Not everyone finds networking to be a natural social skill. If you're less of a networking guru and more of a wall flower, using tools to follow up can boost your effectiveness.
Over at the self improvement blog Dumb Little Man, Ali Hale covers several great tips for networking effectively. Among the tips:
A large part of networking is simply letting people know what you're up to. This could mean sending the occasional "newsletter" to old college friends; you never know who might be in need of your products or services. It also means taking the time to send out cards or even holiday gifts to your clients. Don't keep trying to expand your network whilst neglecting or forgetting about those already in it.
Fortunately the internet makes it extremely easy to maintain connections with people using tools like Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. For more networking tips, check out networking for introverts, how to network even if you hate networking and etiquette for social networks. Photo by Noah Sussman.
5 Networking Tips for Wallflowers [DumbLittleMan]