With all of the hype surrounding social networks these days, I often get asked my opinion about the different networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Namyz, etc.) and if they are relevant to professional service firms. LinkedIn has been my favorite social network to date. I was going to write a post explaining why, but then I saw Jennifer Laycock's post Why LinkedIn is the One Social Network I Couldn't Work Without.
Jennifer's post is chock full of real life examples of how she uses LinkedIn. I think this quote from her post sums up LinkedIn perfectly -
"That's when it dawned on me that I was completely missing the boat with LinkedIn. LinkedIn's search feature wasn't about finding contacts I knew, it was about finding contacts I NEEDED to know. The whole "degrees of contact" bubble weren't a fun way to see who knew who, it was invaluable insight into how to make contact with new companies."
I've been telling people that LinkedIn is just a tool for doing something they already know how to do -networking. It just helps you be more efficient and have a wider reach than you would have without such a tool.
There are many other gems in Jennifer's post, so go read it right now.
Bill Brelsford Small Business Marketing Consultant
