Replying to all e-mail messages and private messages from online networks within 24-48 hours is a nice ideal. Actually, replying to all of them eventually is a nice ideal. But it’s simply not always possible.

Unfortunately, when people don’t get a response, sometimes they feel that:
a) they’re being personally slighted or the recipient is mad at them
b) that the recipient is simply being rude
c) that the recipient poorly organized

None of the above are true for me, as I’m sure is the case for many other people. If I don’t reply, I’m not rude, mad at you, or disorganized — I’m just very, very busy.

This is a general issue — I’m just using myself as an example. For the month of August, for example, I’m booked 18 full days at clients.

That means my typical day consists of:
- 10 hours at the client (including travel time & lunch)
- 1 hour prep for the next day at the client
- 4 hours personal time (meals, hygiene, exercise, family, relaxation/entertainment)
- 1-2 hours on my About.com work (average)
- In the remaining 7-8 hours a day, I have to work on marketing The Virtual Handshake, handle my e-mail and online communities, and sleep.

That gives me around 1-2 hours a day to handle all my correspondence and online communities. When I got home tonight, I had 254 messages, of which 108 are NOT bulk mail. I can cut that down to less than 100 in just a couple of minutes, but even that, at an average of 1-2 minutes per message, is more than I have time to handle right now.

Not everyone is this busy with their work, but a lot of people are. What I see all too often in online networking communities is a lack of empathy/respect for that fact. It’s not entirely a case of “haves” vs. “have-nots” — there are a lot of successful people with plenty of time on their hands, too.

So, if you have time on your hands, enjoy it. Be glad you do. But please be respectful of the time of those who don’t, and don’t take it personally or hold it against them when they don’t have time for you. It’s no reflection on you, or even on your relationship with them. Sometimes people are just really, really busy. I am!

Angelika Blendstrup, Ph.D, Ale Gicqueau, and Pierre-Jean Charra have been kind enough to contribute this analysis of network-oriented groups in the Francophone diaspora. You can read more about them at the end of this blog post, in their very impressive biographies. Given that I’m French-American, I have a particular interest in this area.

This is one in our series of articles on networks in various special interest communities. I worked on these articles in connection with research that we did for the book, The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online.

By

Angelika Blendstrup, Ph.D, Ale Gicqueau, and Pierre-Jean Charra

1. What to know when building relationships with and among the French

Forget everything you have heard or read about the French as you get ready for a French networking event. Much of it is based on cultural stereotypes which don’t apply to an entire population anyway, and even less so for those French who have come to the US and particularly to Silicon Valley to work and live. We all have preconceived ideas – the French about the Americans and the Americans about the French – but in order to get the most out of the networking experience, ideas like these need to be checked at the door. Above all, most of these ideas are based on past behavior, but French networking behavior is now undergoing a revolution.

We will begin by giving you some general advice on how to be efficient in a French networking session, and then we will tell you what has changed recently.

The important thing, and that which will bring value to meeting French professionals, is to be very aware of the cultural differences and make them work for, not against you.

The French, as other Europeans do, work to live, whereas it is said that the Americans live to work. This difference in itself is significant, as relationships for the French supercede the task at hand. By paying attention to building these relationships, and showing how much you enjoy being with their groups, you start to make inroads to becoming a part of a French networking community. Many French belong to groups established through family, political, or school ties, which began long before they came to the US. As a result, the best way to approach people at French events is to have someone take you around and introduce you. That way you will be able to pick up quickly who’s who and people will be able to know who you are as well.

Before coming to a meeting, it is ideal to have some background on France’s historical and cultural past, as many discussions will make some reference to things in the past and you will be expected to understand them. The French also have an extremely selective school and university system and it is good to know which are the Grandes Ecoles (the elite universities), since many people working in the US have gone to one of the elite schools and want you to recognize the importance of having gone through this difficult system. Within France, an engineering degree from a Grande Ecole is widely considered more prestigious than a Ph.D. , and even more so than a JD or a MD. The whole school system is different. Without getting into the 4-year maitrise and the Classes Preparatoires, you can hardly understand how it works. On top of it, the early schooling,(elementary and secondary) with its long day, is more comprehensive than the US program. Latin, Greek, classics, history of civilizations: French people are major candidates to winning most Jeopardy shows.

