As someone who has always valued the ideal of a ‘work-life balance’ I was intrigued when reading the perspectives of a few key industry heavy-weights as to the true value of non-stop networking versus smart relationship building.

Of course we are all familiar with the pitfalls that this constant state of distraction causes. Firstly, there is essentially no shelter from the storm of information and invitations in an age of ‘poking’ and ‘tweeting’. There is little opportunity for screening calls, being “too busy” or “out of the office”, or even closing the door to your office for some peace and quiet.

Yet despite the claustrophobic nature of the information era, the merits of being perpetually connected cannot be denied -

1. We are inherently social creatures and therefore require constant stimulation (not yet received by the way Mr Rudd), thus having our world at our fingertips is always going to be well received.

2. Being in constant contact with each other leaves us open to more pleasant communication rather than being limited to one-off business interactions, allowing for much healthier long-term relationship building opportunity;

3. Leading on from these long-term prospects is a now flourishing and infinitely valuable network who can be called on to help tackle various industry challenges as well as introducing you to other services and contacts, leading to diversification and new information. There is even the opportunity to make a few new friends along the way (see point 1.)

4. In a world of multi-nationals with multi-time zones the need for being endlessly ‘available’ allows for expansion and opportunity both locally and globally.

While appearing to be slaves to the system, we have developed a case of Stockholm’s Syndrome and, its fair to say, not one of us can imagine life without the allure of being able to speak to anyone, anywhere, anytime.

So how do we make the most of it? According to industry experts there are a number of redeeming aspects to opening yourself up to social networking -

* immediacy of contact – we don’t need to, and no longer do we have to wait!
* emotional connection – making a social connection within your industry will undoubtably boost your business relationship
* personality – we are able to convey our true nature and not appear as a dull corporate block, but rather a bright, sparkling individual industry professional
* Respect – the more people within your network like and respect you, the more likely they are to put in extra effort and energy into their work, and vice versa. It also opens you up to be recommended on.
* Unexpected opportunities – networking outside the square you work in also increases the likelihood of uncovering some unexpected and ultimately positive opportunities.

Ultimately, without having one second in our day without the potential for disruption, we seem to be captivated by our captors – be they blackberries, twitter accounts, facebook, or good old fashioned email – and, it seems, with good reason.

Elke Braithwaite is a Consultant in the Advertising Team at Artisan Recruitment. If you wish to add comment to her article, email here and we'll publish your comments.