Networking = $$$

As the diagram above shows, networking is, in addition to being a great way to meet people and make new friends, a systematic way to secure cash or cashflow options!!! (A cash option is the tangible possibility of obtaining a contract or job, whereas a cashflow option is the tangible possibility of striking a win-win partnership so that both you and the other person wins financially).

Each green rectangle is a dollar bill (it can be a $5, or $100, etc.). As you can see, some connections are worth more economically. Those are the ones that should be "cloned" (that is, you identify their characteristics and then you try to meet more people like that).

The white rectangles refer to connections who, in the words of Tim Sanders (author of Love is the Killer App), may be "funny" but they are not "money."

Of course, there is no moral judgment as to whether it is better to be funny (entertaining, etc.) or money (business-smart, well connected, influential, etc.). But in a business context and given the short amount of time we have every day, networking for business purposes requires that one be selective about who to network with.