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"Business\u00A0travel typically amounts to\u00A0a series of laborious\u00A0meetings\u00A0combined with\u00A0an abundance of\u00A0in-room dining.\u00A0When you travel though, you\u2019re also\u00A0creating\u00A0the perfect opportunity\u00A0to deepen the connections you\u2019ve  already\u00A0established online\u00A0with like-minded\u00A0business people through\u00A0social media  participation.\nIf you\u2019re\u00A0currently\u00A0a member of social networks, the idea here is to simply  better\u00A0leverage\u00A0your existing\u00A0connections.\u00A0 However, if you do not currently use  any social media tools, then you might have to begin by signing up for some of  these before we begin.\nWhy? Because every time you leave your office, you\u00A0can develop new relationships and deepen old ones, boost sales\u00A0opportunities and build your own  personal brand.\nBefore You Go\nAbout one week before your trip, it\u2019s time to start sowing the seeds and  letting people know where you\u2019re going to be. Let\u2019s start by examining how you  can leverage some of your existing social media channels.\nYou can use Twitter to inform your  community\u00A0about your upcoming\u00A0plans and see if anyone\u00A0is in that area and wants  to meet. If you have a blog, you\u00A0should\u00A0post your travel plans\u00A0there as well and  invite readers to meet up.\nLinkedIn members should take advantage of\u00A0 the site\u2019s\u00A0Business  Travel section under Answers and either\u00A0ask a question about the place to  which you\u2019re traveling or answer a question by a fellow traveler.\u00A0 You\u2019ll be  surprised how easy it\u00A0is to initiate a new business relationship through sharing  some\u00A0information based on your own experiences.\u00A0You can also update your  LinkedIn status to indicate your upcoming travel plans and invite anyone in the  area to send you a note, which all of your contacts will be able to see.\n\nTripIt has a  service geared towards business travelers that aggregates\u00A0your trip details in  one place, which\u00A0you can share\u00A0with\u00A0colleagues, contacts\u00A0and family.\u00A0The service  streamlines travel planning\u00A0and\u00A0alerts you to any places where your itinerary  overlaps with\u00A0other people in your network.\nFinally, there are\u00A0a host of social networks geared towards business  travelers, including Placely,\u00A0Dopplr and PairUp. Signing up and adding  your\u00A0travel itinerary shouldn\u2019t take more than 15 minutes, and once you do, you  can import your contact list to share your plans. While the feature set varies  slightly between these services, all will help you to connect with other  travelers or businesspeople at the airport, on the plane or at your  destination.\n\nAt the Airport\nAt the airport, you can try uploading an image to the mobile\u00A0social network,  Brightkite, a location based social network  that allows you to tag your photos by\u00A0where you upload them and, if you  choose,\u00A0reveals your location so you can discover\u00A0other members who might be in  your area.\nAnother social tool worth trying is Utterz,\u00A0one of the easiest ways to podcast  using your mobile phone. When you sign up, you can call and record your thoughts  as well as share a video or\u00A0weigh in on other conversations, all\u00A0from your  phone.\nAt Your Destination\nAny chance you have to connect with people offline that you have only met  online will help to establish a better relationship. Social networking is  fantastic, but there\u2019s really no substitute for face-to-face interaction.\nConsult\u00A0Upcoming.org or Meetup to see if there are any industry  related events\u00A0coinciding with your trip. If so, there might be a host of  colleagues or prospects in the area interested in an informal coffee or  breakfast.\n\nYou might also\u00A0want to try using TripHub to coordinate group events, meals or meetings\u00A0if you\u2019re traveling with several  of your colleagues.\nThink beyond your typical business networks and look for fun meet-ups as  well. You can search for photowalks if you enjoy  photography or join a golf related social  network to find a group if time permits.\nFinally, don\u2019t underestimate your existing professional networks, whether\u00A0a  community on Plaxo, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or another social\u00A0service.\nConclusion\nYou have an opportunity to build stronger relationships with your contacts, meet  new people and transform an otherwise standard business trip into a much more  meaningful, social\u00A0experience. The tools outlined above will help you to  identify and connect with your contacts, but it\u2019s up to you to take the  initiative to make it happen. If you do, you\u2019ll see that business trips are now  much more than mundane corporate\u00A0obligations, and\u00A0you can\u00A0transform\u00A0your social  networks from\u00A0a contact databases into a Rolodex of relationships.\nAre there other tools you\u2019ve used to make your business trips more social?\u00A0If so, please share them below.\n[Aaron Uhrmacher is a social media consultant. In addition to his posts on Mashable, he blogs at DISRUPTology.]\n[Image credit: Vizzzual.com (Attribution)]"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2008/07/28/turn-your-business-trip-into-a-social-media-experience/>