect business cards but also convey your experience and your needs within your online identity. Resources such as Development Crossing, LinkedIn, or Justmeans enable professionals to keep their contacts updated on the latest activities and information regarding their network.  Staying current with these resources is crucial these days.

Participate in webinars specific to your areas of interest

Webinars are increasingly utilized by organizations as a platform for peer-learning and networking.  They require minimal overhead to organize and participants do not have to incur much in the way of additional costs to attend.  Additionally, the content of webinars tends to be much more narrow and in depth on particular topics.  So for those wanting to know more about a particular area of development, webinars are an ideal way to learn and network.  

Be an active online participant now and down the line

Participating in and building up online discussions with like-minded but differently talented individuals is crucially important. Blogs and discussion groups provide 24/7 access to knowledgeable people and real-time conversations happening about issues that are important to you. Other than professional gatherings, such as the BCLC and UNGC conferences, rarely do professionals from disparate institutions have a better opportunity to learn, network, and work together to further best practices in areas of sustainable development.  

Leverage the technological resources that organizations like BCLC and the UNGC offer to discuss the various complicated global development topics.  BCLC already has a robust archive of global development topics on its blog, and the US Network of the Global Compact will be launching its new website in the next few months to accurately mirror the needs of its members. These are simple places for global development professionals to start, and they can easily pave the way for your participation in other social networks in which BCLC and UNGC are already engaged.

These online resources are only as good as the users who continue to utilize them.  Constant usage is imperative to learning communities online.  Of the 300 million Facebook users, more than 50% log in daily.  Its relevance and power are driven by the engagement by their users. From the invention of the wheel to the microchip, some of the most innovative moments in the history of humanity have been when people worked together in an open source framework to the benefit of the larger community. 

The bottom line is people need a safe space where it is OK to say we do not have all the answers and can be co-learners.  The value of such meetings is even more pronounced in sustainable development, which is a topic vitally important to larger society and a cause in which many corporate citizens have engaged.

Taking the leap into online social networking could be highly rewarding professionally. Do not be scared to share your ideas.  Become an educator as well as a student. Be the agent of positive change in your organization, professional community, or in the larger world.  Embrace technology and the online world as the circuitry that paves the road to a better world. These new tools exist to facilitate continued dialogue about issues around sustainable development.