Social Networking, Part 2: Why I Like LinkedIn

Welcome back! We survived our blizzard here in Denver and almost everything is back to normal this afternoon. Last time we started our discussion broadly about social networking. Today, I'm going to focus in on LinkedIn and where I think it can help us in fleet management.

There are four features that impress me about LinkedIn: The network, the profile, the groups, and the applications.

The network concept is basic. I know alot of people; you know alot of people. In the past, if I needed a lead that you had, I would call you, tell you what I was looking for and we'd share information that way. Using this network we have the ability to share all that information and we can grow our network, and knowledge base exponentially! Next, your profile. I see this as our resume on the Internet. But the profile can and should be so much more than that. The way we look for jobs over the years has changed radically. That's why it's so important that your profile accurately reflect your experience. Maybe it shouldn't look so much like your traditional chronological resume. Perhaps it should be more experienced based. Today, potential employers post jobs in LinkedIn Groups and can search networked members using keywords. There are all sorts of implications there for employers and job seekers!

Then there are the Groups. There is something for everyone here. There are our Association based groups, such as AFLA and NAFA. There are show based groups, such as CAR (Conference on Automotive Remarketing). Then there are also groups that have been formed by specialty, expertise, and so forth. The groups give you the opportunity to post questions, and share your expertise. It's also a terrific way to keep up with the burning questions in our industry and in the world. There's no saying that you need to post or even comment on any subject. Sometimes it's just interesting to watch.

Lastly, there are the LinkedIn applications. These are actually provided by some some of their partners and my experience with them so far has been good. The price is right (free!) and the apps are actually useful. There are three I'm using on my site at this time: Reading List, Blog Watch and Company Buzz. If you enjoy reading, the Reading List app is for you. Share what you have read and show your network what makes you so smart! I'm always looking for new books to read, especially books of the business variety. The Company Buzz app takes advantage of the new rage: Twitter. Track postings of your company name (for instance) to see who's talking about you. Blog Watch allows you to keep track of your favorite blogs that may be associated with LinkedIn. I have a couple of friends that use LinkedIn and are also bloggers. Because they have listed their bogs in the LinkedIn profiles the Blog Watch automatically tracks and posts them to my page.

In recent weeks I've become acquainted with some of the LinkedIn experts out there - there are many! My favorite so far is http://linkedintobusiness.com/. I discovered Viveka’s site after hearing her interview on The Small Business Guru podcast on BlogTalkRadio. She has lots of helpful tips, especially for those just getting started. Check it out!

Now I know what you are thinking. I don't have the time. I'll get FLOODED with e-mails. Make the time! It's worth it. Manage those e-mails! I have not seen any kind of major change in my e-mail box and I belong to many groups! You can even turn off the e-mail alerts if you really do feel like you're getting overwhelmed.

So what's the bottom line here - how can it help you? I know you're way too busy to start anything new at this point, right? Well I am too. But here's how I look at it. The economy is struggling right now and so are many of us. We have to look at new ways to market ourselves in this ever increasingly competitive world. We need to work together to succeed. This is one way to start. Yes I said start. There are advantages out there are fleet managers, salespeople, purchasing specialists and even entrepreneurs. Not everything will appeal to all of us. But there is more than enough value there that we should all be using it to increase our knowledge and build our networks. Embrace it!


Until next time, keep your chin up and let me know what you think! Cheers!

Social Networks - What's It All About

Social networks - some can say, and would be right up to a point, that these fascinating networks are just another way to waste a whole lot of time! I prefer to look at them as a fantastic (even super fantastic!) way to stay connected with family, friends and business colleagues.

Back in the great old '70's when I was getting started in business we kept track of our network with good old fashioned, hand-written phone directories. If we were lucky we had a Rolodex instead - that way we didn't have to keep crossing out contact info and rewriting it - what a mess! It's incredible how much has changed in such a short time. In any event, I digress. Let's get back to today.

I use three different networks, all for different reasons. There's MySpace, which I use for my family. The aunts and cousins and all my kids like this one. For my friends, and mostly for fun, I use Facebook. I started out thinking this would be a good site for business networking and it is up to a point - but it's still very casual. It's a hoot to track your friends' status, send them flair or even hit them with a snowball. But that said, one of my friends, a personal coach and motivational speaker (Hi Sherry!) has generated business by her presence on Facebook. Meanwhile another friend that hosts a radio show and podcasts (Hi Mark!) extensively promotes all his business activities using Facebook. Some of us just like the flair!

Then there's LinkedIn. WOW! Here we have a hardcore business "social" networking site. A neighbor friend of mine mentioned that he started using it and suggested I check it out. To me, this is the ultimate Rolodex. My network grows everyday, and has already spread throughout the United States and into Europe. There are so many great features about this networking system that it's difficult to know where to start. So for now I'll pause and continue this thread in my next blog.

I'll leave you with this closing thought. Social networking is an exciting and innovative way to communicate and is evolving every day. These sites have already changed the way we stay in touch with each other and I see the way we do business evolving along with the networks (and the rest of the world). But more on that next time!

Keep your chin up, and let me know what you think. Cheers!

Why do a blog?

That's a really good question. These days, more than ever before, you need to think "outside the box". It doesn't really matter what you do. It doesn't matter if you serve in a purchasing function or a sales function, a management function or even if you're like me a fleet entrepreneur. Throw in that old TYPE A personality and mix in a bit of workaholic and you tend to wake up in the middle of the night with the wildest ideas - about work!

So that's how this blog was born. As an idea in the middle of the night from a TYPE A, workaholic, entrepreneur aka former fleet manager. My wish, hope, desire and ultimate ambition is to have a stream of conversation about our beloved business that covers some serious ground, and injects, on occasion, some necessary humor. We live in serious times, and our auto industry is besieged. Costs are rising, cycles are changing and people are losing their jobs. I look forward to discussing our industry, our professional associations and even some controversial topics. I believe we can discuss anything and hope that we will all use this as an opportunity to learn more about our fantastic industry.