If you studied French in high school or have traveled to France and learned some words and phrases, now is the time to dust off your old French verbs and get back to the language as actively as you can. You will have a distinct advantage if you can communicate with them in French, not in English (however, only if they understand you ;-).

French men and women are schooled to approach problems and issues from a theoretical point of view. They typically go through the classic process of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis and weigh all the options before making commitments. By comparison, Americans typically reach their decisions fast and count on optimizing them along the way to arriving at a solution. When listening to people debate issues, understand where they are coming from if the discussion goes on for quite a while. Realize as well that the French like to have a discussion for discussion’s sake, because it is here that they can demonstrate and enjoy eloquence and logical thinking processes (assuming the participants possess those desirable attributes).

The French will also make references in conversations that are hidden within other meanings, and they will not spell out everything (sous-entendus). The French are typically a more implicit culture, whereas the Americans are used to thinking and acting more explicitly. It is possible to decode much of what the French are saying if you are versed in the current and past history, and the politics of France and also its position in the European Union and the rest of the world. The French like to speak of their rich past, which for them explains the present, while Americans are more interested in the future.

Count on the form of communication being different from what you are used to in a group of Americans. Expect lots of interruptions and everyone talking at once in a seemingly heated argument (which in fact is just a normal discussion), much gesticulation, and possibly, when they are talking to you, they might be talking to others at the same time while attending to a third thing. This is not a sign of disrespect; the French like to multitask and will do it wherever they feel they can.

Don’t expect everyone to come on time. Time is often relative, especially when it comes to attending events which are more social than business. You will also notice people stand closer to each other in groups than you would see in an all American gathering and lots of touching, hugging and kissing will go on between the opposite as well as the same sexes. Enjoy it and go with the flow.

The French will have good food and drink at networking events because food is important; sharing it and a good glass of wine makes building rapport enjoyable. That’s what networking with the French is all about. Enjoy the camaraderie, enjoy getting to know people, work on getting to know them – the business part will follow, all in good time.

Even if the French seem carefree and open to discussing everything, certain conversational taboos do exist. They will talk about politics, religion, sex or even death. However, do not bring up problems within their families or refer to or inquire about money, unless you know someone really well and are considered an insider and real friend (even then, asking about their salary makes you an outcast. It’s a “gaffe”). Most importantly, if you leave a group with a comment such as “let’s have lunch or coffee”, or, “I’ll call you”, you should follow up and really carry out what you suggested, or you will lose any credibility you have previously gained.

Do not forget a business lunch in France lasts often more than 2 hours, and this is where and when business is done; this is the way the French build their business rapport. Without this kind of relationship, it is unlikely that you will develop a solid business relationship with them.

Most French, besides the younger generation, do not like to network online. Culturally speaking, the French build trust by meeting a few times around a table or when they are introduced by a close contact. Unlike in the USA, where trust is granted automatically when the parties agree on a win-win task, in France, it has to be earned by building a personal relationship. As trust is earned mostly through non-verbal communication, the French rely on online networking only when it is an extension of an existing relationship or when they assume they share the same values by being part of the same network or community.

In other words, online networking is more effective for maintaining a relationship than for starting or building a relationship. That said, the younger generation is much more Internet-friendly (and certainly the French are very heavy users of text-messaging), however, we can expect online networking to grow in importance over time.

2. Main French networking organizations

There are only a few large French networking organizations and many very small groups in the United States. This situation can be explained as much by the individualist nature of the culture as by the desire of the French to create deeper or more meaningful business or social relationships within a smaller group. Most French groups in the United States will have a social, cultural or outdoor dimension; however, there are a few professional organizations worth noting. One international French social and cultural organization is worth noting in particular because of its great popularity: l’Alliance Française.

Name: L’Alliance Française

Website: http://www.afusa.org/

Focus: Promotion of the French language and culture

Number of Members/attendees:

CEO/Organizer: His Excellency Jean-David Levitte, French ambassador

Fees: most Alliance Françaises are self-financed by teaching French classes to the Francophile community. In addition, the French government sponsors the largest Alliance Françaises in the USA like New-York or San Francisco by sending them an executive director.

