When you leave your first job for a new one, you almost double the number of people you've worked with. This happens again when you go to a bigger company. Granted, not all of these people will know what your skills are, but you're connected to them in some way. If you want to double the size of your network, simply join another one.
Living in Philadelphia, I've wanted not to get in politics, but to get around politics. I've always liked knowing, or at least talking to, the people who knew what was happening in the back offices of politics, what's going on in the mayor's office, city council etc. Recently, I've been exposed to them more, both because I want to, and more naturally because as my network of people expands, more of these people pop up in the expected and unexpected places. By talking with more people already involved in different networks, I'm finding that my network is expanding almost exponentially.
But just because your network is larger, does not mean its more useful.
When you move from one job to another, not everyone can help you learn the ropes of your particular job. And just because you join another network, group or organization, doesn't mean that they're all going to be able to or want to help you. But what then?
Remember, there are two kinds of networking. Better put, there are two time-frames for networking. Short-term networking happens when someone wants something immediately and is only focused on getting that goal achieved, whether it is cold calls for a fund-raising drive, to find a good plumber or something like that. Long-term networking aims not just on specific measurable results, but is about building relationships with and among people. Only looking for whether a particular connection or network is useful to your short-term needs undermines your long-term network building.
If you focus on building relationships for the long-term, your focus is not on what and who that person knows right now, or what a particular group does. Long-term networking focuses on establishing trust between two people or a group of people so that down the line they can call on one another, or send some goodies each other's way. If nothing else, joining networks that you would normally not be a part of gives you a fantastic amount of training in communication skills, simply because you'll be interacting with people outside your normal social spheres.
When you network for the long term (as in "dig your well before you're thirsty" and "opportunity networking") you can double the size of your network and work on building the new relationships with other people, without looking at how immediately useful it is.
The contrast between short-term networking and long-term networking is wonderfully illustrated in the story about the owner of the goose who laid golden eggs. So though getting a bigger network by joining another one helps in terms of sheer numbers, you also have to focus on the quality of your relationships.
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