Not Just Another SNS

LinkedIn can be a valuable new tool.  Granted, all the social networking sites we have been using could be valuable new tools.  I don't think I would call LinkedIn just another social networking site though.  Linked in offers groups, polls, and practically writes a resume for you.

Unlike Facebook, which offers new games to play, LinkedIn tells me that I might be interested in particular jobs.  I can click on News and get information that will tell me how to find a job with LinkedIn or BYOD.  These are things that I think about in my day to day work life these days.  I can connect with professionals, not my family, especially not my children's friends.

The polling experience was very interesting.  I asked a very open question and got a good response, but with feedback from my classmates, I thought of ways to refine my question so that I might be able to use LinkedIn for my Twitter paper.  And from my informal survey, 22 of 43 or 51%, of the respondents preferred Linked in.

My husband, Butch, who finally joined the 21st Century and joined LinkedIn as his first SNS.

LinkedIn and Log on

LinkedIn was another social media site I knew of but had no thought to join prior to this class. As I started looking at connections it dawned on me that this site could come in so very handy when I look to move across companies and careers. I’ve talked with several acquaintances and friends about working for Disney. The response is almost always the same from any of them. It’s all about networking; getting to know someone on the inside that can help you get that first contact and interview. I’m working hard on my end to get the paperwork and knowledge I need to qualify for the work but I have little to no way to make connections in Florida, until now. I’m working through the site to build a better profile and resume.  If Twitter is being used for interviews then LinkedIn will be just as vital to the job hunt.

I prefer the LinkedIn mobile app for most of what I do because it is visually cleaner. The top of the page on the full website always asks me if I want to find contacts through my email. I’ve done this twice and can’t get the dialog box to go away.  This really made the site feel cluttered. I can’t view the articles they post from the mobile app so I do visit the site to read them from time to time. I think I’ll use the site more as I get closer to graduation and my big move.

I did enjoy posting the poll but wanted better information about who took part in it. Were they company partners? Male or female? How often did they visit the stores? I really felt that the poll could be a great tool to gather information but it didn’t give a very strong picture of the demographic I was reaching. I do like that the site warns users not to add someone they don’t know well. I also liked that you could endorse one of your contact’s experiences and job skills. I’ve learned a large number of things in my time at Starbucks that are difficult to express quickly on paper. The site gives me a string of keywords I can use for this and also promotes me during a search.

This article from The Huffington Post is an interview with Josh Turner, who has started his own business using LinkedIn to create marketing campaigns. I would be happy to take his class on LinkedIn provided it was at a reasonable cost. LinkedIn is a underutilized tool for many of its users. Some of it is a lack of time where some of it is a lack of knowledge on the site’s uses. As Josh states “I would never say LinkedIn is the best thing since sliced bread and all you need to do. You need to do what's right for you, and it's not the same for everybody else.” (Huffington Post)  If LinkedIn will get you the contacts you need to help your career then you really should make the time and log on. If face to face work will do it, get out there. Take an assessment of what your goals are then look for the tools you need. Finding a million tools doesn’t help when you don’t know what the job is.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-kanalley/how-to-use-linkedin-effectively_b_2744857.html

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/02/15/twitterviews-resumes/1919305/

  

When we think of the various websites and social media sites it is easy to ask ourselves which of the sites will serve our purpose best. The question is certainly valid and best answered by asking ourselves some additional questions for clarification first.

Perhaps the obvious starting point would be what do we want to see happen? What would success look like when we see it? In other words what is your purpose.
Knowing who you are and what your purpose is will greatly define how you select the social media site to present you, your business, your products and services. If for example I wanted to use media to reach friends and family about music, movies or entertainment I would be inclined to use Facebook. If however, I was looking to present myself to prospective employers I would certainly want to use Linkedin.

For those on another planet or for those who have never heard of linkedin, Linkedin is a social network where people can provide information about themselves and find information about potential employers. This is where those who use Linked in get a chance to contribute to, or build their personal brand.

Who are you? Who do you know? This is also a place where you can join groups that have discussions about the topics you are interested in. The user can be as involved or un-involed as they choose to be. The nice thing about Linkedin is it is very user friendly. If you need to know how your product is received, or if you want to know if your idea has merit with the public you can easily post a survey or poll with the tools provided to do so.

If you want to find Linkedin all you need do is type Linkedin into your internet browser and you will soon be on your way. If you have never checked into what you can do with Linkedin then you owe it to yourself to get connected. In the picture above I have placed myself in a picture with the president. I look connected but actually I would be better served to use Linkedin so that I would be actually connected to the businesses and people who can make a difference for me and my company. Linkedin gives people a way to get to know you.


Jeff Arnold

LinkedIn: A Community Worth Being A Part Of.

I have been a member of the SNS LinkedIn longer than any of the other SNS.  Come to think about it, I believe I have been participating in LinkedIn for more than 10 years.  Until recently, I have done relatively little with my profile, or with the site in general.  What I prefer about about LinkedIn is the professional demeanor of those on the site.  Here, I am able to connect with people who belong to a variety of professions and share a multitude of interests. 