Founded: 1902

Description: L’Alliance Française is the world’s largest French teaching association, with over 1000 schools in 129 countries. Their aim is to widen access to French language and culture, to encourage education, cultural exchange and a friendly dialogue among France and other countries. They are a social and cultural club, and do not offer general, professional networking events. They are ideal for Francophiles who want to get a taste of the French culture and/or learn French. Many of them have a French CineClub where films are shown in French. Most Alliance Française are independent and self-sustained; however, there are a few which are sponsored by the French government and are more prominent in their community, e.g., the Alliance Française of New-York.

French professional organizations are more an exception than a standard. In large cities, there are a few you can contact.

Name: The French-American Chamber of Commerce

Website: http://www.faccnyc.org/facc_chapters.html

Focus: French traditional networking, particularly for purposes of promoting French-US trade

President: Jean-Pierre Bernard

Fees: 1/3 from membership, 1/3 from events, 1/3 from sponsors.Founded: 1896

Founded: 1896

Description:

The French American Chamber of Commerce (FACC) has been opening borders between the United States and France. A private non-profit, commercial service organization, the FACC offers 20 US chapters and liaison chapters in Paris, all dedicated to the promotion of French-American trade and investment.

They have the following goals:

• Encourage the sale of goods and services between both countries and promote better international understanding
• Provide information to businesses on the economies and business environments of both nations and help promote the investments of each country in the other.
• Work with the French and U.S. governmental and economic agencies, diplomatic and consular agents and all other associations in France and the U.S. that pursue similar goals.

Facilitate the interaction among our membership to foster continuing good economic, commercial and financial relationships between France and the United States.

Because the French-American Chamber is an older institution, it has established some strong ties with the French government and other institutional agencies. From time to time, the Chamber organizes honorary dinners with the French consul, ambassador or senators in the same way that similar events would be facilitated in France. Recently, on the west coast, the French-American Chamber of Commerce puts on events with another French group, DBF.

Name: DBF (Doing business in France)

Website: www.dbf.net

Focus: a successful French entrepreneur/businessperson talks about his successes every first Monday of the month (in French)

Number of Attendees: 40 – 50 each meeting

Founder: Jean-Louis Gassée

Fees: typically $30/event

Founded: 1994

Description: French networking group.

Name: InterFrench

Websites: www.interfrench.com, www.siliconfrench.com, www.lexecutiveclub.com, www.frenchcineclub.org

Because of the cultural differences we have described earlier, the networking experience in French groups could be somewhat intimidating. For this reason, a new non-profit organization called InterFrench, more integrated with the local community and with a networking focus, has emerged over the last few years to fill this gap.

InterFrench is a not-for-profit networking organization whose aims are to unite the French-speaking and Francophile community in North America and foster a new spirit of solidarity by bringing together the best of French and American cultures. It was originally created in the Silicon Valley in 2001, and most of its operations are in that region. InterFrench keeps its French flavor but, although French is the most spoken language in the gatherings, the doors are wide open to non French-speakers.

InterFrench is an attempt at merging the best features of American and French professional practices. InterFrench is about building long-term business or social relationships at a personal level with people open to the French. Many Francophiles attend InterFrench gatherings (Canadians, Belgium, Swiss, Moroccans, Indians, Russians and of course Americans). They bring their cultural diversity to a new Francophile professional melting pot.

Learning from their new adoptive country, the USA, the InterFrench founders wanted to create a network where anyone would feel welcome and could participate.

What foreigners often resent as arrogance is just the distance which the French put in their initial contacts. The InterFrench organizers decided to close the gap, and systematically break the ice between all participants. They think that although French and Americans are often antagonists, they either love or hate each other, but they seldomly ignore each other. Indeed they often complement each other as Americans are good in communication, sales, marketing, and management, whereas the French excel in culture, arts, mathematics, and engineering.

