In one of his latest posts here at Informatica Perspectives, Chris Boorman talked about Informatica’s 50,000-member-strong Informatica Technology Network (TechNet) community, dedicated to advancing work in data integration and data quality.

The site is packed full of great resources – there is information on Data Quality Certification programs, upcoming conferences and events, new product developments, links to the work of data warehousing and data management experts such as Dr. Ralph Kimball, and discussion forums on a range of topics.

I see the benefits of such a community as threefold:

One, it advances the body of knowledge in data management; two, it serves as an adjunct, live user group that helps companies such as Informatica better identify and serve customers’ requirements; and three, it provides a valuable networking environment for its members, which helps boost connectedness and career prospects.

As a former director of an international management association, and currently research consultant to several active user groups, I can testify to the power of networking and how it helps in professionals’ career advancement. There are significant rewards, both in terms of personal friendships and career advancement, to individuals that contribute their time and effort to these forums.

And, to keep things timely, affiliations with user communities can make a difference in rough-and-tumble economies such as the one we have now. The best defense a professional can have in tough economic times is a vibrant network of peers that can collaborate and share information on new opportunities across the industry. Today these communities are online, and easily accessible.

In fact, social networking communities – from professional sites such as Informatica TechNet to more broad-based sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter – may help mitigate the impact of the current economic malaise in ways that haven’t been measured yet. Let’s call it “Recession 2.0.” In the past, when an individual got laid off, most, if not all, connections to his or her company were severed. For the time individuals were on unemployment rolls, many were cut off from active engagements with industries or professions.

Now, however, an employee’s network – social or professional – is portable. They take the network with them wherever they go. Jennifer Hay, a business intelligence career guide, described in a recent post how the career market has changed, thanks to the rise of social networking. “Traditional approaches to sending out resumes and networking have lost their impact. The ‘net’ generation develops relationships, shares information and creates experiences online. They build professional profiles on social networks such as LinkedIn that go beyond documenting knowledge, skills and experience to provide insight into personality, preferences and perspectives.”

Hay advises that professionals look at these profiles as more than resume repositories. “A professional profile has an entirely different purpose [than resumes intended to promote skills]. A profile creates opportunities for the exchange of ideas and knowledge on social networks. It is not a ’sales flyer’ but a ‘marketing brochure.’ A well constructed profile creates an impression that you are a person of value – someone with whom I would seek to network and build a professional relationship.”

I’d like to take Hay’s discussion a little deeper, and emphasize the point that your online network is a resource that you will always be part of, in good times as well as bad. Over the course of your career, this is a community that will continually provide insights on new developments and trends within your profession or industry, as well as provide a sounding board on which you can bounce off questions and new ideas.

In fact, Informatica’s John Schmidt (who regularly contributes here at the Perspectives Community) really nailed it a couple of years back in an interview in which he described this phenomenon as “Personal Outsourcing.”

John noted that the array of Web and Enterprise 2.0 services – blogs, wikis, search engines, and the like, have transformed our workspaces into one single gigantic virtual workplace. These services are “enabling outsourcing at the individual level,” John said. In this case, unlike the traditional model for outsourcing – firms contracting out functions or processes to an outside firm – “individuals are starting to outsource their problem-solving and their own professional development,” he says. “They’re leveraging things like wikis, blogs, other collaboration events to collaborate in real-time with other individuals.”

No longer are professionals limited to whoever may be available down the hall within their company. They now go to Google, Wikipedia, and other online sources of support, he says. “They write out their question in their blog and look for their community to respond and help them. …They extended their network of peers to outside the four walls of their company. …They’re taking their problems and their professional challenges to the world.”

No discussion of Web 2.0 career building would be complete, of course, without a mention of Twitter, of course. Twitter, a social networking and microblogging site – and a resource that didn’t exist in previous downturns. Darren Rowse talks about how you can “Twitter your job search in 140 characters or less.” Twitter provides a casual environment where one can access other professionals in their fields, and follow industry leaders. A presence on Twitter also provides exposure, and a chance to “demonstrate your expertise and share information in quick, pithy bursts of wisdom.”

From pithy bursts of wisdom to active engagement with a global network of peers and professionals, the Web has opened new horizons for professionals looking to advance their skills, knowledge, and careers.