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Conferences. Conferences of your interest area are the best. Find new areas of research and create connections
Sorry I didn’t see your reply until now but yes, 100%, I met a collaborator at a conference who ended up being my coauthor, because we were in the same paper session and my question about using the same method on my own data piqued his interest. I have a different science conference that I’ve now been going to yearly for 13 years too, filled with colleagues that are now friends, but where I do my best to help those younger than me to network too
Real networking is done in real life, not on LinkedIn. It's just a matter of meeting people, or working with them, and establishing a rapport and staying in touch. Having people you can reach out to at times can be quite valuable. People in your field will hear things, and sometimes job openings are discovered via word of mouth.
Many people are in the same boat as you. You aren't the only one who feels awkward! I've had some success at it, but I'm a real introvert by nature. On the bright side, networking is a skill like any other one, so you can get better at it, even if it is hard work at first. To get more comfortable at it, you might take a look at joining networking groups and other groups outside of your immediate profession. For example, a group called Toastmasters is well known for building speaking, presentation, and other social skills in a fun, low pressure environment.
One tip I try to keep in mind is to be sure to ask people about what *they* need or are interested in. If your focus is only on what you need, you won't be very effective.