how to use linkedin

Ed Jones Had Me at Hello!

May 5, 2009 By Sean Nelson 3 Comments

I received the following invitation this week from Ed Jones of Atlanta:

“Sean, good perspectives on LinkedIn! I am in Atlanta but we work world wide assessing ROI on events. My business manager will call you regarding our health insurance search.

I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn for several reasons. We have several common contacts. Take a look at my profile and associated websites and blogs, then add me if you find common interests. http://constellationcc.com”

I write a lot about personalizing invitations when you wish to connect. It’s even more critical if you’re trying to connect to someone you don’t know. I didn’t know Ed before receiving his invitation. But after reading it was there any doubt that I would connect?

In the movie Jerry McGuire, Rene Zellweger’s character says “You had me at hello”. Well Ed had me at “My business manager will call you regarding our health insurance search. ” Right off the bat he hit me with value.

Now it’s unrealistic to expect that everyone can offer the possibility of being a client with every invitation. But everyone has value to offer. You just need to determine your value and then offer it in your invitation.

Ed didn’t stop with the value offer. He complimented me on my blog. That shows he’s taken the time to look at who I am and I know he’s not just trying to pad his connection stats. He also stated that we had several common connections. 37 is a bit more than a few.

Before accepting I took a look at his profile and it was well detailed, allowing me to get a feel for the type of business person he is. 30 years of experience in sales & marketing and 20 years in Event Measurement, ROI, Strategy and Effective Communications is a wealth of experience. What a great resource to have in one’s network. Take away the offer to help him with his benefits and I would have still connected.

How you personalize your invitations and how your profile represents you will go a long way in improving your invitation acceptance success.

I can’t help thinking about a couple of what if’s:

A) What if I wasn’t open to connecting to other’s that I don’t know; and
B) What if Ed had decided to wait until I connected to mention anything about their health plan

I would have missed out on a great “Unexpected opportunity”. On LinkedIn there are two types of opportunity: ”Expected” and “Unexpected”.

Expected opportunities arise from the direct connections that you’ve known or had a relationship with outside of LinkedIn. These opportunities likely would have presented themselves without LinkedIn.

Unexpected opportunities are those that arise because you connected to those you don’t know. They’re unexpected because outside of your LinkedIn connection there would be no relationship and you likely would not have crossed paths.

In the last week I have had 7 unexpected opportunities present themselves. Four were people seeking my help in Georgia with health insurance needs, one was a blogging opportunity, and two were folks in San Francisco asking for health insurance assistance. I couldn’t help the two people in California find a health plan but I was able to point them in the right direction.

And that’s the point about opportunity on LinkedIn. It isn’t just limited to your opportunities to directly benefit, it’s also the opportunity to help others. I believe that a network with 100 people that you know and 900 that you are simply connected to will present more opportunity than a network of only 100 people that you know.

Ed gets it. And I think as other start to realize the unexpected opportunities they are missing out on you’ll see a little more connecting taking place.

Are you missing out on those unexpected opportunities?

***In the next post I’ll be discussing the Fallacy of Protecting Your Network.

Filed Under: LinkedIn Tagged With: connecting, connections, ed jones, how to use linkedin, LinkedIn, linkedin opportunity, sean nelson, Social Media

10 Part Series: Can LinkedIn Work for You?

May 4, 2009 By Sean Nelson 5 Comments

In November I wrote a post about the ways you can use LinkedIn. From that post I followed up with a post on 9 areas of using LinkedIn. Part 10 was released last week. Even though all 10 post are on the blog I still tend to get a couple of requests for links to the other articles.

Here are all 10 parts of the series. LinkedIn has changed since this series started, but most of the articles should still be very relevant. Enjoy.

