This is not specifically related to Security, but I wrote this blog for The Source, ScanSource's Community Website. Original post can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/4tdpg5k
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ever changed jobs and realized all your contacts were stored on your company's server? Ever changed email or physical addresses or phone numbers and found it very cumbersome to get that new info to all your contacts? Several services in the past have tried to make this easier for you. You may have heard about them, Plaxo was one of the more popular services. I was an avid Plaxo user for quite some time and really enjoyed the service. It synced with my Outlook, so it was easy to import/export contact info and keep it all backed up online. And when your friends made changes to their info, it automatically updated for you. Problem solved!
But after awhile, I began to get requests for this thing called LinkedIn. At first, I was hesitant to try it out just because I didn't want to go through the motions of starting a new service for something that appeared to be the same offerings as Plaxo. One day, I decided to make the plunge and see why I was being asked to join LinkedIn. It didn't take long for me to see the value of this service. Here are four (of the many) reasons that made me love LinkedIn.
1. It's your contacts...no, it's networking...no, it's like an online resume...no, it's all of the above!
I was partially right. It is like Plaxo in that you can put all your contact info in, link with other people, pull contacts from Outlook, etc. But then I saw it was much more. As part of setting up an account, you had to put in school info, past employers, interests, and other info about you. In short, it was soft of like creating an online version of your resume.Taking all that info, LinkedIn would then make suggestions of who you might know based on your education and past work experience. It was great because I could then find contacts that I had lost their info and finally connect with them again.
2. Real discussion on topics I am interested in. And leads too!
Soon I found there was this whole other portion of LinkedIn called Discussion Groups. Basically, these are forums for groups of users to get together on common interests in business, applications, product questions, etc. and allow them to post questions/topics and have other users respond to that. LinkedIn allows you to subscribe to these groups and get email updates when people post to them. This is a very valuable lead tool. Find a topic that has something to do with your business, follow the groups, then either engage in the discussions or contact people directly when they are looking for goods and services that you provide. I have personally gained customers and sales as a direct result of following these groups and contacting people.
3. Twitter updates appear in my LinkedIn status
Something elsethat LinkedIn has are status updates. It's simply that. Just an area for you to post whatever you want. Something going on in your life, a project you're working on, or anything else you want to tell the world about you. At first, I didn't care for this too much because I was using Twitter for that. But more recently, LinkedIn has integrated with Twitter so that your "tweet" will automatically sync and update your LinkedIn status. This was the game changer for me. For my contacts that don't follow me on Twitter, they get the same content now on LinkedIn and tha thas provided a great way to engage a large amount of people in an instant. When I have posted something about a new product or service, my fellow LinkedIn-ers then call/email me for more info. Honestly, I've had more followers from LinkedIn ask me about my "tweet" than I have on Twitter.
4. Facebook for the business world
LinkedIn is more than just people too. Many companies these days are creating LinkedIn profiles as well and using them to promote products and offerings. You can follow companies just like people, similar to what you can do with Facebook. In fact, I'd go so far as to call LinkedIn the "business Facebook" (although lots of companies and people are using Facebook for business these days too). The cool thing with LinkedIn is that it takes all these social interactions (status updates, discussion groups, etc) and ties it in to the original solution of keeping contacts up to date and update Outlook.
So if you've been looking for a tool to sync and keep all your contacts up to date, I would definitely give LinkedIn a try. If you're looking for a new way to engage customers (or read about your competition), chances are there's a LinkedIn discussion going on about it. Don't be shy, invite all your customers and other contacts to follow you on LinkedIn...and don't be afraid to update your status with, "Gone fishing" (that is, if you've really gone fishing). You'd be surprised how adding a little personal touch can open business relationships to a whole new level. And if you're company doesn't have a LinkedIn profile, you should take the initiative and create one...or at least get the right people involved to do so. It's a great place to share success stories about your company.
Plaxo was nice, but I've found LinkedIn to be so much more valuable as a business tool. So I ask, are you (Linked)In? If not, you should be.
