The Teckki Says

Too often, I don’t do something unless I have to.

I now have to.

I have to begin using LinkedIn, not that I disdain it. To the contrary, I had been a casual user, and recently began to ramp up my usage. Like Facebook, the LinkedIn app on my Ipod Touch made it much more convenient. I will occasionally switch between the small and large screen versions, because like Facebook, LinkedIn displays more features and information than you would see on a handheld. The distinction will probably disappear when I purchase an iPad or similar device, but that is another article.

I belong to an online networking group comprised of Sears Roebuck and Company expatriates, as I was employed there for over a decade. This group existed on Yahoo for several years. The moderator polled the group to see if we should migrate to one of the social networking sites. Because most of us used the site to get or give information on job opportunities, LinkedIn won over 60% of the votes. In contrast, Facebook won just over three percent. Staying on Yahoo garnered just over a third, which can say a number of things, such as change doesn't come easily, or that traditional email is alive and well.

Although my use of LinkedIn is more casual, a collection of people who I know fairly well, I tend to communicate with them via other means. Maybe it is because I am more used to calling them, emailing them, or eventually seeing them at events. I haven't mined LinkedIn for sales leads, but I am planning to use it as a sounding board for future blog and news articles. Now, I have to step it up and use it more regularly.

More of my world is migrating to social media. I even find myself asking people if they are on a network, as if phone numbers and email addresses are no longer valued. But one thing is as sure as it is convenient - if I am going to pass on information in an efficient manner, I am not going to make a ton of phone calls and, outside of Constant Contact, I'm not going to send too many mass email blasts. I am going to use the social network mediums, and I want most of my friends, fans, followers, or whatever f-word they may be called, to get the message in one post.

I now have to be more than LinkedIn, I have to be linked up. The beauty of it is that I’m going to make a whole lot of new connections, and renew some old ones along the way. I’ll report back on my experiences in later articles. Enjoy!