The Research Playbook

Archive for April, 2011

What do you think of the new Twitter interface? Do you love it or hate it?

Chances are few of us have that strong an emotional reaction. More like “It’s okay, no big deal, or I like it, let’s move on.”

For those of us that have been using Twitter for a long time (defined in Twitter years – not that long really) the new look was perhaps at first a little annoying, but only because it meant learning where all the functions were again.

It seems to me Twitter is trying hard to provide functionality to help both individuals and businesses. The newly organized interface feels more contemporary and user friendly. 

The future is uncertain, but building a strong following on Twitter is likely to be as important as any other social media marketing task.

He/she who has the largest audience has the power of the press! 

What do you think?

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Default # 7 – Organization of the groups you are following.

LinkedIn generally and genuinely tries to be helpful in how information is organized. That said, the default listing of the groups you belong to is typically organized alphabetically and three groups are listed in the group drop down menu as “favorites.” These are groups you typically specified or perhaps you own or manage.

The good news is you can reorder all the groups you follow. You can also expand your list of favorites (up to 10) for greater convenience. We all know that social media is time consuming, so any little tricks to streamline our day are welcome.

If you belong to a long list of groups, but regularly visit only 20% of them you’ll find the favorite list a real time saver – much less scrolling!

Go to “Groups” on the LinkedIn main menu

You will see the following text:

Groups You’ve Joined (xx) Reorder  

Click on “reorder” and review the screen you see. Next, you can change the number of groups

Display the first [1-10] groups in the navigation. (Pending groups will not show up).

Select how many groups you’d like displayed in the drop down. Then order the groups so you see them in exactly the order you choose.

Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of the page to save your changes.  

or Cancel

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Default # 6 – LinkedIn offers a set of default options for listing your website, blog and other URLs on your profile. Rather than using one of these default options (e.g., Company Website, Blog), customize the names of your sites. Customizing the name improves the specificity of your profile and makes it easier for people to understand what you have to offer.

Take these step:

1. Go to “Profile” on the LinkedIn menu

2. Select the “Edit Profile” mode and click on “edit” in the area related to websites and blogs.

3. Select “Other” from the LinkedIn options

Linkedin provides a space for you to give each URL a descriptive name [rather than the defaults they provide]. Type the name of your website or blog in the space provided. In our case, we labeled the blog as “Blog: The Research Playbook.”

This is an easy step that adds a valuable element of uniqueness to your profile.

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Default # 5 – LinkedIn default Tags – nothing wrong with them, but they are certainly not sufficient and the people LinkedIn puts in each “bucket” may not correspond to how you would tag them. What am I talking about?

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Go to the LinkedIn menu and select “Contacts.”

Then examine the tags LinkedIn has used to organize your connections – many of which may be in a category titled “untagged.” LinkedIn has tried to use the information in your profile and each contact’s profile to tag him or her accurately, but again nobodies perfect!

Check each of the default tags that were set up.

Make sure the tags are correct for each person. Moreover, create tags that will help you organize your connections better – you can derive great value from this LinkedIn feature if you learn to leverage it well.

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Default # 4 – When you use the LinkedIn message function to communicate with people in your network always work from the bottom up. Go to the LinkedIn main menu. Select “Inbox” and then, look to the right and select “Compose Massage.”

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Once the message screen appears, scroll to the bottom and read the two default settings next to the check boxes.

Check “Send me a copy” (This is optional)

UN-Check “Allow recipients to see each other’s names and email addresses” (This is mandatory).

If you don’t change this default all the people in the “To” list will see each other’s names – do you want this? I think not.

In my opinion, this is one of the most important default settings to avoid!

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Default # 3 - The headliner for your profile (the text under your name at the top of your profile) defaults to your current position. Again, this is not wrong or bad, but it is a lost opportunity to add information

The headliner is an important part of your profile because it is displayed when people look at your interactions on discussion groups – scroll over someone’s picture on a discussion group to see what is displayed. 

The headliner text can also provide value to you when people are performing searches. If you use keywords in your headliner, it can improve your ability to be found!

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Default # 2 - LinkedIn has a standard order for the sections in your profile.

The default ordering of these profile sections is not necessarily wrong or bad, but it may not optimize the presentation of your skills and expertise or the value proposition of your business.

The good news is the sections can be re-ordered easily, which is a change worth your consideration.

For example, in your business recommendations might be the single most important element of your profile – customers need this social proof and you want them to see it. 

No problem, simply click and drag this portion of your profile up!

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LinkedIn (LI) is a highly powerful networking site. No, they are not paying me to make that claim – it’s simply the truth. For those of you who actively use LI weekly if not daily, the value is probably very clear. For anyone not using LI it is one of, if not the, most powerful tool at your disposal for true business networking.

If you do not have a LinkedIn account STOP right now, read no further.

GO set up a LinkedIn account Now!

Sign up for a LinkedIn Account https://www.linkedin.com/reg/join?trk=hb_join

Now the Cautions

LinkedIn has several default settings (and offers some default text) that is not always in your best interest to use – heck nobodies perfect.

There are at least Seven (7) LI defaults you should become familiar with and know a best approach for re-setting or managing.

Default # 1 – LI offers default or standard text for its “Add to Network”  invitation function used to add new connections. The text itself is fine, but don’t assume that it is sufficient. If you send an invitation using only the default text, two issues arise.

First, unless the person you invited knows you very well you risk an IDK (I Don’t Know this person) response. Receive too many IDK’s and LI will suspend your account.

Equally important, if you rely on the default text you lower the chances of having your invitation accepted, which is the whole point!

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