LinkedIn Part 1: Can LinkedIn Work For You? – November 29th, 2008

LinkedIn Part 2: Enhancing Your Networking – December 14th, 2008

LinkedIn Part 3: Establishing Credibility – January 15th, 2009

LinkedIn Part 5: I Highly Recommend Recommendations – February 17th, 2009

LinkedIn Part 4: Connecting Your Offline and Online Brand – February 2nd, 2009

LinkedIn Part 6: A Stage to Engage Your Audience – March 3rd, 2009

LinkedIn Part 7: Research Potential Partners and Alliances – March 8th, 2009

LinkedIn Part 8: Find a New Job – March 10th, 2009

LinkedIn Part 9: Be found – April 20th, 2009

LinkedIn Part 10: Providing Value to Your Network – April 27th, 2009

10 Part Series: Can LinkedIn Work for You?

Filed Under: LinkedIn Tagged With: Can LinkedIn work for you, how to use linkedin, LI Groups, LinkedIn, LinkedIn Answers, linkedin applications, LinkedIn Credibility, LinkedIn profile, linkedin recommendations, networking, sean nelson, Social Media

LinkedIn Part 10: Providing Value to Your Network

April 27, 2009 By Sean Nelson 6 Comments

In the original article in this series the last three ways I noted to use LinkedIn were to share knowledge and expertise, introduce connections, and recommend worthy individuals. Each of these is a way to provide value to your network, so I thought I would cover them together.

While you might argue whether it’s better to give than receive, the two are equally important. In a perfect networking world you would receive equal to what you have given. In real life you often have to do a lot of giving to get the “receiving pump” primed.

Share Knowledge and Experience
The average LinkedIn member is 41 years old and has a household income of $109,703. 80.1% are a college grad or post grad (37%). Clearly there is a wealth of knowledge and experience available among its users. (Stats provided by Nathan Kieveman, of Linked Secrets).

One of the most important ways that you can provide value to your network and fellow members is by sharing your knowledge and experience. LinkedIn provides several ways to do this:

LinkedIn Answers is a great place to answer questions posted by other members. The most important part is to answer questions where you provide value. It’s not about answering as many questions as you can to try and obtain expert status. Well thought out answers add to your credibility, flippant or silly answers subtract from it.

Since online credibility doesn’t exist in a vacuum, a well thought out answer could provide value (from those who agree) and subtract value (from those who disagree with your point). My perspective is that if your answer is sincere, the positives will far outweigh the negatives.

Within groups there is a tremendous amount of information shared through discussions. Groups have the advantage of being somewhat more targeted, since membership is based around a common factor.

Finally, you can share information through applications. The statistics above were shared by Nathan using the Slideshare application. Incorporating your blog into your profile is another great way to share information. The Amazon application allows you to share what you are reading. Take a look at the available applications to see how you can share information with your fellow members.

Introducing Connections
Each of our networks is made up of people that are from different backgrounds, industries, experience levels, etc. Each network is unique and you are at the center of your network. You likely have people in your network that you know very well, people that you know of, and possibly people you don’t know very well.

For those you know well you probably have an idea of the people they are trying to network with. You can be of service by introducing them to those in your network that they are seeking out.

For those that you don’t know well you may be able to introduce them to people you would expect them to want to get to know. Real estate agents and Mortgage brokers are two types of people that would benefit from being introduced. Financial planners love introductions to CPA’s.

For those you don’t know you can still provide value by paying attention to what they ask for. It might be that in their profile they state who they are seeking. It might be a status update that states that they are “looking to connect with small business owner, or maybe attorneys.

LinkedIn makes it simple by including a “Forward this Profile” text link on each profile page. Clicking on it allows you to choose a recipient (actually up to 200 recipients) and to create your message to the recipient (like invitations avoid the sample text and create a personalized message).

Providing Recommendations
The ability to give and receive recommendations is one of the most powerful features of LinkedIn. Most people are uncomfortable with tooting their own horn. In most businesses, though, what set them apart are the people doing the work. You can have the best system in place, but if it’s not backed by quality people its success will be limited.

As you look through your connections try to find those in your direct network who have provided a product or service. If the value received was great don’t keep them a secret. If someone has gone out of their way to help you, let others know.

