I also think that it seems that a lot of people (my perception so far) is that people will connect but that is it. I am taking this a step further and several people I have contacted about meeting to see how we can help each other. Then I will go to networking events as often as possible to reach out to these people and get to know them.

I am also very open to learning what has worked with each of you. Like I said earlier I like to learn.

Thanks again for your posts.

Tom

Good points. This blog post was originally written back when LinkedIn had a News board within groups specifically for news and blog posts. Worst mistake I’ve seen LinkedIn make was removing that group functionality. Their new news feature works for larger companies but does nothing for small businesses.

Thanks for sharing your comments.

Sean

I would only disagree with sharing blogs to groups without some very strong proviso’s.

I would hesitate publishing your Blog to a group without first checking that founder/admin allowed it (of course EVERYONE reads group rules, don’t they?) & if necessary, also ask permission directly with the group owner/moderators that they want you doing that there. If you haven’t got visibility in the group for real interaction, I would think asking this premature & presumptuous.

While in an ideal world people would only join groups where what they write is relevant and appreciated, plus the quality of that blog would be evident (& not an ad-word monetized mess) and in an ideal world people like yourself, even if they used the ‘Share To Groups’ function, actually do go into, & contribute to those groups – the reality is far from that, so far I would say Blog promotion posts as you suggest, would only be welcome in:

a) A badly moderated group, where value (to everyone and so to you too) is reduced significantly by the sheer volume of exactly what you’re suggesting people do, and much worse (straight spam)
b) The group is well managed and the topic of your group so relevant & your blog posts so appreciated, you stand out in the group as someone who adds value to the group. I guarantee you that will not be the case if more than say 40-50% of your group interaction is shared Blog articles.

Personally, unless someone is an absolute regular contributor of intelligent and two way discussion, a commenter and well recognized in the group, sharing blog posts is as rude as you can get without actually spamming something like a sales page, money scam or MLM.

An extra tip –
If you wanted to remind groups that your information is out there, but want to keep the post hidden on your blog, simply mark the post PRIVATE in wordpress.

George