Urgent, Useful Intelligence from Linkedin
Here is what I received today, as just one example, from linkedin. Can someone appreciate the great depth and usefulness of this stimulating, career-enhancing, business-generating value? The people mentioned are lovely, nice people. But, come on….
LinkedIn Network Updates
Feb 18 – Feb 25
FEATURED UPDATES
PROFILE
Florian Kupfer is now Owner at Cenario Marketing
CONNECTIONS
Craig Anderson is now connected to Ronnie Lu , Peter Montague Walsh , and 1 other person.
Lisa Anderson is now connected to DAVID ROGES
Kasper Zom is now connected to Mike van Vliet
STATUS
Jeffrey Summers is preparing for next weeks Restaurant University’s Service & Hospitality seminar. Reply »
Laura Stack is working on her virtual training series http://www.theproductivitypro.com/s_virtual-webinar.htm Reply »
Jackie Nagel is assisting a business start-up with developing her core business principles. Reply »
GROUPS
Craig Anderson has joined 3 groups, including Invest in Vietnam and 21st Century Governance Principles
Steven Iwersen has joined Training Specialists
Curtis Bingham has joined CCNG – Contact Center Network Group
PHOTOS
Carmen Van Kerckhove has uploaded a new profile picture
Laurent Duperval has uploaded a new profile picture
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
James Eaton asked 2 questions about Graphic Design and Web Development
Barb Semeniuk asked How can I conduct a social networking campaign targetting my target audiennce, Health & Safety Professionals on Face Book and LinkedIn?
Barb Semeniuk answered 1 question about Internet Marketing
RECOMMENDATIONS
Karen Fuqua recommends business partner Roberta Chinsky Matuson Owner at Human Resource Solutions Roberta is learned professional in organization development. Her knowledge of generational issues i… Read more
Roberta Chinsky Matuson recommends business partner Karen Fuqua President at Fuqua Consulting Group, LLC Karen is a world-class consultant who is highly regarding by those who have worked with her. Her ene… Read more
APPLICATIONS
Carol Travis Tucker is about to leave on a trip to Richmond, VA for 12 days, via TripIt .
Costas Papaikonomou is returning from a trip to Taipei, Taiwan, via TripIt .
Steven Iwersen is returning from a trip to Hays, KS, via TripIt .
Don’t want to receive e-mail notifications? Adjust your message settings.
LinkedIn values your privacy. At no time has LinkedIn made your email address available to any other LinkedIn user without your permission. ©2009, LinkedIn Corporation.
Ryan Nagy
Yes, a total waste, as is most of the notifications from Facebook.
I recently turned off those notifications for all my accounts. It saves me the time of deleting a dozen messages every damn day.
– Ryan
Wayne Botha
Absolutely agree. Facebook has kept me informed of numerous comments this week on a photo. The notifications have a subject line “… commented on a photo of you”.
After ignoring the first five, I decided that I had better take a look at what the commotion is about. One of my friends in the network posted a photo of a new book, which translates to email notifications to at least myself and probably many other people.
I will also turn off all notifications.
“Theresa commented on a photo of you:
“congrats I sure wouold love to read it”
To see the comment thread, follow the link below:
Kelly Eric Frigstad
I originally looked to use LinkedIn as an auto-updating Rolodex; however it is evolving into a social networking site; not what I was looking for.
LinkedIn will die, like most other early internet based no cost offerings, and will be reborn in many different ways. I hope one of the next generations’ sites/services will work for keeping track of business connections and that it will be a useful tool for users marketing themselves. Note I said a tool as opposed to being their marketing strategy.
As for the updates I suspect that Linked-In is confusing frequency of information delivery with actual delivery of valuable information.
Cheers,
Kelly Eric Frigstad
Laurent Duperval
Alan,
I think the most important part of your post is:
Don’t want to receive e-mail notifications? Adjust your message settings.
Don’t like the show? Turn off the TV or change the channel!
L
Alan Weiss
The problem with linkedin, Kelly, is that is has no strategy. It is simply a technological platform without the vision that, say, iTunes or Amazon possesses. It thinks it can just “exist” rather than have a strategic goal.
Laurent, you miss the point. The point is that the messages linkedin provides are banal and stupid. I’m talking about its worth as a service. Of course I can turn off the settings, just as I can stop reading about Paris Hilton. But my opinion is that she is nonetheless an airhead and a waste of time.
Laurent Duperval
Alan,
I got your point. My counterpoint is that some of that information may be interesting to others, if not you… except for my profile picture update. :P.
One of your messages says that Florian is the owner of a new company. In your view of building and nurturing business relationships, isn’t that something important to know?
I think LinkedIn was an interesting idea. I find that as Facebook became more popular, the people at LinkedIn tried to play catch up instead of sticking to what was workinng well. Now you get all this nonsense.
My point is, the feature is available but if you find it stupid, why leave it on?
Then again, did they add it because they thought it was a good idea or because that’s what users requested?
L
Alan Weiss
You continue to miss my point, though you claim otherwise. That is an example of something pretty useless to anyone trying to sell consulting services, which is my frame of reference about linkedin.
Florian isn’t going to be a customer of mine as a small business owner. And even if I were in that market, I’d have to know him to avoid it being a cold call. I don’t see any value in that information at all. Whether users requested it or not, linkedin is not a place to spend time if you’re serious about marketing consulting services to economic buyers.
Bob Ligget
I will wade into these waters with some hesitancy, and offer three observations: first, much of what I read on LinkedIn updates is meaningless to me, especially in terms of advancing business needs; second, much is not all, and I have actually landed a piece of consulting business after having been found on LinkedIn, a great one, too; third, I have found some value in lead generation from my contacts in identifying opportunities and economic buyers. *Bonus fourth*: some people like collecting stamps and shot glasses, and LinkedIn is another way to feed an addiction to collections.
-Bob
Laurent Duperval
Alan,
OK, fair enough, strictly for consulting, most of the information is useless.
Regarding Florian, I think you only get notices from him if he is in your immediate network, i.e. you added him yourself. So there is some sort or relationship there already; it would not be a cold call.
Let’s say I did know Florian, and he was in my target market. Such a notice would probably prompt me to give him a head’s up or call him (if the relationship is that close) to ask him about his new position and company.
Of course, if I learn this from LinkedIn and not directly from Florian, maybe it says more about our relationship than I want it to.
L
Alan Weiss
Bob, no problem. The question is, with limited time, what are the best alternatives to develop a brand and visibility with true buyers? If linkedin is a hobby, go for it, though it’s a pretty dull one to me!
Laurent, you answered your own question. People do backflips to justify these technologies. Exceptions strive to create some rules. In the time most people spend on these platforms in a year they could have written two books, facilitated six forums, obtained 50 testimonials, created dozens of new aspects of intellectual property,and so on. But for some it’s much more important to know that Adrian is working late that night. That’s why it’s so easy to stand out in a crowd in this profession.
Alan Weiss
What kind of buyers? What positions and titles? Do you know them?
Karen Fuqua
The only updates I get through email are posts from groups I’ve joined. I want these updates, as they are typically from buyers. Well worth it for me.
Ash Waechter
It’s for that very reason why my Linked In account is set up through an e-mail that I almost never use. I literally check it once every six weeks just to see what kind of junk I get; Linked In daily blurbs like the one you mentioned would be one of those pieces of “junk.” Linked In is overkill, but having an e-mail address in oblivion is priceless
Alan Weiss
I’m sure I’ll get whacked for this by one cultist or another, but I find linkedin to be the weakest and least valuable among it, Facebook, and Twitter.