A good rule of thumb is that if someone asked you about a particular person would you say they’re a “Good Person” or a “Great Person”. If the answer is “Great”, there’s likely a recommendation waiting to happen.

There will be times when another person asks you for a recommendation and you do not feel comfortable providing one. The service may not have been that great. You may not know the person well enough. In these cases a good rule of thumb is to respond with a quick message detailing why you’re not comfortable providing one at this point.

Receiving a recommendation is something that should be earned.

Wrap Up

As you go about providing value to your network you will begin to receive value in return. It may simply be a link back to your profile (such as when asking / answering a question or providing a recommendation), it may result in a visit to your profile (added exposure), and it may be returned in the form of a new client or connection.

Most people share value because they simply want to help others. Any value received is simply gravy.
________________________

This is the last part in this 10 part series. Next week I’ll post a link to all 10 parts. Since things change fairly quick around LinkedIn I will review each article to make updates.

LinkedIn Part 10: Providing Value to Your Network

Filed Under: LinkedIn Tagged With: Can LinkedIn work for you, connections, how to use linkedin, LinkedIn, LinkedIn Answers, linkedin applications, linkedin recommendations, sean nelson, Social Media

On LinkedIn Mean People Suck

April 24, 2009 By Sean Nelson 18 Comments

With that title I probably violated several things that I recommend doing (act professional, be careful of what you say and how you say it, etc.).

I stumbled on a blog that was titled “The Stupid Things People Do on LinkedIn”. The poster then proceeded to lash in to people that violated his perception of what LinkedIn should be and how people should behave on it. My first thought was relax it’s not your site. You’re just another member. The second was that did this person realize that their post was part of their online brand.

So there are two points to discuss. The first is about your online brand. The second is about unwritten protocols on LinkedIn that many people may not be aware of.

Your Online Brand
Remember this: Everything you do on LinkedIn (and within the Social Web) either “adds to” or “subtracts from” your online brand. This isn’t some college football board where you can denigrate and abuse fellow posters if you don’t like their view or comment. There are no cute user names to hide behind. On LinkedIn your comments are easily associated with the person behind them, YOU.

I don’t know the person behind the “stupid LinkedIn” post, but I already have an opinion of him. Want to guess whether it’s positive or negative? If this were a person that I was considering connecting to, partnering with, or engaging in their service, I would walk away. There is enough negativity in the world without having to knowingly engage in it or with it.

This may not matter to him. But it should to the average LI user. When you ask or answer a question, post a discussion or news article in a group, add a blog to your profile, and how you respond to those who attempt to connect all contribute to your brand.

Consider this. You receive a connection invitation from John who works for an advertising agency. You don’t know John so you mark the Invitation “I don’t know this user” (when you could have simply Archived It). A couple of weeks later you connect to Bill who runs a graphics firm that you want to develop as a client. You get an appointment and everything looks good. Later John, who happens to engage Bill’s firm for his advertising agency notices that you are connected to Bill. In their next conversation, John mentions that he saw that you and Bill were connected and mentions that you recently refused his connection invitation. And rather than Archive it you marked it “I don’t know this user”. Now his account has been restricted. Bill thinks “that wasn’t a nice thing to do to John” and calls you to say they’ve decided to go in a different direction.

Is this an extreme story? Yes. Is it a possibility? Yes. Your actions carry implications…some positive and some potentially negative. Act in good faith and in a neighborly fashion and your brand will benefit.

The Unwritten Protocals
Over time acceptable practices evolve as do unacceptable ones. As a member of LinkedIn you should adhere to the acceptable norms. There aren’t to0 many and most are common sense, that often gets overlooked due to lack of time, imagination, or knowledge. Here are some and I’m sure there are others that I have not thought of or encountered (violated) yet.

1. Never send a canned invitation. Always personalize the invitation.

2. Don’t send out mass invitations. It makes it difficult to personalize the email

3. Don’t send out Mass Canned invitations…see #1 and #2

4. When participating in answers or group discussions do not blatently sell. How you phrase a sales pitch can be seen as spam or an interesting question or post. Which of the two following statements is likely to be viewed as spam?

