Spent 4 hours on a free Zoom call last Tuesday trying to 'network' and got absolutely nothing out of it | Freelance Video Networking - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Those free networking things are usually a trap for people trying to sell you something or get your email. Real connections happen when you trade help or info, not just a hello and a handshake. Maybe next time try showing up with a specific question someone can actually answer.
Did everyone there actually introduce themselves with what they do, or did you have to dig to find out if anyone was doing anything interesting? @matthewking nailed it - those free calls are usually people fishing for leads or clients, not trying to build real connections. The last one I sat through, this guy from a marketing agency spent the first 10 minutes talking about his "unique sales funnel" and then nobody asked a single real question after that. You're better off finding a group that meets monthly with a strict rule like "no pitching unless asked.