The points are all very true. I've built my network because of conferences, volunteering at events and just generally finding like minded people by being a good host wherever I am. Its great to have online networking friends like linkedin but at least for me I want face to face time to see if we really gel.

While attending a conference I've met people that were actually in the same company I was in but our paths had never crossed. It was great because we got to bond outside of our everyday work life and then worked together for the common goals we had in our respective groups.

You'd be shocked at how small the world really is once you start attending events or volunteering to help organize one.