InterFrench members have multiple interests and they come from many different backgrounds. As a consequence, InterFrench in Silicon Valley is today composed of 4 complementary networking platforms:

1. Siliconfrench for French-speaking professionals (http://www.siliconfrench.com )
2. L’Executive Club: an exclusive club for French-speaking top-executives http://www.lexecutiveclub.com .
3. The French CineClub for all Cinephiles http://www.frenchcineclub.org
4. Frenchip: social gatherings of French and Francophiles in a relaxed atmosphere

Outside of Silicon Valley, InterFrench has only two platforms: InterFrench for small entrepreneurs and professionals, and the executive club for VIPs.

Overall, InterFrench has multiple goals:

· Merge the best of both the French and American cultures

· Act as a communication platform and promote a cultural & business bridge between North America and France

· Stimulate business opportunities between the French speaking community and North America

· Foster personal and professional development and offer business and job opportunities through casual exchange of knowledge, information and contacts

· Help French immigrants to integrate and prosper in the American society

· Provide an environment for innovation among entrepreneurs in a variety of industries. Coach younger professionals and entrepreneurs to reach their full potential by modeling top executives

The spirit and values of InterFrench are carried out by the board, the coordinators, the members and the volunteers. Each coordinator acts as a ‘node’ in the network. He/She frequently communicates, acts as an ambassador and catalyst, makes introductions and creates opportunities to InterFrench members by bringing people together.

InterFrench has a flexible structure that welcomes anyone who needs a support system to launch his/her projects, his/her ideas build a network and learn new skills. Team members are encouraged in their endeavors as long as their efforts give back to the community and they respect the integrity of our values.InterFrench has chapters in the USA, Canada and France.

All InterFrench Francophiles can easily connect through Internet mailing lists, forums and an Intranet allowing them to contact each other between gatherings or between chapters and across continents.

Contact: info@ siliconfrench.com

About the Authors

Angelika Blendstrup Ph.D., who is the Chair of L’Executive Club,at InterFrench is a business communications consultant who helps foreign-born executives with problems understanding the complexities of American business culture and the English language to communicate effectively. In particular, she helps them improve their written and oral communication skills, prepares them for media interviews and works on reducing their accents. Her clients include Fujitsu, A&D, DreamWorks/PDI, Tibco, Roche, and Sun MicroSystems. Angelika has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Latin America and speaks Spanish and Portuguese as well as French and German. Angelika holds a Ph.D. in bilingual, bicultural Education from Stanford University, a Master’s in Comparative Literature from U C Berkeley and a B.A. in foreign languages and educational psychology from the University of Tübingen, Germany. Contact: angelikab @stanfordalumni.org, http://www.professional-business-communications.com

Ale Gicqueau : the founder of L’Executive Club, co-founder of SiliconFrench© and is now leading the overall Interfrench organization in the US. He has held different positions in the software industry, working successively in software development, engineering management and business development roles. He is today a recognized evangelist in XML/RDB, and his efforts to develop an effective networking business platform for French-Speaking professionals, has lead to the creation and development of SiliconFrench© and L’Executive Club. Ale Gicqueau holds an engineering degree from l’Ecole Centrale Paris and a Master’s of Science from UC Davis. Contact: ale@ interfrench.com.

Pierre-Jean Charra: a born entrepreneur, was running his own company in France for 11 years. Tutorland was the leader in France of Computer Training Materials. He is the original Founder of the Interfrench organization and SiliconFrench© coFounder with Ale Gicqueau. The idea of L’Executive Club came from Pierre-Jean Charra years ago and he left its execution to his friend and partner Ale Gicqueau. Since he came back to France last August, he has been developing an organization of French professionals interested in doing business with North-America. Pierre-Jean Charra holds an Engineering degree from Ecole Centrale Paris and a Master’s of Science from UC Berkeley. Contact: pcharra @siliconfrench.com .

In connection with research for our new book, The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online (www.TheVirtualHandshake.com), I have worked with a number of partners to research different special-interest communities and how they build relationships with one another. The article below is the first in a series of pieces around this theme.

Building Business Relationships in the Chinese Diaspora

By Zhiyi Yu and David Teten

A few weeks ago, we spoke with a friend, who recently got a marketing director job in Shanghai. When asked how he got the job, he laughed and said that he did it without having an interview. Even though he is well qualified for the position, it is still unusual to get a job without any interview. He explained that the opportunity arose out of his mother’s high school reunion, where an old classmate of hers happened to be a hiring manager for this position.

