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I wasn’t feeling so hot last Wednesday, but was determined to make it to that night’s networking event. I left work around 5 pm and after grabbing a beer to help conquer my hesitation to talk to strangers, I met some really great people. One guy was an entrepreneur who founded the hottest company in the Mid-Atlantic during the dot-com boom, another was a well-respected Venture Capitalist from the DC area, and another had a successful start-up in the online education space.
I also had to smile and nod my way through a handful of conversations with service providers looking for sales leads. Don’t get me wrong, all of the service providers were nice people. But, Brazen Careerist is not in the market for business loans or internal software; we’re in the market for members, funding, and friendly entrepreneurial connections.
When it was all said and done, I spent about one hour driving to the event, one hour talking with service providers, one hour talking with entrepreneurs and investors, and one hour driving home. The next day I followed up with 3 people and came down with a serious case of bronchitis. I guess I deserved it for pushing too hard.
The point is, networking is hard, time-consuming and scary. Today, we’re launching Network Roulette to help make the networking process easy, fast, and most importantly, fun. (And maybe we can even prevent a few unnecessary cases of bronchitis in the process.)
If you haven’t been to one of our beta events, here’s a quick summary of how Network Roulette works.
After answering two simple questions: What are you looking for? And What are you providing? You’re randomly matched for a 3 minute conversation to determine if the person on the other side can help your network. After the networking session, you can then choose who to follow up with through your network dashboard.
That’s it. A dead simple online speed networking service that helps you build a network in your pajamas or from your cubicle, and lets you have fun while you’re doing it.
We’ve had a lot of product releases since launching Brazen back in March 2008, but I’ve never been more excited for a launch. I could literally feel the excitement during the beta events. One person told me they haven’t felt this way about a service since logging into Facebook for the first time, another even told me that Network Roulette is the future of networking.
If you don’t believe me, check it out for yourself. We have themed networking events every Tuesday and Thursday evening, but you can stop by anytime you’d like to randomly connect with strangers. I’ve already found a couple of people that I plan to approach when Brazen is hiring, and I’ve helped others connect with job leads and reporters. Who knows, you may just find the person to help bring your career to the next level.
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Comments
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11.09.10
Ryan... our session ended before you could tell me where the Bethesda event was being held. Can you send me an message? Thanks -- Paula
11.09.10
Hi Paula, its actually on Capital Hill at Lounge 201. You can find out more here: http://www.brazendc.eventbrite.com.
If you become my fan, we can also connect via private message on brazen and i can tell you more.
11.09.10
Hi Ryan!!! Congratulations!!!! It's a great idea!!!!
11.09.10
Yes! You answered the community's needs with a platform that truly embraces real-time networking with no boundaries.
Way to make Brazen even better, and dare I say it, revolutionary :)
11.09.10
I love Network Roulette. It makes the world feel so much smaller and friendlier!
11.09.10
This is just ridiculously cool. Can't wait to see how it unfolds!
11.09.10
Thanks for all the great comments guys! We're excited to watch it all play out. Hope you can all make it to tonight event at 8 pm EST! Just log in to Brazen and click start networking now at the top of your fan feed :)
11.09.10
Thanks for the chit-chat on the Roulette. This has the potential to be one of those cool web-things that last. I believe the key will be in having targeted niche networking after the initial buzz fades.
11.09.10
Hi Ryan, I know the feeling! Clever and interesting way to enhance networking.. I'd also like to suggest using IntroBridge (www.introbridge.com), a revolutionary Live Networking mobile app that spans most social networks. Happy Networking...
11.09.10
Hi Ryan, exciting to meet you on Brazen Roulette. I feel like part of the family now! It's a great service you're offering. I went to three or four of the practice sessions and met some cool people. It's a fun, fast way to connect with like-minded movers and shakers:) Thank you, I'll be telling all my friends and contacts about it.
11.09.10
Hey Ryan, there are two features I'm dying to see on Network Roulette:
1. The option to automatically save the transcripts the occur during the 3 minute meetings.
2. The option to meet with new folks only - avoids repeats when you've already met/are connecting with someone in Brazen outside of the Roulette!
Otherwise... I'm hooked! Thank you so much!
11.09.10
Would like the option to extend time if so desired
11.09.10
@Jen and @Shane - excellent suggestions. I feel like once the entire Brazen community plays more with Net Roulette, the developers will have a hefty portion of crowd-sourced wisdom to make it even better. I'm enjoying Net Roulette 1.0! Hope to meet some people 11/11!
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