A. Mortgage rates dropped to 4.5%, call me if you are looking to refinance; or
B. With mortgage rates dropping to 4.5%, how do you determine if it’s a good idea to refinance your loan?

5. Respond to all messages in your inbox. If you don’t want to connect send a brief explanation as to why (see my post: http://linkedintuition.com/blog/no-thanks-the-right-way ) . Don’t feel comfortable providing a recommendation or passing on an introduction reply with why.

6. Don’t ask for recommendations from people who don’t know you very well. Recommendations should be appropriate and sincere. It’s rude to ask when there’s no basis for one.

7. Don’t expect everone to have the same approach that you do on LinkedIn. Some are open networkers and some are closed networkers. Each person decides what works best for them. No one has a monopoly on the right way.

8. If you do not want to connect, “Archive” the invitation. Don’t select “I don’t know this user”. Doing so gains you nothing and it can negatively impact another member. Is it such an evil thing to want to connect to another that you do not know. Isn’t that what networking is about.

Not everyone will agree with every point that I made. Each person interacts with LinkedIn based on their expectations and beliefs and that’s a good thing. What we should be able to agree on is that acting in a friendly and respectful manner will always do more good than harm.

What do you think?

Filed Under: LinkedIn Tagged With: connecting, connections, how to use linkedin, LinkedIn, LinkedIn Answers, LinkedIn Credibility, networking, online brand, sean nelson, Social Media

LinkedIn Part 9: Be found

April 20, 2009 By Sean Nelson 17 Comments

Pop Quiz: Who is more likely to be found on LinkedIn?

A. Has 60 connections B. Has 500 connections
A. Never answers questions B. Answers 3 questions each week
A. Never gives recommendations B. Provides recommendations
A. Rarely updates Status B. Updates status 3 times per week
A. Has minimal info in profile B. Detailed profile with photo
A. Has not listed interests B. List several non-work related interests
A. No Applications B. Has 4 applications on profile
A. Belongs to 5 groups B. Belongs to 50 groups

I could continue with the list but I think you get the point.

Think of your profile as an interactive billboard. The billboard has been erected but you’re waiting for traffic to drive by it. You can wait and hope that someone takes a wrong turn and sees you, or you can try to detour traffic past your billboard.

The majority of billboard owners simply wait for something to happen. Everyone has told them how great LinkedIn is and it cost nothing to put up their billboard. Periodically they link to other billboards hoping that something will happen.

When you first put up your billboard it’s on a lonely two way road out in the country. Your goal should be to move it towards a busy traffic filled interstate. That takes time and activity. If you wait for it to happen it may never do so. If you take control and determine that you will have traffic, it can be done with a little elbow grease.

Here are some ways you can drive traffic (really pull) to your billboard:

Design it Well:
Its words and pictures presented in a cohesive effort. You need to make sure that when someone sees your billboard that it effectively tells your story. Having a profile photo that supports what you do is important. Doing keyword research on your industry and product or service, and then listing these wherever possible on your profile is a huge part of the equation.

Customizing your URL’s isn’t much but it matters. The same goes for listing hobbies and interests. You never know how or why someone will find your billboard, it just matters that many people do.

Try to update what you are doing at least three times a week. I prefer business related updates, but I’ve seen some who post everyday like on Twitter. PingFM is a good resource that will allow you to update micro-blogs at several sites.

Finally applications allow you to take your profile from two dimensional to three dimensional.

Your profile should be a work in progress. Each time you update a piece of it your network is notified on their Home page that you have an updated profile. This will drive traffic.

Answers:
Asking questions allows you to tap into the knowledge resources of other users. Answering questions allows you to share knowledge. Both are part of the credibility building process. And both result at a minimum in a link to your profile.

Doing both will drive traffic to your billboard. It’s not necessarily targeted traffic, but once again you never know where the next opportunity will come from. Whenever I see an answer that captures my attention I always view the profile of the person providing the answer. Sometimes that’s all, but in some cases it’s led to new connections or opportunities.