While still in disbelief, we know that our friend is not the only lucky one out there. Such stories happen often in China, where the power of business networking or “guanxi” is prevalent. Even more so than in most other cultures, to get anything done, what matters most is whom you know and what relationships you have in place. As Dr. Hong Chen, Founder and CEO of The HINA Group, puts it: “many business deals are done in informal social/business meetings in China.”

As the former founder and CEO of the publicly traded company GRIC, Mr. Chen has an extensive network of contacts and is a frequent business traveler to China. Every time before he arrives in his destination, his friends will have already arranged meetings for him with other business professionals. They will go out for informal parties or drinks where they chat for business and other non-business issues. Often in such discussions, deals are sealed with a handshake.

However, such prevalence of off-line business networking rarely exists for first generation Chinese living abroad. When they leave China to go to a foreign country, they begin with a new life and have to build everything from scratch. This also means that they need to build a new social and professional network from the ground up. At one point of their lives, they struggle to find their identities and often have a difficult time assimilating into the mainstream society. Language barriers and cultural differences are the most difficult to overcome. As a result, in contrast to the informal social/business networking in China, organized meetings and conferences count as the most popular networking venues for overseas Chinese professionals. And increasingly with the proliferation of Internet usage, many Chinese organizations have established web presence and are leveraging the Internet as a medium for professional networking.

In fact, overseas Chinese are among the most avid users of the Internet. According to a survey conducted by Sina (www.sina.com), one of the largest Chinese Internet portals, Chinese Americans are the “most wired” consumers in the U.S. The online penetration rate of Chinese Americans is 59% versus 43% for Caucasian Americans. And the median income of Chinese American Internet user is $69,000, about 50% higher than the $40,000 median income level of Caucasian American Internet users. Of all the Chinese-American Internet users, 97 percent own a home computer, and 65 percent are online every day.

The high Internet penetration rate within the Chinese American population is a reflection of the above average economic and educational achievements of Chinese in the U.S. According to statistics released by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission (OCAC) in 2000, there were approximately 2 million Chinese residing in the U.S., with large Chinese concentrations in major metropolitan cities such as New York and San Francisco. Because of the large proportion who hails from professional families, Chinese Americans enjoy the third highest educational levels, just behind Koreans and Japanese. In sheer numbers they produce the most affluent people, accounting for 55% of Asian Americans earning over $100,000 a year.

Whether you are a Chinese professional looking to build your network, or a non-Chinese professional looking to learn more about business opportunities in China and in the Chinese diaspora, the Internet would be a good place to start your search for networking opportunities. The following is a summary of the types of organizations you should be looking for:

• School clubs and associations – in almost every school with Chinese students, you can find a Chinese students’ club. Among the most active school associations include Harvard University Chinese Student Association (http://hcs.harvard.edu/~hrcsa/), Columbia University Chinese Students and Scholars Association (http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cucssa/), Association of Chinese Students and Scholars at Yale, (http://www.yale.edu/acssy/home.html), and so on. Most school associations work with both undergraduate and graduate level Chinese students, and some are also open to Chinese alumni.
• Alumni associations of Chinese universities – although most Chinese come to the U.S. to pursue masters and higher level education, many remain tightly connected to the Chinese educational institutions where they attended undergraduate or graduate studies in China. Through the overseas alumni associations, they establish contacts with other alums and keep in touch with classmates who still live and work in China. Alumni of these overseas associations typically develop strong bonds within the organization as they maintain loyal and emotionally attachments to their homeland institutions. One example of this type of association is the Jiaotong University Alumni Association ( http://www.jtu.org/jtu/alumni/index.html ). Jiaotong University is a top school in China, equivalent to MIT in the U.S. The school has a very extensive global alumni network, with both domestic and international chapters in U.S., Canada, Japan, Europe and other regions of the world. Within the U.S., the alumni association is further broken down to separate regional chapters that cover different parts of the country. An extensive list of the overseas alumni associations of almost all the major Chinese universities can be found on http://www.us369.com/LIUXUEalumni1.HTM .
• Professional organizations – the most popular networks among Chinese professionals are the professional organizations. Hundreds of Chinese professional organizations exist in the U.S. Alex Chan, President of the Chinese Software Professionals Association (CSPA, www.cspa.com), one of the largest Silicon Valley based technology professional organizations, points out that such fragmentation occurs because most organizations are organized by some type of specific criteria, for example, by the region from whence the members come or by profession. Sometimes, divisions are made based on the Chinese dialect. Finding a national or unified Chinese organization is difficult as a result.