What LinkedIn has taught me, is that the value of being in a community is priceless.  It is a community that is worth taking the time to be a part of.  There are several reasons behind this thought, but predominately, it is a way to quickly stay connected to what is going on in communities that matter the most to me.  What I love about LinkedIn is that typically people connect with others that share the same or very similar interests.  I can search for groups that will talk to me and I can talk and share information that might be viewed by another as important.  It is a place I can go to learn and skill build.  I can read articles posted by leaders at the top of their industry; the same day that they are posted.  For me, having access to these resources are invaluable.   

In addition, LinkedIn is a great place to go to network with professionals that may be interested in hiring you, or, as a quick and easy way to learn if the market in your particular industry is strong or weak.  Are employers in your industry hiring?  Is there a decrease in recruitment in your field?  What does this mean for you; for your salary?  LinkedIn is a fantastic resource to use for market analysis and to ensure you are at the top of your game by staying connected to others in the same profession. 

As I continue to explore and learn the ropes of LinkedIn, I hope you will join me and become a part of a community that is worth being a part of.
      

Twitter, twitter everywhere...

I have 6 followers on Twitter at the moment and only three of them classify for “real” person status. I’m fairly sure one is just a spam bot because I have never had anything to do with a bankruptcy firm, let alone one from California. I haven’t really used twitter very much until this class needed it. I had an account that I left alone for nearly a year. All my friends are active on Facebook and there are only two people on both my pages but neither one is active.  

The site is a great way to look at what celebrities are doing and projects they enjoy. I saw a clip of Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Sesame Street teaching the word “reinforce” because he posted it. I’d have never seen the clip without Twitter. Neil Patrick Harris has been doing videos called “Neil’s Puppet Dreams” (NSFW) that Nathan Fillion tweeted about because they did one together. It’s been a great spot to catch new Hollywood gossip or videos that I would never see till months and months later. I do have to be careful with how much time I spend on Twitter as I’ll just keep flicking back because I’ve started reading someone’s profile like a book.

I suppose that is the real risk with Twitter. As Re pointed out in her blog post, the Library of Congress is keeping any tweet that has been sent since the site started and is passing the information out to researchers or interested parties. The paranoid part of me flips out at this. “Osterberg wrote that the library has completed digitally archiving all of the tweets it currently possesses and is now working on how to best make them available to the public. The library already has received about 400 requests from researchers all over the world looking into topics ranging from the rise of citizen journalism to tracking vaccination rates to predicting stock market activity.” (CNN.com). It’s a little silly when you think of it. It’s a social media site that is visible to anyone the world over and anything online will stay there forever. It’s one thing to have these tweets archived on the company’s servers but appears a great deal more worrisome to know they are printed at the Library of Congress. I can close my account, delete every tweet and erase myself from their servers but not from the library. That means the silly little tweets I’ve sent are no longer under my complete control. I can say this will change the way I use the site.

On the other hand, something I wrote is IN THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS!!!!! How cool is that for a writer?!?

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/07/tech/social-media/library-congress-twitter

Hello there, old friend!

This week’s Twitter refresh has caused me to realize that I have completely checked out from my Twitter account and am committing the most annoying Twitter faux pas. Most of my tweets are posts from Instagram or scheduled posts from Buffer. I am often unresponsive when people reply to these comments, because I hadn’t even opened Twitter on my phone in ages, before I started focusing on it for this week’s lessons.

I was surprised to come back to the platform and remember how much I love having hundreds of tiny snippets served up for me, every few minutes. This medium used to provide me with news, entertainment, and snippets from my friends’ lives. I had completely forgotten why it was valuable to me, at one point.  I even used to tune in for encouragement and uplifting in my day.  Some of my favorite Twitter accounts to follow for a daily boost are:

https://twitter.com/tinybuddha

https://twitter.com/Kurt_Vonnegut

https://twitter.com/energy_project

https://twitter.com/fitbottomedgirl

The net outcome of my time invested in Twitter this week wasn’t so much learning anew, as it was remembering why I liked the medium in the first place. It was like visiting with an old friend and reminiscing about “the good times.” I look forward to picking up the baton and running toward discovery of my personal brand, however dysfunctional and scatterbrained it might be!

Tweeting Away

Learning about tweeting wasn't as difficult as learning about Facebook or blogs/wikis.  I like the brevity.  Give me a short, quick headline, a link and a picture over a long rambling story any day of the week!

Since I haven't put much out there yet, I probably won't be sending a lot out until I learn some more.  Since Twitter is my topic for the paper, I will be learning more soon.  I also want to pay attention to what Professor Joe said about what it is we are tweeting and what I want my followers to hear about me.

The next few months will be bringing changes to my job, even if I get to keep it.  I think I want to see if I can use theses tools I am learning to make the transition easier for me and my teammates.  Just one search gave me tons of useful results, maybe I try it for transitions.

Soon I will have everyone eating out of my hands just like this peacock in Kauai last year.

There are disadvantages to my iPad!  I had to upload to Picasa and share with everyone, but now I have blogged from my work computer, personal computer, and iPad.  I also don't see the way to make this small or left.