It's a fine line. I've met and recommended for employment some cool guys. I've also run across gladhanding jokers who immediately excuse themselves when they realize I don't have a job they want. I personally wouldn't recommend the later "hang around the airport, smile, and pretend to be interested in other people so you can pimp them" type to fly a kite, and would in fact actively try to to torpedo their chances. I guess I'm a vindictive jerk. Maybe that's why I fly alone.
Anyway, be sociable, it doesn't hurt, but you don't need to force it or pretend to be someone you're not. The sort of people I'd recommend don't need a "strategy" for networking, they're just normal guys who you get to know.