Most of the Chinese organizations are formed to serve two main purposes: as a platform for Chinese professionals to meet one other, and for Chinese professionals to mingle with “mainstream” society. No stranger to professional networking himself, Dr. Chen started the Chinese Professionals Association, one of the earliest of its kind in the U.S., in 1991. In the last few years, he also served as a President of the Asian American MultiTechnology Association (AAMA www.aamasv.com), a pan-Asian business professionals organization, and founded and chaired Hua Yuan (www.huayuan.org), a Silicon Valley organization that attracts a large group of professionals from mainland China. When asked about what he saw as the biggest challenge for professional networking, Dr. Chen observed that mingling with the broader non-Chinese population has been an uphill battle.

While language and cultural differences pose significant barriers for Chinese professionals to mingle with the mainstream, Dr. Chen noted gradual changes in the past decade. In the earlier years, most Chinese pursued the mainstream aggressively. For example, a quick review of the calendar for the first years of the organizations above show that most of the invited speakers were non-Asians. Things are changing, however, as China’s economy grows stronger. Dr. Chen notes that more and more non-Chinese professionals are approaching the Chinese organizations asking to speak, as opposed to the reverse. An increasing percentage of the speakers are themselves of Asian background. More broadly, there has been a significant increase in interest in doing business with China in the last couple of years.

Regardless of the type of organization, you can expect some commonalities among them:

• Professional conduit – you can expect many organizations to serve as a professional conduit between their members and professional opportunities by providing free services such as job postings to its members. Many professional organizations also offer speaker events around specific topics.

• Social events –most associations organize some kinds of regular social events for its members. These events include cultural and recreational activities, such as an annual Spring Festival celebration, ballroom dancing, or a tennis tournament. Through these events, members can get to know each other and develop personal friendships. Often, single members find their significant others through such events.

• Community board – it is common for organizations to have a community board where their members can exchange information on many things ranging from opinions on a political issue to apartment rentals. It is a way for the members to be connected to the rest of the community.

If you are new to professional networking, the best place to start is through professional organizations or school alumni associations. We have included a list of the most active organizations at the end of this chapter. In addition, you may also try your luck in recreational activities such as sports or chorus groups. Ching Ching Chorus (www.chingching.org) in Silicon Valley, for example, attracts many professionals from different age groups, backgrounds and industries.

Dr. Chen mentions church groups and Chinese schools as additional channels for networking. In Chinese schools, for example, the parents often socialize and get to know each other very well through their children. Of course, one of the best ways to network is always through informal gatherings and parties put together by your friends.

We have listed below some of the most prominent and active Chinese professional organizations below. This list is by no means an exhaustive list of all Chinese professional organizations in the U.S.

1) U.S. China Exchange Association

Website: www.usachina.org

Description: U.S. China Exchange Association is an official multi-national non-profit organization that promotes exchanges between the US and China in business, education, culture, and other areas through conferences, seminars, market research, training, business trips, trade shows, and other international exchange activities. Headquartered in New Jersey, with offices in Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Hangzhou and other locations in the US and China.

Membership: Over 2,000 business members from a variety of industries including pharmaceutical, telecommunications, chemical, machinery, electronic appliance, instruments, apparels/textile, computer, media, publication, advertising, education, finance, insurance, healthcare, travel, agriculture, construction material, and other industries in U.S. and China.

Contact: Scroll down the page, and you will find the contact information of local offices on http://www.usachina.org.

2) Asian American MultiTechnology Association (AAMA)

Website: www.aamasv.com

Description: AAMA is Silicon Valley’s leading MultiTechnology business network promoting the success of the Asia America region’s technology enterprises. Through its diverse programs ranging from monthly Speakers Series to the Asia-Silicon Valley Technology Investment Conference, AAMA provides a forum in which members can network, exchange ideas and share resources to promote and build one another’s companies and careers, ultimately benefiting the larger Pacific Rim technological community.