Try to answer 5 questions a week and commit to asking one question per week. The caveat is that you have to provide value when answering a question and generate interest when asking a question.

Recommendations:
Recommendations given are a way to provide value to someone who has helped you or someone that you think highly of. Recommendations received are a way for your network to provide value to you. In both cases a link is created back to the giver and the receiver’s profile. It’s another great way to be found.

Recommendations from clients go a step further. It gets you a listing in the LinkedIn Service Providers directory. This is probably one of the least utilized features of LinkedIn and that’s a shame. Service Providers used to be one of the main LinkedIn sections but when the Companies section was launched it was moved within the new section. The only reference you will see is a text link on the Companies home page.

Often I will be asked to help someone with their insurance in another state that I’m not licensed in. I always search through the Service Providers directory to find a resource to help the person.

You should strive to have at least 10 recommendations and provide at least 15. Once you hit those numbers keep it going.

Groups:
On a webinar last week one of the moderators mentioned that they thought the real value to be found on LinkedIn was within groups and not your direct network. That’s a bold statement, but I think they may be on to something.

Within your personal network reaching out to 2nd and 3rd degree connections is cumbersome, unless you have a paying account and have access to InMail. With groups the barriers to communicating with anyone are removed.

I have about 490 direct connections and close to 4.5 million total people in my network. I can only easily contact those 1st degree connections. Within my groups there are close to 250,000 members. I can reach out and contact any at any time.

When I update my profile my 490 connections are notified of my action. But with groups, when I participate in a discussion question or post a news article I can potentially reach 250,000 people.

If I choose my groups wisely then I have the ability to market to a specific target. You can also create a group to develop a target group. I do a lot of business in North Fulton County in Georgia. About a year ago I started the North Fulton Business Group and the group has grown to close to 300 people. With my group I have the ability to communicate with business professionals in a defined area. That’s powerful.

Disclaimer: Starting a group is easy. Getting member to join isn’t. Use your connections and other groups to find your first 100 members. After that it will start to grow on its own. The larger your group grows the easier it will be to add new members.

You can be a member of up to 50 groups and you should focus on finding groups that are filled with your target customers or alliance partners.

Wrap Up
There has been an explosion in the number of people talking about social networking, but often the point is missed that what LinkedIn really provides is social marketing. By actively participating in all of the features of LinkedIn you will help drive traffic to your billboard. Visitors can choose to stop and read your billboard, and then can initiate contact, through connecting or engaging in your product or service.

In the movie Field of Dreams the unseen voice is heard to say “If you build it, they will come”. On LinkedIn that’s not enough. Listen close and you’ll hear “If you’re active, they will come.”

Filed Under: LinkedIn Tagged With: Can LinkedIn work for you, connecting, how to use linkedin, LI Groups, LinkedIn, LinkedIn Answers, LinkedIn Credibility, LinkedIn profile, linkedin recommendations, sean nelson, Social Media

The LinkedIn Light Bulb is Flickering

April 16, 2009 By Sean Nelson 6 Comments

It could be argued that much of your LinkedIn experience derives from your LinkedIn strategy. Do seek to connect with pretty much anyone, like a Lion? Do you only connect with those that you know very well, like a Turtle? Or do you connect with those you know and those you would like to know, like a Hound Dog?

If you read this blog on a regular basis you’ve noticed that I keep coming back to these three strategies. There’s a reason for that. I find my self changing strategies after almost three years on LinkedIn.

Here is what I used to believe. I believed that protecting the value of your network required that you know or have plans to get to know those that you were connected to. I believed that it only made sense to add new connections as I met people within my chamber or other offline networking events. Since my prospects are in Georgia I believed that there was limited value in connecting to others outside of the state.

Here is what I believe now. I believe that opportunities are not constrained by boundaries. I believe that those in my network can benefit from connections that I do not know or have never met with or spoken to. I believe that there are opportunities out there among people that I do not know. And finally, I believe that 99% of the time a larger network will provide more value than a smaller network.

