Social networking represents the profession’s secondary air supply after customer recommendation. Until recently, I saw LinkedIn as just another glorified directory of past and possible contacts. But a post by Jeff Clavier outlining recent improvements has me rethinking my simplistic view.
In the minds of many, while LinkedIn is a great place to create a close band of like minded business colleagues, what else could you do? Not much. apart from maybe a US centric Job Search. That’s changing. Growth in Europe has been spectacular and recently, LinkedIn reported 325,000 new members per month. And, it is proftable so there’s no financial pressure. Good for them.
It’s a pain dealing with an enquiry from someone you’ve never heard of asking if they can be your LinkedIn buddy. But the time taken to review a potential LinkedIn member is worth it because you can then see other connections, which might include people in which you’re interested. As the service is developing, I’ve found at least one good use.
I’ve been asked to find ex-pat CFO types who can talk about their experiences of working offshore. I’ve found two good candidates. One in Barcelona. It’s a small world isn’t it?
Could LinkedIn be a social networking service you’d find valuable as a way of making connections with like minded people? My network stretches around the world. And it is valuable – to me. At an absolute minimum, you should be able to find professionals that could be of help to your practice. If not, then how about starting the ball rolling among your own clients? Do you know their connections? could they be of value?
At its most basic level, LinkedIn is free but still worthwhile.
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