A friend of mine proposed a few questions to me earlier this morning. Do you connect with everyone on Linkedin? Would you connect with neighbor who has 6 connections and works in an industry unrelated to yours? Is it the quality or the quantity of your connections on Linkedin that make it valuable?
I connect with people on Linkedin if:
- I have worked with them professionally
- I know them personally
- They come recommended through a friend or business colleague
So, yes, I’ve turned down invitations to connect with people (I don’t know them). I’ve also connected with people I haven’t met. (I don’t know them, but I have some sort of reference point for them)
Should you connect with people who were fired from a job, laid off or between opportunities? Of course. Should you connect with people you wouldn’t recommend professionally, but know personally? Yes.
The value of your Linkedin network is there for you and your network, and not for someone to look at, rate, and overanalyze. Six of my connections (and I am sure some of yours) list their title/occupation as “full-time mom”. There’s nothing wrong with that. If my network helps a full-time mom get back in the workforce, great. If a full-time mom’s network helps me and my business, great.
Your Linkedin network is both an outbound marketing tool for you and your personal brand, but also an inbound marketing tool to help other people find opportunities and shared connections within your network.
How do you use Linkedin?
Yesterday, YouTube announced the formation of YouTube direct- a new platform for news organizations that allows them to “request, review, and re-broadcast user-submitted videos with ease.” It’s a new idea already in use by the likes of NPR, ABC News, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post and more. I wonder what it does to:
A: the economics and structure of news organizations
B: The attitude and perspective of “citizen journalists”
This means lots of things, in no particular order….
1. I think it continues to set YouTube ahead of the smaller (and really smart, good ) competitiors like Vimeo, Viddler and more. They thought they had their work cut out for them before, look out now…
2. It will change the way news organization gather their information. The Channel 7 news truck won’t have to head to the fire on Main Street because videos are being uploaded already by citizen journalists. They can simply report back on the story from their cozy studios and get the facts from interns and young reporters on their cell phones and laptops.
3. What’s in it for the citizen journalist? Nothing really. What’s the incentive of sending ABC news the exclusive (and only) video you caught of say, the plane landing in the Hudson river? It will get uploaded and viewed on ABC News and abcnews.com, not necessarily to your YouTube channel- if you are a new business owner trying to make a name for yourself with some video, forget about it.
4. What makes a “news organization” in this day and age? Dialogue just signed up (applied) for this program last night. Am I an official news outlet? Why? Why not?
5. How is this going to sync with the existing YouTube channels created by News organizations? Will this simply complement the effort or begin to take traffic away from the channel.
So, these are some initial thoughts for the day. What do you think?
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. We’ve heard it countless times before.
In this day and age, for companies and for YOU, it hasn’t been more important to put your best foot
forward always. All the time. Every time. (or at least try your darndest)
What inspired me to write this was a quote from Todd Defren (friend and PR guru) in one of his most recent blog posts. My favorite quote?
“In the future, the Web you know will be based on the Web that knows you”
So, as private as you want your life to be, there is a pretty good chance people are going to form their opinion of you before they’ve even met you.
So, some quick tips of making that great first impression- as a company or individual.
1. Conduct a social media audit of yourself. Set up Google Alerts for you/your company name on a weekly basis. Does your name come up? If it is a not-so-flattering comment- GREAT- It’s an excellent opportunity to reach out to that person and engage them on some sort of dialogue.
2. Grow your network when you don’t need it. This one’s obvious.You’re not only building your network, but delivering your first impression on a regular basis. Make sure people know what you’re doing, how you’re doing it, and why you’re better than others. (Hint:- update your Linkedin status on a weekly basis with interesting content your colleagues would like to see)
3. Be offline. As valuable as your facebook fans/Twitter followers/Linkedin contacts are, nothing is better than a cup of coffee with a friend or potential new client/contact.
4. Be a concierge. Pretend you’re behind the front desk at the Four Seasons. You’re dressed impeccably, you stand tall, and are listening and engaging with your “customer” with a smooth voice. Remember, you’re listening, not talking, and finding opportunities for discussion and common ground.
