OPINION: Are you a Networking LION or Lamb?

If you consider yourself a serious professional and aren’t one of the 30 million people already on LinkedIn, or if you do have a profile but only five or ten connections, then I’ve got news for you, Lamb Chop: You’re missing out on the best networking medium available.

Think you’re a pretty solid networker? Are you willing to test that theory in today’s shaky market by not doing all you can? Ann Wylie, in her manual “Full-time to Free-lance” quotes an unnamed master networker as saying, “Networks are like contraceptives. They should be in place before you need them.” Being on LinkedIn is like having triple protection.

In case you’re skeptical and still rely on your trusty Rolodex, Blackberry address book, etc., here’s a value proposition for you.  What if you could:

• Hyperlink nearly every detail from all your contacts in order to find other professionals with similar backgrounds, education or special skills with a single click?

• Expand your network to include your contacts’ contacts’ contacts instantly?  (Case in point:  My 438 immediate contacts give me access to over 9.2 million professionals.)

• Take charge of your online identity so that a link to your profile appears first when you Google your name?

• Get all of these perks and more for a small investment of time - simply posting your resume and adding your contacts to your profile?  (It’s free.)

Oh, LinkedIn, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I’ve…

• Hired a top-notch employee because our mutual friend saw my job post

• Helped a good friend in charge of her condo association connect with my real estate attorney

• Researched potential bosses and interviewers long before interviewing for jobs

• Received unsolicited recommendations from colleagues who simply had to rave about my work

• Re-discovered a cohort of business colleagues from the past and met dozens of great new peers through the 21 special interest groups I belong to…

I could go on, and probably will in future posts.

So, are you a LION or a lamb? In social networking, a LION is a LinkedIn Open Networker, someone who’ll connect with nearly anyone. At TopLinked.com, each of the top 50 LIONs has at least 15,000+ immediate contacts.  Among them is none other than President Barack Obama (currently number 20).  Is it any wonder his campaign garnered the unprecedented online financial support that it did? Did I hear a LION growl?

Tom

Tom Roux is editor-at-large at The Business Insider. He heads Redpoint Communications and is president of the International Association of Business Communicators, Yankee Chapter.

Tom Roux photo credit: Tracy Aiguier Photography

Comments

[Louise]

Tom I am with you on LinkedIn and am a wholehearted convert. As a freelance writer I don't network with others at a company and have already found some great contacts through the Groups and Q&A features of LI. Having a critical mass of connections only makes sense, and people are only seeing half the picture if they connect only with their own industry. I know lots of technical folks from my former career, and by connecting with them I can help *them* out. That said I don't really get the whole LION concept. I need to have some level of conversation, even if it's just online, to make contact—there has to be some meaning, even if it's simply that we met at a networking function. It makes sense for President Obama to have so many immediate contacts (I wrote a post on my blog at http://www.thoughtshappen.net/2009/01/barack-obama-has-a-linkedin-profile.html when I stumbled on him) but for most folks, including me, I think it makes more sense to be a tad more judicious.

[Tom Roux]

Hi Louise,

Thanks for the comment and I really enjoyed your post! Yes, being judicious about the folks one connects with is my M.O. as well. I believe most serious LI users are somewhere between lambs and LIONs. While my number of contacts is quickly approaching 500, it's taken me nearly four years to get to this point.

I must admit to having connected with a dozen or so LIONS, only to take advantage of their extensive network in expanding my own 2nd and 3rd degree spheres. I believe that having done that gives me a much greater reach in my ability to find and selectively connect with other like-minded folks, beyond my immediate sphere.

I'm glad LinkedIn has been a useful tool for you. We should connect! ;7)
-Tom

[Tim Rosa]

One of our clients told me about two ways that he and his company use LinkedIn:
* Finding candidates for new jobs.
* Keeping in contact with customers.

Has anyone else used LinkedIn for these purposes?

