Network, network, network. That seems to be the theme at so many of the conferences these days. Almost to a fault — afterall, if it’s only about networking, does that release the planners from creating meaningful, useful content? I hope not!

All that being said, it is important for the property management industry to be networked. Not in the sleezy, used car salesman way, but in the meaningful, helpful informative way. There are so many “best practicies” that can be shared from manager to manager that will help increase business and elevate the industry as a whole. We are in the midst of conducting several interviews with industry experts in hopes to shed light on some of the best practices in the industry.

In the meantime, I would like to point out a few very useful networking sites:

1. LinkedIn (the best for professional networking — in fact, sign up and get your employees and others in the area connected. It’s a great source to find qualified employees, partners, etc).

2. Facebook (I know, I know — it’s for college students! Ha. I’ve had more requests from business associates in the past month than LinkedIn. There are even several property managers showing up on the site. You can find Palm Springs Rentals there)

3. Plaxo (formerly just an oline address tool that has reinvented themselves into a professional and personal networking site)

4. The Society (we’re new, we’re not focused on ’social networking’ per se, but we do have tools that will help you stay connected with past guests, suppliers, and even future guests)

There are 1000s of other networking sites but the key is to be apart of the one(s) that are being used by your industry and affiliates.