Learning from the Digital Natives: Expat Networking 2.0

For the expat professional or entrepreneur, building your network online is an important part of building your personal brand and your career or business development. It is clear that people understand the importance of online networking in strengthening their professional reputation as there are online professional networks like LinkedIn with over 25 million members worldwide. However the collection of online social communities and interactive tools that allow people to share information and connect to others anywhere in the world, otherwise known as Web 2.0, has opened up new ways of online networking that are still being explored.

Though many cultures look to experienced, older generations for knowledge and guidance in career and business, when it comes to online networking we can learn a lot about using Web 2.0 from those younger than us. In particular those who couldn’t imagine life without the tools for instant communication with anyone, anywhere.  This group is often known as the Millennials - men and women born after 1982 - or those that are not older than 16 years of age.

Although the digital divide has affected this generation, many consider most Millennials to be “digital natives”, fluent in the digital language of mobile technology and the Internet. Whether they are using instant messaging, texting, blogs, microblogs, social bookmarking, chat rooms, or online social networks like Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, or Flickr, many of these Millennials are connecting via various devices 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.