Beginners to networking will undoubtedly be wary and anxious about what it means and feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of networking avenues. But business networking needn’t be as daunting as you may think, and a bit of networking is unavoidable if you want success and is hugely valuable if done well. From how to get started and top tips for networking success, read on for our beginner’s guide.

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What Kind of Networking Do You Need?

There are three main networking areas, and you first need to decide which is your priority.

Profile Building is about raising your profile, either locally, regionally or globally. This kind of networking is simply for those who want to become better known in their industry.

Brain Building is all about gaining knowledge or skills which can help you run a more successful business. This can include support from peer groups or picking up skills and knowledge from professional development offered by industry groups.

Referral Building is a traditional sort of networking which is for those looking to develop a network of influencers who will essentially bring you leads.

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Local Networking

A great starting point will also be your local environment. Use a directory, such as the Cheltenham Business Directory from http://www.thepagesgroup.co.uk/about-us/, which is used by firms all over the Cotswolds and beyond.

Can’t I Just Do My Networking Online?

In today’s era many businesses network online, but this should be an additional networking tool – not a replacement. The strongest bonds with humans are made in the real world, where eye contact and authenticity go much further than a Like or Share on Facebook ever can.

Stay Active

Networking isn’t a tick-off-the-list task which is then done. It’s a constant job that needs nurturing and feeding all the time. You can’t just sign up to a network and sit back, nor can you turn up to an event and sit in the corner. You need to go out and make ties with new people all the time whilst holding on to those already forged ties that are valuable too.

The first steps, as you can see, are to use your local business networking pages and to also think about what you need from networking. After that, it’s all about building bridges and keeping bonds alive with regular contact.

To celebrate 150 years at – literally – the top of their profession, outdoor specialists Mammut have completed the 150 Peaks Project, with 150 teams tackling 150 peaks all over the world, from Argentina to Austria, Tajikistan to Tanzania, in what has been the biggest summit challenge of all time.

Mammut have been in business for a century and a half, with an almost unparalleled history in the world of outdoor clothing and equipment.

The Swiss mountain sports specialists who started out in the 1860s are renowned for a comprehensive range of equipment, from hiking boots and rock shoes to climbing ropes and carabiners.

Recognition from all over the world has followed in the wake of their pioneering footsteps – not least after the launch of the world-renowned Ajungalak sleeping bags, which have been tried and tested in the most hostile conditions on the planet.

Sixty Summits Equalled the Height of Mount Everest
Their record-breaking Peak Project has involved more than 1,500 climbers who have taken on more than 500,000 metres of ascents right across the world – including 60 summits which each equalled the height of Mount Everest – to complete the unique challenge.

Also billed as the Ultimate Test Event, participants took part with the support of professional mountain guides from the Mammut Alpine School.

In Argentina, teams took on the Aguja Guillaumet and Aconcogua, in Canada it was Mounts Columbia and Logan, and in Japan they climbed Akadake, Tsurugidake and Mount Funagata.

The newly-named Mammut Peak in the Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan was officially climbed for the first time, while New Zealand’s Mount Aspiring, North Korea’s Baedu Spa, and Huascaran and the almost unpronounceable Chopicalqui in Peru were all conquered.

Closer to home, the Cuillin Ridge, Ben Nevis and Llanberis were all part of the UK challenge, and in the U.S. successful attempts were made on Mounts Baker, St. Helens and Washington.

In all, 1,563 mountaineers were involved in the project, ascending a total of 518,322 metres.

Mammut are justifiably proud of their unique achievement…and as they announced at the end of their extraordinary anniversary year – it was very much a case of ‘Mission Accomplished.’

Mammut’s Alpine School offers comprehensive courses for both beginners and more experienced mountain sports enthusiasts in Alpine climbing, ski touring, ice climbing, snow shoeing and glacier trekking.

To mark their anniversary, Mammut have launched a major new fund-raising campaign.
‘Roped Together in Solidarity’ will work with the International Federation of Mountain Guides Association, donating one per cent of turnover to provide equipment and training for new mountain guides from emerging countries including Peru and Kyrgyzstan.