[Steve Stauning]

Tom,

Sometimes I feel like a networking lamb because I'm primarily only utilizing LinkedIn (though I too have over 400 contacts). I am deluged daily by business colleagues sending me requests to join them on Naymz.com, Facebook.com, Spoke.com, Tagged.com, Tribe.net and the millions of Ning.com-created social networking sites.

Who has this kind of time? Am I missing something here, or am I still a LION?

[Clare Cork]

Hi Tom

It surprises me that a lot of people still don't understand how powerful the art of networking is.

There are plenty of us doing it, but I believe there are far to many who are not genuinue and are only out there for their own benefit.

It's about looking at the wider picture, not always putting yourself first, and remembering 'what goes around, comes around'.

To all you genuine networkers I'd love you to LinkIn with me http://www.linkedin.com/in/clarecork

[Jack B. Rochester]

I would like to know what a "genuine networker" is, per Clare Cook's post. I'm also in agreement with Steve Stauning that you can't get any work done if you're constantly surfing all the LinkedIn-type sites for which you've registered.

I do agree we need to network, and I feel face time is far more valuable than all these passive electronic communications [see Steve's list] and that includes Twitter. That said, I value being on LinkedIn and have yet to have the time to explore all its potential.

Bottom line for me is the old WIIFM Factor: what's in it for me. I think everyone feels this way - there are few philanthropists in the business world because we must network with each other in order to pursue and extend our careers and business interests. This is natural and understandable, the ground rules for business interaction. Do it if it furthers your business and if it creates value, and not an unnecessary burden, on others.

Jack B. Rochester
Managing Editor
The Business Insider

[Tom Roux]

To Steve,
You make an excellent point about being deluged by invitations from the dozens of social networking sites out there. However, as I stated in my original post, if you're going to commit to one (in this case, LinkedIn), then do so with conviction. I think it matters little which one (or ones) you choose, so long as you invest the time to create a robust profile and routinely maintain the process of soliciting and accepting contacts. Personally, I'm with you and don't have time to commit to more than just LinkedIn, for professional purposes (I also maintain a Facebook profile). But, since you have over 400 connections, I'd say you're more LION than you are lamb. Thanks for the comment.

Tom
Editor-at-Large
The Business Insider Blog (www.timrosablog.com)

[Tom Roux]

To Clare,
I couldn't agree more with your comment about being a networker for the right reasons. While there will always be people who will exploit a given system, I like to think that there are far more people, such as yourself, who are altruistic in their intent.

At the same time, however, everyone has a slightly different "right reason" for the networking they do, whether live or virtual. For some, it is simply to accumulate massive numbers of contacts to help promote their brand or to be a facilitator of other people's efforts. For others, it's about building a highly select collection of quality connections. For still others, their aim is to branch outside their usual sphere to find other like-minded folks with whom to exchange ideas, resources, and perhaps opportunities. To each his own.

So long as one is upfront about their purpose in networking, I think the rule of thumb is "caveat emptor" - "let the buyer [networker] beware."

Thanks for the comment.
Tom
Editor-at-Large
The Business Insider Blog (www.timrosablog.com)

[Tom Roux]

To Jack,
Thanks for the comment.

As a trained corporate communicator, I fully agree that face time is unbeatable as a medium for networking. I've heard comments from many LinkedIn networkers who've connected with local folks through LI and then actually met them in person, either one-on-one or in a small group--imagine that!

I respectfully challenge your notion that the electronic communications used in online networking are "passive." I've engaged in more frequent back-and-forth e-mail correspondence with some of my LI contacts than I have with personal friends whom I call only once every other month.

You provide an excellent reminder when you state, "Do it if it furthers your business and if it creates value, and not an unnecessary burden, on others." Online networking is not suited for everyone. However, I think the tools out there do provide a rich array of opportunities for those inclined to use them.

Cheers,
Tom
Editor-at-Large
The Business Insider Blog (http://www.timrosablog.com)

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