Outrage, Bashing, and Sales Guys, Oh my! Toto, take me home!

What happened to us?

Social networks were supposed to flatten the playing field—to give us access to anyone, anywhere. Now they mostly serve up noise.

When you're trying to do real work, build a business, or earn someone's trust, that kind of chaos starts to cost you - and wears you out!

It didn’t used to be this way. It doesn't need to be this way.

I'm About to Date Myself!

When I first entered the workforce, networking meant passing out your business card at a 7AM breakfast meeting with, maybe, 100 people in a hotel ballroom. You’d shake hands, collect a few cards, and follow up with a phone call. Yes, it was pretty limited - your total reach was the people who showed up for bad bagels.

But man, the quality was there. People had to be invited to the event. Then they had to crawl out of bed early and battle traffic. These were my people! They were there for good reasons. And I don't mean the bad bagels!

Fast-forward to today: LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Slack groups allow you to connect with thousands of people in an instant. You can build a presence from your phone.

But, most of those platforms are failing us now.

They’ve devolved into shouting matches and sales pitches. In this world, it's volume over substance. Speed over trust. Action over achievement.

What's the Answer?

There is hope. But I don’t think the answer is to go backward—or suffer through bad bagels again. It’s to get intentional.

Smaller, focused communities are rising because people are tired of the noise.
Places where trust matters. Where shared context exists.
Where you can be seen for your value—not buried under a hundred algorithm-chasing posts.

Some of these spaces are private. Some are paid. Most aren’t huge.
But they’re real. And if you’re serious about your professional growth, you need to be in at least one of them.

Your company should have one. Your industry definitely already does. 

If you're a business leader, you should be helping build one.

The Real Value Is in Motion, Not Membership

Joining a space isn’t the same as belonging in one. You can click “join,” set up a profile, even show up for the occasional Zoom—and still be completely invisible.

Your real network won't be built on attendance alone. Real value moves when you’re in motion: commenting, helping, responding, collaborating. Engage. You earn visibility by showing up—not just signing in.

For Employees and Indys – Connection Builds Visibility, Not Output

Please stop trying to go viral—just be reliable.

Especially in hybrid or remote roles, your work can disappear into the background. But the people who ask good questions, offer help, and stay involved—they’re the ones leaders notice.

Want to stand out? Be present. Show your work. Share something useful. Celebrate others. Don’t make it performative—make it real.

Quiet consistency beats loud self-promotion every time.

For Leaders – Participation Sets Culture and Credibility

Set the tone. Whether you mean to or not. I've learned this the hard way. I struggled with transitioning to the digital networking world. I'm not always comfortable in it. It feels pressured.

But if you're silent in the spaces your team works in, you're signaling that connection doesn’t matter. That’s a problem, especially when you’re asking your team to collaborate, refer, or stretch.

People take cues from the top. When you share ideas, celebrate wins, or give credit publicly, you build a culture of visibility and trust. One more thing—write your own stuff. People can tell when it’s your voice… and when it’s not.

Big Communities = Big Distraction (and Sometimes, Big Problems)

Let’s be honest—showing up well is almost impossible in massive, noisy spaces.

Large communities often slide into:

• Shouting matches over politics or culture

• Spammy pitches from salespeople and recruiters

• Superficial posts designed for attention, not connection

That’s not networking—that’s digital clutter. The solution isn’t to retreat. It’s to focus.

Your team, your clients, and a few curated communities in your industry—these are the high-signal spaces where showing up actually matters.
Some of the best ones are paid. That’s not a flaw—it’s a filter.
It weeds out the noise so you can build real trust with real people.

In a High-Signal Network, Quiet Consistency Wins

You don’t need to be everywhere. You just need to show up where it counts.

• Post with purpose. Contribute when you can help.

• Lift others up when they do good work.

• Show up. Consistency compounds.

In the right rooms, small acts build big reputations.

Conclusion: If You’re Not Contributing, You’re Invisible

The future isn’t about building the biggest audience—it’s about building the right relationships.

If you’re quiet, people forget you. If you only show up when you need something, they ignore you. But if you participate, support others, and stay consistent, you become someone people trust.

People trust what they can see.
People refer who they know.
People work with those who consistently show up.

Start there. Then keep going.

Want to learn more?

This post is part of our ongoing exploration of the Adaptive Workforce™—a modern approach to building trusted, scalable networks of collaborators. At Teamwrkr, we believe trust, visibility, and community-driven growth are the new foundations of how work gets done. www.teamwrkr.com