LinkedIn: The Social Media Account You Need

If you could only choose one social networking site, which should it be?  Not an easy question because not everyone has the same priorities; however, one that should be on your "must have" list is a LinkedIn account.  LinkedIn is not a very pretty or fancy website:  there are no games, contests, or meaningless groups about toothpaste preferences to join.  The purpose of LinkedIn is a simple one:  professional networking.

LinkedIn provides a way to connect with your professional contacts and reconnect with those from the past - colleagues, classmates, and associates; give and request recommendations; list your current business activities; share your resume; and join groups and associations.  Networking and relationship building open doors for new business ventures, professional development opportunities, employment, business to business connectivity, and other professional resources.  Providing an environment for sharing information and marketing both one's self and one's business, LinkedIn is the business person's Facebook.  Groups can share information regarding their organizations with members. Colleagues and coworkers can share upcoming event information, career news, and have professional chats and online discussions.

The more active and engaged a participant is in the use of LinkedIn, the more beneficial the site.  Active members can promote their skill sets, look for freelancing and job opportunities, develop new clientele, and ask for introductions to others to create new networking opportunities.

As with anything, the more information you share and more you are willing to put in, the more you will receive.  By giving recommendations, you are more likely to get recommendations or feel more comfortable asking for them.  Additionally, by offering to introduce your connections with each other, you are creating the opportunity for others to want to introduce you, and you are increasing your value by being a resource to others.

Like any other commodity, you are a valuable resource, and LinkedIn is perfect place to show that worth!




Social Media and the Pea by Alice Ann Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.socialmediaandthepea.blogspot.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.socialmediaandthepea.blogspot.com/.

TweetDeck - Organized and Online

"Say hello to my little friend" - ok maybe not.  Maybe it's more like "He rocks in the treehouse all day long, hoppin' and a boppin' and a singing his song."  Welcome to Tweet Deck:  available for both your computer and for your iPhone.  I have spent a greater part of the day working on mastering its incredible resource, only to be brutally rebuffed because of its vast abilities and sweeping content.  And it tweets, and chirps, and sings because it is truly busy.  I am by no means a master, but I am functional.

TweetDeck allows you to manage multiple Twitter accounts, as well as others like LinkedIn, and Facebook from one system, and gives a sweeping view of what is going on with your Twitter world showing "All Friends", "Mentions", "Direct Messages", and "Recommendations" all in one screen.  The set up makes management of Twitter much more user friendly instead of the standard screen flipping required from the Twitter website.  Additionally the pop ups in the corner of your screen alert you to the activity going on with those you follow.  The ability to toggle between Twitter and other social media sites, allows you to stay current with all your online marketing and networking accounts.

However, the TweetDeck Directory - available through their website - may be the most valuable component they offer.  The Directory has both a search feature and a list of topics which you can run through and look for lists which are appropriate for your interests.  Either join the list you find or use those lists to identify individuals you would like to follow who have the same interests.  You can also see list stats including how many accounts someone is following, how many followers they have, their average number of tweets per day, and description tags.

I have now moved to the TweetDeck Application on my desktop to monitor my Twitter feed in the office.  As with all products, I remain skeptical until I have had adequate time to test it, but as of yet, I have not found a flaw that makes this anything less than a useful organizing tool worth recommending.

Social Media and the Pea by Alice Ann Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.socialmediaandthepea.blogspot.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.socialmediaandthepea.blogspot.com/.

Social Media and the Pea

You've heard the story of the Princess and the Pea. The stranger, claiming to be a princess, shows up on the doorsteps of the palace all drenched and looking pathetic. They decide to test her royalty by placing blankets and mattresses upon more blankets and mattresses all on top of a pea. The stranger comes down to the royal family the next day to express she had a horrible night of sleep. All rejoice because her royal heritage is proven by her inability to sleep as the pea was enough to keep her up at night.

Social Media should be no different. Knowing that someone is out there and has not heard your message, learned of your product, or been introduced to your group should be keeping you up at night. Your means of getting the information out there is Social Media. All the soft, fluffy, warm-fuzzies should not convince you that you are doing enough if you are not effectively using Social Media to promote yourself or your organization.

It keeps me up at night. It is my pea under the mattress. So commences this blog. Join me as we look at Social Media, reach those we missed, keep in touch with those we have connected with, and learn how truly impacting word of mouth - or in this case, word of Internet - is in our lives and how we can best use it. So we can all sleep better at night.   

(Painting:  The Princess and the Pea.  Artist Sharon Furner)