nanopasta

Same as title. Does networking matter, especially in the context of a job search? And if so, how does one network _effectively_?

For context, I am planning to switch jobs in the near future and I've been to a few networking events in my city, but I'm not sure if they're useful. It also seems to me that people don't remember each other from these events, so it's pretty pointless in the long run. I'm happy to be corrected, though.