Why networking?

Women have to network. You may have heard it before and it is probably not the last time you read about it. For the past years I have seen an increase in the invitation to network events either "female only", online, for newbies, for future leaders... you name it! Now I just got an invitation from a linkedIn fellow to get linked. But the invitation is quite vague. I should find actually an interest in the person for having a relation with him/her. Now this invitation raised of course my interest and was formulated as follow:
"I have an interesting network and it's growing every day. Please link to me and we can share more contacts and help each other where possible!"
Even though I checked this person's profile, even though she is in a network of women professional which i belong as well (but not same country based), I am still wondering. Should I join someone else's network because of the short lines above? Well I read an interesting part from Cathy Goodwin newsletter where she said that she is a bit skeptical for people having more than 100 connections on LinkedIn (and here I do not ad for either of them). Well I am happily connected to 166 persons to-date and I can happily say that I know all of them but three, meaning that I have had a relationship with each one of them during my career (and here of course I mean PROFESSIONAL relationship!). Some I just met once but corresponded regularly afterwards, other I met everyday during a project, some I met ten years ago while working in France and still keeping track on what they do aso.

REALLY IMPORTANT with network is to maintain those relationships. Indeed the interest should be reciprocal. Why on earth should someone get in relation with me? For my beautiful dark eyes (Yes they are!)? I don't think so (even though I would be flattered...). But at the end this networking idea is a platform to promote talent, to share ideas, to get boll plank and advice. An example is that I am organizing an art exhibition with some of my fellow painting students. We are to show our work/art and hopefully sell it. If I am really ready to dedicate my time to this, I need the help of those ladies as well, their ideas. I am not planning to rule them all (where does this come from???). This corresponds to my little art network. Suddenly I recall that the newly wed wife of one of my Swedish friends from Scotland (yes, networking can take you really far from home!) is working in art and co. So it just happened that I met her when bicycling back from my Kungfu training and we discussed about that briefly on our way home...Coincidence, isn't it?
Well back to LinkedIn. I sent a question to get some support in ideas for starting this challenge. And to my surprise got a pretty quick answer to that, which is great.

I extended my LinkedIn network to Plaxo Pulse platform to get extra people to know and to know me back. Which works quite well as a lady part of the recruitment team of a certain company which I was in contact last year got my invitation and answered back, recognizing me. For not mentioning the one who just found my profile there and thought it as of interest and propose me to apply for a position... well so far so good!

I am really keen on keeping good relationship with my connections, which does not mean to get them flowers for their birthday, but still when I believe something is of reciprocal interest, to just get in touch.

Women tend to be not that good at networking according to the articles you may find in the press (as you choose: Fortune, Financial times, Business Week, the Economist... for mentioning only those international papers). In Sweden the case is pretty similar. Networking seems to be the foundation for future success for women. SO WHY SO FEW WOMEN STILL AT TOP POSITIONS?