It wasn’t one particular thing that changed my perspective. It was a combination of things and the change occurred fairly quick.

1. I actually started prospecting using the LinkedIn Companies search to prospect. My target was simple; companies in Atlanta with 11 to 50 employees, in creative or technology industries. In my search I identified about 150 companies that fit my profile and realized that I was connected to less than 50% of these opportunities. Clearly with more of the right connections I would have a higher percentage with employees in my network.

2. LinkedIn made significant changes to Groups. Adding the ability to have discussions and post news articles immediately expanded my reach based on the number of members in the groups I belong to. Each group represents a collection of individuals with a common interest. In essence they are a specific target.

The next logical step was to identify the groups that my target market belong to and join these groups. I can now participate in discussions and post news articles to introduce myself. And I can contact these individual and extend connection invitations without having to use InMail (which is only available on paid accounts and the number available is minimal)

Today I connected with three individuals in my target market. One was the President of one of my target companies and the other two are simply connected in the target industries. The first will allow me to have a warm approach to attempt to secure a meeting. The other two help me connect further into my targetted industries.

In my invitation to all three I simply let them know that I was looking to build my network within the creative community in Atlanta. I included the names of some common connections. And I mentioned that I wrote a LinkedIn related blog and that if I could ever help them with LinkedIn to let me know.

The worst thing that can happen is that my connection invitation is ignored. While I know that I will not have success with every connection invitation, there are a couple of things that are working in my favor.

First people want to help where possible. Second, people are looking to build their own networks. Third, the use of common connections established a baseline of credibility. Fourth, by writing a LinkedIn blog and offering to help them I’m providing value.

About a year ago I started a group based around the county that I do most of my networking. Over time this group has grown to about 300 local business professionals. This week I sent an invitation to connect to each member of the group that was not in my direct network.

In this invitation I introduced myself as a fellow member and manager of the group. I simply stated that I started the group to help people connect and in that spirit I was extending an invitation to connect. Then I added the value. I let them know that I was organizing an offline networking meeting for the group and would appreciate any suggestions for a location.

In two days I’ve added over 100 new connections, had several ask me to help them with their health insurance, and received numerous thanks for reaching out to connect. Each of these connections is in Atlanta.

Little by little I’m building a strong local network.

I had lunch with a new connection that I met in another group (I’ll post the story next week) who is an active open networker. He doesn’t post his email in his profile, but he uses groups to actively connect to folks all over. Last week he launched a blog and posted a link to it in each of his groups. He had over 300 unique visitors in the first day and his blog has grown to over 800 visitors a day.

His content is good and that keeps people coming back. But it was the membership and participation in groups that allowed him to gain exposure and the initial visits.

I used to believe that there was no right or wrong strategy on LinkedIn. Now I believe that if you’re not actively growing your network you’re missing the point. The point is that opportunities are out there and the more connections you have the more likely you are to find them. Or have them find you.

Detail your profile, join groups, and expand your connections. A simple strategy to make LinkedIn more effective.

The LinkedIn Light Bulb is Flickering

Filed Under: LinkedIn Tagged With: Can LinkedIn work for you, connecting, connections, groups, how to use linkedin, LinkedIn, networking, sean nelson, Social Media

The Average LinkedIn Network

April 13, 2009 By Sean Nelson 2 Comments

Numbers are always interesting to consider. Take for instance the 40+ million users on LinkedIn (not an official number but an educated guess). That’s a pretty impressive number. But, more important is the number of people that are active. The value of one member in your network is not equal to the value of another.

But how do you place a value on each member? A person in your network with 50 connections could be more valuable then one with 500 connections. That being said, the likelyhood is that the person with 500 connections is more active and thus will provide more value.

This thought got me to thinking about my network so I decided to take a look to see how active it was in terms of connections. My network has grown over time primarily through networking, so I think it’s breakdown is representative of the average member network.

