We have just added Eukanuba to Wabbit, Free puppy food, in exchange for information about your dog and all your personal details including your date of birth.

Simply knowing there is a puppy at your home address has a good value, added facts like your age, the dogs age , breed and so on must be worth much more than a sample pack of dog food, one per household. Someone will have a monetry value to each piece of personal information freely given, there is that word free again.

We sometimes send out free chocolates, as a thank you to customers who have bought chocolates from us and had them sent to someone else, usually as a present. So what do we get back? We get a very happy customer, who not only has chosen our products to give away but has now been able to sample the same products given in the present. What value does a doubly happy customer have?

Therefore, I consider the local pub was the general networking club of the past.  There have been specialised trade networking clubs for centuries and they will probably prosper well into the future, probably because they are not primarily businesses for profit.

So what happened?  Probably the cost of running a local pub has outstripped the gain, or what we know as ROI, return on investment, a local pub is a business the same as any other business and a profit is desirable whether it be trading profit or realised upon disposal of the asset.

The networking club of today does have a different structure to the local pub although many simalies can be made.

The pub landlord, would not charge for entry to the pub, but a per item charge would be made on all products consumed, except maybe a few stale salted peanuts left on the bar to encourage further consumption of liquids. Fair enough, the whole profitability of a pub relies on over the counter sales. A landlord would not structure a meeting or conversation except on recognised quiet periods when Darts, Dominos, pool competitions and the like might be staged.

A local pub does still have a place and purpose to fulfill but like most traditional businesses a landlord will probably find it harder to make a profit under todays trading climate.

The networking club however often combines all the benefits of bringing together like minded people, providing a comfortable venue, structuring meetings on various subjects and where refreshments are provided, they will be of good quality, usually taking into account varying lifestyle diets, liquid refreshments will be vaied and of good quality.

The fee structure of todays networking club generally provides the bulk of its income, the members will want to feel they have value for money, however they perceve value.

What, may we ask, is the future of networking? Well I think I’ve seen it. I was recently invited to the launch of a Womens Business Club, yes I’m a man, (a major shareholder in our company is female) my gender was not held against me, I was made most welcome and fully included.

How good was my experience, well it was the best networking session ever, organisation, setting, seminars, refreshments and entertainment, all second to none. Even a film crew to record the event. No, it’s not my networking club, I’m not related and I’m not being paid for this blog.

Not only a physical entity, this club has an online presence which is promising to be an excellent resource center.

Principle, Jacqui Sesstien, has a plethora of experience and with the team she has assembled, I’m sure this network club is one to consider as the future of networking.

Well, not always true. This afternoon was partly spent adding sites to Wabbit, somthing we do on a regular basis.

One such site Bean Bag Bazaar I had just come across on Paid On Results a network I have not used a great deal, they will get more attention in future, here’s why. Within literally minuits we had a £91 sale, thank you annonymouse purchaser.

What I have always liked about POR is they support second tier affiliates, which encourages me to entice you to JOIN POR , so there we go, blatant marketing in search of that fi

Norfolk-based, EDC is a workers co-operative.