Membership: Over 1,100 members from about 800 companies. The members, both Asian Americans and non-Asian Americans, are key players in the Internet, wireless, telecommunications, computers, semiconductor, software, hardware, electronics and bio-tech industries. AAMA is also supported by a strong network of service industries—venture capital, law, finance, banking, marketing and public relations, technical and business consulting. Memberships separated into individual membership ($100 annually) and corporate membership (ranges from $1,000 to $10,000 annually).

Contact: http://www.aamasv.com/aboutaama/aboutaama_contactus.asp

3) Hua Yuan Science and Technology Association

Website: www.huayuan.org

Description: Huayuan is a professional organization that promotes the technological, professional and scientific development of the Chinese business community. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Hua Yuan has launched a chapter in Beijing.

Membership: Over 700 members, mostly Chinese engineers and entrepreneurs. Majority of the members are from mainland China.

Contact: http://www.huayuan.org/directors.php#bm

4) Sino-American Pharmaceuticals Professionals Association (SAPA)

Website: http://www.sapaweb.org/index.html

Description: Founded in 1993, the Sino-American Pharmaceutical Professionals Association (SAPA) grew rapidly and has become one of the most active and well-recognized Chinese-heritage enduring professional organizations in the United States. Pharmaceutical science and technology professionals’ organization

Membership: Over 1,200 members in pharmaceutical sciences, the biomedical and biotechnological community, the health professions, and the interest of the public health in more than 35 states in the US and in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan.

Contact: page under construction.

5) The Chinese Finance Association (TCFA)

Website: http://www.aimhi.com/VC/tcfa/index.html

Description: TCFA is a non-profit organization aimed at facilitating the exchange of ideas, knowledge and information on education, research and practice in finance and related areas between the U.S. and China. TCFA will organize and sponsor a broad range of activities including original research projects, training programs, translations, publications, and international conferences. Regular member activities will be comprised of annual meetings, regular seminars & symposia, and field studies.

Membership: Open to students, scholars and professionals of Finance, Accounting, and other Economic and Management Sciences.

Contact: justinjiangzhm[@]yahoo.com or chinesefinance[@]yahoo.com

6) Chinese American Semiconductor Professional Association (CASPA)

Website: www.caspa.org

Description: Founded in 1991, CASPA is the Largest Chinese American semiconductor professional organization outside of China and Taiwan. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, CASPA has 6 regional chapters in Austin, Shanghai, Taiwan, the Pearl River Delta region in China, Oregon, and Arizona.

Membership: Over 3,000 individual members and 60 corporate members. Individual membership costs $20 annually, or $100 life time membership. Corporate sponsor package ranges from $500 to $4,000 annually.

Contact: http://www.caspa.com/index.phtml?section=contact

7) Chinese Professional and Entrepreneur Association (CPAEA)

Website http://www.cpaea.org/

Description: CPAEA is a professional association provides its members with services, events, and social activities such as holiday parties, seminars on education, investment, insurance, new tax laws, real estate, consultation sessions on job search skills, United States civil laws, and family issues. These activities aim to help Chinese professionals and entrepreneurs to gain more knowledge and information about their economic and social environment.

Membership: Over 500 members.

Contact: Professor Zhiqiang Gao, President, z.gao@csuohio.edu

8) International Chinese Transportation Professionals Association (ICTPA)

Website: http://www.ictpaweb.org/index.html

Description: Founded in 1988, ICTPA promotes the professional development of fellow Chinese who have an interest in transportation-related work in North America. The organization has four chapters based in Washington, DC, Northern California, Southern California and Northeastern United States.

Membership: Number of members unknown.

Contact: You can scroll down the page http://www.ictpaweb.org to sign up for free email updates on activities or get information on membership.

9) Hong Kong Association of Northern California (HKANC)

Website: www.hkanc.com

Description: Founded in 1984 to provide a focal point for Northern California-based individuals and corporations interested in business and trade with Hong Kong. The HKANC was the first Hong Kong Association in North America. Today, there are similar organizations in Atlanta, Boston, Hawaii, Los Angeles, New York, and Texas, as well as in Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg.

