What Does Your Profile Tell Us
What does your online profile say about you?
I’m asking this question not as a networking coach, but as someone who was trying to connect with people within her ‘field’. I have over 5000 LinkedIn contacts – pretty impressive really – and I decided that I wanted to connect with those contacts who would most appreciate my services.
Following my own advice, I started searching my LinkedIn contacts for people who ‘fit my profile’… I was amazed at the descriptions people targeted themselves with. I think the saddest was ‘Looking for a job’ and the most pitiful ‘over 20K plus connections’.
So here’s my question based on this experience – WHY are you on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook — to name a few?
Sure, it might be to find a job…. but is it really to brag how many connections you have?
Let’s look at my example. I wanted to connect with my Target Audience and let them know about something I’m doing that may be of interest to them. Really, in the whole scheme of things, I’m going to look at their two or three line bio and make a decision as to whether they are the right connection for me. Do I really care whether they have 10,000 or so connections? Nope – absolutely not and I think that 70% of their other contacts don’t care either.
Twitter’s not much better either. I had 1693 followers, and I was following slightly less than that. I was following nearly 2000 people. After rationalizing the people I was following, I have found that I’m actually having conversations with people (albeit conversations in 140 characters or less) and my followers are increasing more uniformly.
So… what’s the point? Does it matter if you have 20K + connections – or is it more important that you have 5000 connections who are not just good for business, but improve exponentially?
The ‘connections’ race (as I’m going to term it) is just diluting the good that ‘true’ networking can do. So here’s my advice to you:
When setting up your profile on a social networking site – think about the type of connection you want to make. Really! Think about your Target Audience and their buying profile – think about the potential partners that exist and how you can help them. Then, and only then, start drafting your social network profile.
Share your experiences – what have you found by tweaking your profile – or not…..
Charly Leetham - Wordpress Optimization Expert & Small Business Coach
Charly Leetham helps solopreneurs and small business get their business and online presence in order. She has many aspects of my business, including small business coaching.
Charly approaches web services work from a holistic point of view and her mission is to help people map their online presence to their business processes, ensuring that the website is an enabler and supporting the business rather than determining the direction of the business.
Stressed About Your Web Presence, Relax! You’re In Good Hands – Ask Charly Leetham
| | 
Subscribe to It!
Lara, The Data Digger
on August 30th, 2009
I strive for quality social networking relationships and not quantity of names I have collected. LinkedIn is an online version of the “old boy” network. Twitter is so high school because it is a popularity contest. I belong to those social networks and I like using them. I don’t focus on the number of connections or followers. I focus on what I can do for the members in my social networks.
Debbie Barth
on August 30th, 2009
I love twitter and have met some pretty amazing people because of twitter. I know some from other networks. I’ve talked to quite a few over the telephone. I have created a close relationship with two, and we will be co-hosting a radio show together. I am attending a twitter get-together next week. I’m also attending an event in Raleigh next month. All because of twitter. I agree, the number’s don’t amount to a “hill of beans” and that doesn’t impress me. It’s the people … the real people.
Larissa Glueck
on August 31st, 2009
Charly,
I agree with your great post. I also recognised that I found lots of interesting people when my numbers increased. With some of them I developed relationships.
For me skype is great to develop contacts as I can chat or talk.
Twitter is about fast news. As it is challenging to develop relationships when you see so many other messages popping in.
It can be very inspiring to read through the profiles bad or good ones. In either way you learn something about the people.
Larissa
Tamara Roe
on August 31st, 2009
Thank you for addressing such a necessary topic! I also look for quality relationships, and not just quantity in large numbers. I also have found much value being able to review many profiles, and then making personal contact with the ones that interest me the most. There is something to be said about always gaining new contacts, but especially worthwhile ones.
Tamara