This week the readings focused on the not-so-social social media platform LinkedIn. I think the biggest mistake people make is to put LinkedIn into the same box as Facebook and Twitter; but the truth is, LinkedIn offers a very different service that is largely revolving around the professional world. As one of the readings pointed out, LinkedIn is also one of the few social media companies that is seeing financial success on Wall Street. The article brings up the point of consumers being rather fickle when it comes to most social media, but LinkedIn has found its own place and seeks to put professionals and businesses in contact with each other. Having a very well built LinkedIn profile then becomes important for many reasons and may even actually warrant being isolated from your other social profiles if they do not carry the same messages. We read tips on updating your LinkedIn profile and common themes of the advice included making sure you had a good headline on your profile as well as a good profile picture that did not include your dog or family or any other distraction. Our readings also including things to avoid on LinkedIn, and one that I found particularly interesting was to make sure to put a status up every now and then. This is your ability to show that you are “active and engaged” with the service. Overall, the readings showed the importance of having a strong presence on LinkedIn. As it is a unique service that is in fact very different than most social media, it needs to be approached as its own tool and strategy needs to be devised accordingly. Using some of the advice can be helpful in this task and hopefully, with a strong profile, LinkedIn will be able to help you in ways other social cannot.
Do you think LinkedIn has a better future in store than Facebook or Twitter? Do you think it is in fact a more valuable service than the others?
What have you learned about LinkedIn that you plan to put into action?
gatorjake 
I think LinkedIn is extremely valuable to the business world. I think that it offers different options than Facebook and Twitter offers. Facebook and Twitter offer ways to connect with people. LinkedIn is a way to showcase yourself and all of your talents. I do think it is more valuable in the business world. I also think Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are equally important social media channels. Do I think it has a better future? Not necessarily, but I do think it has equal opportunities to be on the same level as Facebook and Twitter.
Hi Jake,
Great blog post! I think Linkedin is the superior business networking tool. Facebook and Twitter and the like may continue to be more popular in sheer numbers, but that is simply based on entertainment value. For someone truly trying to create valuable connections in the business world, nothing can really compare to Linkedin. The statistics we went over this week just highlighting the number of corporations and recruiters using Linkedin was astounding! This is the place to showcase what you can bring to the table when looking to make a job change. Facebook, Twitter, and the more “social” sites are more likely where recruiters are going to go looking for something bad (along with the good).
Hey Jake,
I don’t think LinkedIn has a “better” future in store than Facebook or Twitter, but I do see at standing as the best social employment platform. I say this because it seems like you can be a little more casual on FB or Twitter, but on LinkedIn you have to maintain professionalism the entire time you’re on the network. Like there are status updates, pictures and comments that I put on FB and Twitter than I would never put on LinkedIn. I think LinkedIn will stand strong as a professionalism platform, but Twitter and FB will remain a casual.
I’ve learned how important your headline really is in LinkedIn, as well as the importance of keywords. It seems like once I incorporated these into my profile, it looked substantially more professional than before.
I agree with everyone else, that LinkedIn is different than other social networks. You don’t wear jeans and a t-shirt to an interview… do you? You dress professionally and put your best foot forward. The same can be said of LinkedIn. You keep your professional network separate from your private. I would never friend my boss on facebook, but having him as a connection on LinkedIn helps me. 🙂
I like the way Helen put it. LinkedIn is a professional social network. I am not a huge fan because I never got much out of it but I see how some could. It is a must now for professional. All my coworkers have a profile. I keep mine updated but I haven’t gotten recruited for much. Maybe I don’t pay attention too much because I don’t always want to be thinking about my career. Sometimes it just feels like chore to keep it updated.
Comparing LinkedIn to Twitter/FB is like comparing apples and oranges. They are entirely different entities and should be treated as such. LinkedIn is your professional and virtual business card/resume. It is extremely valuable for your credibility and online brand. Definitely important. 🙂