Membership: HKANC has over 60 corporate members. Individual membership: $50 annually. Corporate membership: $1,000 annually.

Contact: http://www.hkanc.com/contact.html

10) iNetwork128

Website: http://www.inetwork128.org/

Description: i128 is a pan-New England entrepreneur network representing small- and medium-sized business (SME) owners and executives. Its mission is to provide our entrepreneurs and others a fast, practical and economical channel into China.

Membership: over 1,000 small- and medium-sized business owners and executives.

Contact: Shawn He, Founder and President, info@iNetwork128.org

11) North America Overseas Chinese Transportation Association (NACOTA)

Website: http://www.nacota.org/

Description: Established in 1996, NACOTA is a non-profit professional organization with its members who work or study in the transportation or related fields in North America and who are interested in the transportation development in China. The main objectives of NACOTA include: Promote transportation development in China by providing technologies and expertise through its members; Strengthen the links between transportation professionals and students in North America and their counterparts in China; Promote networking among Chinese overseas transportation professionals and students; and disseminate information on transportation developments and major events in China to NACOTA members and partners in North America.

Membership: 500+

12) New England Chinese Information and Network Association (NECINA)

Website: www.necina.org

Description: founded in 1996, NECINA has grown to be one of the major hi-tech professional organizations in the New England area. NECINA reaches thousands of members covering diverse industries such as software, telecommunications, networking, bioinformatics, venture capital, finance and law.

Membership: over 1,000

13) Monte Jade

Website: www.montejade.org

Description: Founded in 1989 in Silicon Valley, Monte Jade has since established 15 chapters around the world including domestic U.S. chapters in New York, Chicago, Washington DC, New England, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Philadelphia. Monte Jade is primarily comprised of Chinese American professionals with experience in investment, management and technology.

Membership: 20,000 under Global Monte Jade including total membership and corporate employees.

14) Northwest Chinese H-Tech Professionals Association (NWCHP)

Website: http://www.nwchp.org/

Description: NWCHP is a Washington State-based professional organization representing and serving Chinese professionals in the hi-tech, legal, financial and consulting service industries in the US Pacific northwest (Greater Seattle) region.

Membership: 5,000+

In addition to the above organizations, a good list of professional organizations for Asian Americans can be found on http://www.careercompany.com/links-asian.html.

Co-Authors

Zhiyi Yu is Managing Director of Global China Operations at OpenBC (www.openbc.com), an online global networking platform for business professionals around the world to find, connect and establish new business relationships and contacts. Previously Zhiyi advised U.S. and European venture capital firms and technology companies on investment and operational strategies. Prior to becoming a consultant, Zhiyi was an Investment Director with ITX, a $1.5 billion venture fund backed by Olympus Corporation, one of the world’s largest consumer electronics and healthcare products companies. Prior to ITX, Zhiyi held senior management positions in business development, product management and marketing for two start-up technology companies that were acquired by InfoSpace and Symbol Technologies. Earlier in her career, Zhiyi worked at Goldman Sachs and APAX Partners, where she evaluated and executed a number of corporate finance and private equity deals in China. Zhiyi is a native of Shanghai China and holds a B.A. with Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business. She can be contacted at z(@)openbc.com.

David Teten recently released his first book, The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online (www.TheVirtualHandshake.com), published by the American Management Association, and co-written with Scott Allen. The Virtual Handshake is the first book that explains how to find your next client, your next job, or your next business partner online. The Virtual Handshake walks you through how to take full advantage of blogs, virtual communities, social network sites, and other “social software”. David is CEO of Nitron Advisors, LLC (www.NitronAdvisors.com), which provides institutional investors with direct access to frontline industry experts, and Chairman of Teten Recruiting (www.Tetenco.com), an executive recruiting firm. He was formerly CEO of an investment bank specializing in internet domain names. He is a frequent keynote speaker to finance and technology industry conferences and at such universities as Wharton, Columbia Business School, Yale, and Princeton. David formerly worked for Bear Stearns’ technology/defense investment banking team, and was a strategy consultant with Mars & Co. He holds a Harvard MBA and a Yale BA.