What Is 'Active' Networking

I was talking with a business woman recently who is fairly new to networking and I was explaining that networking is a contact sport–that it requires people to get out there and actively and strategically build relationships.  At one point she asked, "Well, what exactly does that involve? . . . What defines 'active' networking?" This is actually a great question because it opens up a discussion about not only 'active' networking but also about 'passive' networking. Actively networking with others means you invite those people to one or more of the networking organizations you belong to, carry several of ...