In the unlikely event of any of us ever hitting the jackpot in Euro Millions, what would you spend the money on? As proven by history, most people don’t tend to think too rationally when exposed to extortionate amounts of money so, instead of renewing your wardrobe or travelling the world why not blow all your money on something as irrational as the house of your childhood idol?

The only problem is, even with all that money in your pocket, you might still not be able to do it simply because the celebrities have their own secretive ways of selling their property.

Privacy, Privacy and Again Privacy
Why be so secretive about it, one may wonder. It’s not like those houses haven’t been snapped from every angle by ever-lurking paparazzi or their value scrutinized in every tabloid. However, there is still that little chunk of time in between them moving in and first getting snapped on their doorstep by a sensation-hungry photographer and, apparently, because of that they’re willing to go to that extra mile and keep their identities disguised.

Knock, knock…
So what’s the big fuss about? Celebrities, of all people, seem to have mastered the disguising techniques reasonably well, so could they not just pull another neon-coloured wig over their locks or a baseball cap over it? (I do catch myself wondering if there’s some class left in Hollywood)

Apparently, it’s not that simple as the real estate market turns out to be one of the few places where it’s considerably hard to keep your identity anonymous – even for the rich and the famous – hence they seek more radical steps of doing so.

VIP Only
Back in the days, methods like word-of-mouth exclusive listings seemed to work quite well, but as more and more celebs are struggling to sell their property, like Pierce Brosnan, Christina Aguilera or 50 cent, this can be harder to do.

Some blame the estate slump or the eccentric tastes (a mini-bar in every bedroom, *cough-Britney Spears-cough*) or it may be just the fact that the rich and the famous want to be the initial inhabitants of the house they’re buying.

How it Happens
First and foremost a challenge for the stars is to find a non-traditional capital source – not mortgage otherwise their identities are instantly given away – to fund their own enterprise. Then they pick a trustee that would publicly look after the transaction. Celebrities like Madonna, Meg Ryan, Randy Phillips have sold their properties exactly like this through “pocket listings”.

However, when those methods don’t work, estate agents are still ready to go to great lengths to protect their client’s privacy, such as hiding details through incomplete or inaccurate information in the listing, a fake house number or posting completely unrelated pictures rather than the house image.

This can be reminiscent of the bad advertisements on Gumtree or Craigslist, which makes you wonder whether they’re actually trying to sell house online or just use it as an excuse to showcase their pets, poster collection or worse – themselves.

So, if you were to win those millions whose house would you buy?

We hear a lot about artificial intelligence and how it is set to revolutionise the way we use data. The world of web design is no exception to this, and it can help to deliver a much more personalised web experience for the consumer.

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Despite concerns about how data is being used, research indicates that consumers want a more personalised online experience. This means sites learning what their visitors want and delivering information and offers that are relevant to their needs.

AI in Design

But can AI help in the design process too? Yes it can. There are already tools that can build a website based on analysis of the content – selecting appropriate colours, layout, fonts and so on. The developing cognitive ability of AI means that it will undoubtedly help designers in their work. If, for example, you want a picture of a dog on your site, an AI system can have knowledge of what a dog looks like and be able to select an appropriate image.

This technology is still in its early stages, however, and if you’re building a site for your business, you may still want to turn to the expertise of a Yorkshire web design specialist such as https://www.etempa.co.uk/ to do the job for you.

Understanding Context

One of the key aspects of using AI in the web development process is that it’s able to understand the context of what’s happening. This means that it will not just select a photo – it will select one that is going to fit with the rest of the design based on colour, shape or other factors. It can also indicate when there might be a better image than the one chosen by a human designer.

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AI can also help police the consistency of a design. It can point out elements that don’t fit well with the rest of the site and suggest alternatives that will work better. It may even be able to fix issues automatically by adjusting tones or font sizes as appropriate.

Whilst it’s unlikely that AI will ever fully replace the role of the human designer, it can help to free them up to show their creative side by taking away many of the humdrum tasks like matching style elements and optimising code.