[brodyp]

Yes, I've learned a lot and made some good industry contacts this way. You have to do it gently though -- people are jealous of there time unless they understand you are a colleague worthy of respect.

[amys]

If you contact the manager/VP directly, then as long as you write a good email and include some professional links, you'll usually get a response.

Contacting a peer has advantages, but on the other hand the manager gives you a straighter path to a job -- if you decide that that's what you want.