Linkedin Basics- YOU are the key link

On November 18, 2009, in Thoughts on Social Media, by tgoodridge

making-connectionsA 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?

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  • http://www.chaptertwocomm.com Debi Mees

    Thanks for your thoughts on this. With all our outpost choices these days, it’s hard to know how to manage each and every one.

  • http://www.rch-phd.com Richard Harris

    I use LI as my professional contact list, although I have to admit that I have used it more for networking with colleagues than with customers. If I want to communicate to my network (say, to announce a new white paper on my website) I use the message function, although it is frustrating not to be able to send a mass blast.

    I agree with Debi’s comment about networking choice fatigue…which is why the full time moms I know are in my Facebook friend list, not my LinkedIn colleague list.

    I like your idea of helping other people leverage their connections with me by being an inbound resource…wouldn’t mind some ideas about how to do that.

    PS. Court Chilton told me you’d be a good resource, which is why I’ve just signed up at your site.
    Rick Harris

  • http://www.enterdialogue.com Tyson

    Rick,

    Thanks for your thoughts here..Some comments

    Communicating to your network is the magic question- how? when? how often?
    I use the 80/20 rule here. 80% of updates should be value-added links to interesting news in the marketplace, and about 20% of them should be “self-serving” links to a new blog post or a new event/client/white paper. This mix is key because you don’t want to broadcast too much..

    The good news is that Linkedin is far and away (imho) still the best professional networking site out there, and years ahead of competitors- AND they are profitable. Recommendations to newbies to social media- just stick with Linkedin for now…

    As for being an inbound resource, I offer this up in person/on the phone/via email and not on Linkedin itself..

    Thanks for stopping by, Court is great..

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