Given how socially proficient I am, many of you express surprise when you discover areas in which I am out of place. But those areas exist
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It sounds like you were trying to mentally classify the networking event as a "social" event, where "social" means that the focus is on enjoying others' company. I would suggest that that is the wrong model to apply here. A networking event of this sort is about sales and marketing, not socializing, and it's more similar to an auction, a farmer's market, or an art fair, than it is to an evening out with friends. Because the goods for sale are people and their skillsets, social conventions demand a veneer of pleasantries surrounding the sales pitches, but it's just a veneer, and I don't think it really qualifies as insincerity. You might exchange a bit of small talk with the farmer at the market while shopping for apples, but he's there to sell, and you're there to buy, and neither of you is seriously pretending otherwise. If you're looking for green apples, and this farmer only has red ones, you're not going to hang around, and the farmer wouldn't want you to.
Yes, this too. Also, realize that these sort of events are to "networking" as a company spamming your twitter feed is "social media". Networking is quite a bit different than what is describes here. What you do with Penguicon is more like building a network. Meeting people that you think of when someone says "I need someone good that does X", and having people that think of you when they hear that someone has need of skill Y.
Every step of the way in my career, I've met some really valuable contacts. I have taken full advantage of those, just like I get calls from folks (including a few I've met at Penguicon!) who are looking to see if I can help them or a friend of theirs out. "I know someone who knows someone" is a very valid concept.
Hell, it's helping me get back to school, the process has been a lot easier to get through because I've been able to leverage my network to get what I needed quickly and with quality results (Hi Jer!).
I will posit, however, that sometimes you can get valuable interactions with people by going to events like this, though arranged networking events like barcamp and detroitnet.org meetups, while forced, are not quite the same thing as a recruiting meetup and can be more valuable.
Oh, yeah, you are right, and I think I misstated my view of these events...they are, at their core, tragic. I generally still can find likeminded individuals at them with whom I can commiserate. Usually we can all be found in a corner, loudly mocking the situation. We don't make friends well :)
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Every step of the way in my career, I've met some really valuable contacts. I have taken full advantage of those, just like I get calls from folks (including a few I've met at Penguicon!) who are looking to see if I can help them or a friend of theirs out. "I know someone who knows someone" is a very valid concept.
Hell, it's helping me get back to school, the process has been a lot easier to get through because I've been able to leverage my network to get what I needed quickly and with quality results (Hi Jer!).
I will posit, however, that sometimes you can get valuable interactions with people by going to events like this, though arranged networking events like barcamp and detroitnet.org meetups, while forced, are not quite the same thing as a recruiting meetup and can be more valuable.
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I'll be the guy in the corner too. I never said the contacts that I made were anything other than my other fellow cynics. :)
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