Why Bother With Social Networking Sites Like LinkedIn?

Q: I think I understand the value of networking as well as the next businessman, but for the life of me, I don't really see what sites like LinkedIn, Ryze and Ecademy can do for me. What's the point of these sites other than just as some sort of digital popularity contest?

A: My good friend and colleague Liz Ryan, head of the women's power networking group WorldWIT, Women in Technology, has a great answer to this sort of question, an answer that I'm quoting here with permission:

I ask people to join LinkedIn, and often they say "I don't want the spam." So I say "You won't get any spam." And they say "But I'm not job-hunting." And I say "You don't have to be job-hunting." Then we go back and forth for awhile. It's a bit of a challenge to get my own friends to see the forest for the trees, sometimes. When Monster.com was new, the big idea was to post jobs online. As an HR person, I can tell you, Monster is a pretty awful place to post jobs. You get KILLED with unwanted resumes from job seekers all over the world. I truly believe that Monster.com is the reason that HR people no longer respond to online job seekers - and sometimes offline job seekers - with any kind of response.

Anyway, over time HR people and recruiters figured out that the real value to Monster is the ability to search the candidate database (for a fee). Maybe some of the same thing is happening with LinkedIn. What seems like the obvious benefit to membership may not be the key feature for a lot of users. See what you think about this LinkedIn primer that I share with my friends. If I'm doing something I shouldn't be doing on LinkedIn, I'd love to know that too!

1) Your profile itself is a great value to joining LinkedIn. I get great, useful contacts from my profile appearing on LI, and of course it's free.

2) Even if you're not job-hunting or doing business developing or searching for contacts yourself, it's a great thing to be able to be a conduit for your friends. They really appreciate that service that you can provide for them. Just the reconnect- with-an-old colleague bit is a godsend: where else can you do that online?

3) LinkedIn is the google for individuals who aren't high on Google rankings. That means anyone who's in a corporation but not senior enough to appear on the About Us/Management Bios page (although of course, those execs are often on LinkedIn too); anyone who is a partner in a consulting firm but perhaps not often in the news or otherwise mentioned online; and zillions of other people whom you'd have trouble finding if it weren't for LinkedIn.

4) Let's say you have a business meeting with the VP of Marketing at a major corporation next week. If it weren't for his profile on LinkedIn (say, if you were having this meeting three years ago), how would you learn where he went to school, where he worked before his current job, and other details about him? With the help of his LinkedIn profile, you're a zillion times better prepared for the meeting.

5) Now let's say that VP of Marketing is behind the curve and doesn't have a LinkedIn profile. No big; you find another connection of yours who works at the VP's current company, and ping her for some background. See? LinkedIn to the rescue again.

6) Want to know who's working in a particular industry space in a given city? LinkedIn search. Intelligence gathering, even if you never contact any of the people you find.

My point is that there's lots more to LinkedIn than just reaching out to people for job leads and for business development leads - not that either of those are bad things. And I agree with other posters that you have to use the tool, rather than just join up and sit there like a lump. But I'd love to hear stories of some more creative uses for LinkedIn, from other users...

Thanks for sharing your compelling story with everyone, Liz. When I think about your point with Monster.com causing recruiters to never list jobs online anymore, I not only know that it's true from personal experience, but also find it to be an interesting example of the law of unintended consequences, in the same way that a site like LinkedIn helps with market research or background checks.

At the end of the day, in business you're ultimately constrained only by the skills you can bring to the table and the network of friends and acquaintances you can call on for help, advice and assistance. And if you don't help them when you can, of course, it doesn't take long to be ostracized from a group, however informal or far- flung. But if you are part of a circle of professionals, you will always grow your career faster, smarter, and more profitably.

Dave Taylor is an internationally recognized expert on business and technical topics and is the author of 18 different books and thousands of magazine articles. His Q&A Web site is http://www.askdavetaylor.com/

---

Who Are You and What The Heck Do You Do?

A few years ago, I was attending a family function... Read More

Increasing the ROI on Your Networking

Networking requires an investment of time, money and effort. Here... Read More

Why Arent You Talking to Me?

Your nonverbal communication talks before you do. Only seven percent... Read More

Small File Box With Resumes to Help Customers

I bet you have not thought about it much, but... Read More

Four Brainless Self-Promotion Techniques To Avoid

Many workers think that their hard work will speak for... Read More

Social Network Software

My neighbor ? a lovely man I've known, and have... Read More

Networking for Wallflowers: How to Profit from Getting into the Crowd

The two most common complaints about networking are: 1) I... Read More

How to Turn Water into Lemonade by Giving a Flavored Answer to a Fruitless Question

I remember the first time I opened the fridge to... Read More

Land the Ideal Job Using Social Networks

With at least 60% of job-seekers finding employment through networking,... Read More

When Gifts Say More

What's a gift mean? If you're like me, you probably... Read More

Networking in the Business world

Why is it so important to network with other people... Read More

Which Networking Events Should You Attend?

How does one determine which are the best events to... Read More

Networking Know How

Networking, even to a seasoned professional, can seem intimidating or... Read More

A New LinkedIn Discussion Forum for High Power Dealmakers

For those of you interested in international business transactions or... Read More

Client Attraction Technique #2: Networking

One of the most cost effective ways of generating leads... Read More

The Answer to Your Worst Networking Nightmare

Imagine you just met your ideal client at a networking... Read More

Write It Down!

Why would you want to write information on paper when... Read More

Work that Room, Baby!

Networking, schmoozing, making connections. Call it what you want, it's... Read More

Is The Company You Keep Hurting Your Business?

When you look at your friends, it's like looking into... Read More

Networking - Facts to Ponder

Right here in Europe, the very last continent to enter... Read More

Networking - How To Do It

Networking is probably the oldest, easiest, most effective and least... Read More

62 Ways to MAXIMIZE Your Approachability

If you walk into your local bookstore and pick up... Read More

Defining a Quality Networking Group

When it comes to quality, how do you choose the... Read More

Make Money on the Internet - The Lifestyle Advantages of Professional Marketers

Some of the most successful businesses in existence today started... Read More

Should You Offer Commissions For Customer Referrals?

As a small business owner you may find yourself in... Read More