Here’s a breakdown of my network based on the range of connections each person has:

0 – 99: 54.4%
100 -199: 23.2%
200 – 299: 9.3%
300 – 399: 4.2%
400 – 499: 1.8%
500+: 7.1%

77.6% of my network has less than 200 connections and more than half have less than 100 connections. I would argue that with the number of people on LinkedIn and the ease of connecting, if you have less than 200 connections you’re not that active of a user. If I take these percentages and apply them to the 40 million LinkedIn user base, I can assume that LI only has about 9 million active users (members with more than 200 connections).

Some people will argue that basing value on the number of connections is missing the point. They would say that the value is based on how connected you are to your network. I used to agree with this perspective. Now I don’t.

Over time I’ve come to realize that opportunities are not determined strictly by those you know. Opportunity also exists with those you don’t know. You just might not have discovered the opportunity yet.

I started becoming active on LinkedIn when a member that I did not know contacted me based on my profile to help some client’s of hers. And that’s the point. You never know when opportunity will knock, but I can tell you that the more active you are, the more connections you have, and the larger your network, the more probability of success you will have.

If LinkedIn is a way to get your message and brand out to others, then it’s really a marketing vehicle. I sell insurance and if I only worked with those I know, I wouldn’t be very successful. Granted it’s an easier sell to those I know. But it doesn’t benefit me to restrict my message.

Each new connection is a new set of eyeballs available to review my profile to determine if I can help them. It’s a new set of eyballs when I answer a question, post a recommendation, add an application and when I update my “What are you doing now” micro-post. They are also potential opportunities to my network.

Even better, as these folks hopefully become more active and add connections, my network and reach grows with them.

Too many people are waiting around for someone else to tell them how to use LinkedIn. You can definitely learn from others, but in the end you have to take what you learn and apply it to your unique situation.

Have you started using LinkedIn productively? Have you figured out how to take it from a nice social networking tool and convert it to a money making opportunity?

Filed Under: LinkedIn Tagged With: Can LinkedIn work for you, connecting, connections, how to use linkedin, LinkedIn, Online Branding, sean nelson, Social Media, value

Why Do People Repeat Answers on LinkedIn?

April 11, 2009 By Sean Nelson Leave a Comment

File this in the “not a big issue, yet it drives me crazy” file. When someone asks a question on LinkedIn, and it has been answered appropriately, why do others repeat the same answer?

For example look at a recent question and answers:

Question: How do you delete emails and invitations after answering them?

Answer 1: Per LinkedIn “[d]eleting an item from your ‘Inbox’ is not an available function. However messages can be removed from view by clicking on the ‘Archive’ button listed below the message.” Hope that helps.

Answer 2: Deletion isn’t a feature on LinkedIn, you can archive them. Best regards,

Clearly the first answer addressed the issue about as good as it could be. The second answer provided 0% of value. I understand the purpose of answering questions and why each person should spend time doing so, but c’mon.

The primary reason to answer a question should be to share knowledge. Nearly as important is that it generates a link back to your profile and it helps credibility if your answer is picked as the “Top Answer”. I’m all in favor of people answering questions…if they provide value.

While we’re on the subject, the top “Expert” this week in Answers answered 179 questions. How do you answer 179 questions with relevant information and still stay in business or employed. When I answer a question it’s likely to be a couple of sentences at a minimum and maybe a couple of paragraphs if it’s an indepth question. I might spend 5 minutes doing so on the average question.

179 * 5 minutes is 895 minutes or 14.9 hours. Unless you work for LinkedIn, I would be wary of working with someone in any field whose week allowed them to spend 15 hours answering LinkedIn questions. Couldn’t at least half of those hours be spent learning more about your supposed field of expertise.

And if you’re answering this many questions how much value are you really providing? One sentence answers rarely provide value.

How about you? Does this drive you crazy of do you have any other LinkedIn pet peeves?

Why Do People Repeat Answers on LinkedIn?

Filed Under: LinkedIn Tagged With: how to use linkedin, LinkedIn, LinkedIn Answers, sean nelson, Social Media

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