Reinke Faces Life

November 1, 2007

180 pings out, 6 dead, 50 live

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Vincent Wright
Staffing Manager, Quoin, Inc.

*** begin quote ***

What Would A Multi-Billion Dollar Linkedin Look Like?

I dare you to repeat that title three times, fast! ?

What would a multi-billion dollar Linkedin look like?
What would a multi-billion dollar Linkedin look like?
What would a multi-billion dollar Linkedin look like?

All kidding aside: In looking at the profile of Linkedin CEO, Dan Nye, there is an ultra-compact but highly powerful one sentence statement describing his current mission: “Leading LinkedIn to become a multi-billion dollar company and the most customer driven company in the world.” ( http://www.linkedin.com/in/danielnye )

SO???…

“a multi-billion dollar company”?

Does it borrow from Facebook? MySpace? Google? Yahoo? eBay? Amazon? Neither?

What do you think a multi-billion dollar Linkedin would look like?

*** end quote ***

It might be able to tell me the last time a person was “active” and it might let me keep some notes about my contacts (i.e., like how I know them — my memory isn’t so good — what was the question?). And, I’ll go way out on a limb here, it might allow me to measure “days outstanding” (i.e., how long since I last interacted with you) and sort by who I need to “freshen up” with.

Now back to reality. Jury is still out -imho- if LinkedIn, Facebook, or even MySpace is anything more than an activity trap!

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http://www.happyabout.info/linkedinhelp.php

Book: I’m on LinkedIn — Now What???: A Guide to Getting the Most OUT of LinkedIn

*** begin quote ***

This book is designed to help you get the most out this popular business networking site. With over 12 million members there is a lot of potential to find and develop relationships to help in your business and personal life, but many professionals find themselves wondering what to do once they signup. This book explains the different benefits of the system and recommends best practices so that you can get the most out of LinkedIn.

*** end quote ***

{Disclaimer: I know Jason and have collaborated with him on various topics in the past, and would expect to do so in the future. This is MY opinion. And, anyone who knows me knows it’s not for sale. I have received no consideration for this review. I was given a proof copy to review and sent my feedback to Jason. If my suggestions made it in to the final, that was up to him. Unlike some bloggers, I have my own set of ethics about what I allow to influence my opinion. Now if he wants to send me a stack of hundreds, I can revisit that policy. Till then, nothing you read here is sullied by anything so mundane as money.}

Jason has written a book. Now that it’s out, I can take notice of it. These are my thoughts about it.

A good one, imho!

He gets kudos for turning out a “hit the ground running” tome. I think it’s more useful than the average self-help book.

About the only suggestion I’d make is to create a workbook to help the reader “fill out” forms before getting to the computer. I see people building profiles in “real time”; not realizing that their mistakes are live when they hit save. Beginners need to be a little cautious about creating “future digital dirt”. I know one beginner who was, horsing around, putting in lame entries as place holders. Google came through and swept up the profile and it was enshrined as “him” in their search space. By virtue of his unusual name, he’s having a devil of a time pushing the “lame entries” down in the search results. (Although I did share a secret about back dating content and having the bot believe it. You need a friend with an “old” web site, site map with a Google date stamp on it, and a willingness to do a little forgery. Don’t trust anything on the net completely. Even Google’s bot has some blind spots.)

If the new owners of LinkedIn have any horse sense, they’d offer it with each paid subscription.

And, the LinkedIn Executive Leadership should read it to figure out their value proposition. (The Intelligent Designer knows they have no clue! LinkedIn has some of the characteristics of a schizophrenic. And their changing policies reflect that lack of insight and shifting values.) Then, they should have their employees read it. They all might have some sense of what people are trying to use the site to do.

I have several quibbles about LinkedIn, not the least of which is “12M members”. Which Jason repeats. Some of the others, Jason covers in “shady practices”. Perhaps, in his next book about LinkedIn, he can expose some of the “nuances” of those flaws. Not the least of which is the “shifting sands” of LinkedIn’s policies. But after all, this is intended to be an “entry level” book, and some of these flaws don’t become apparent until you spent a lot of time “shaking the monitor and pounding on the keyboard”. His next book can cover the effects of “pounding”. :-)

A new user can use Jason guidance to use Linkedin. Maybe some understanding will come from that guidance. The book is also useful in finding high quality people, who are open to helping. That’s different from being an “open networker” or a “mega-connector”. Big difference! Using endorsements, the newbie can quickly establish credibility. And, one you are “endorsed”, you have in effect enlisted the endorser in your continued success. Often the leads to non-Linkedin content is, per se, a window into someone’s thinking. When that is your boss, new boss, hiring manager, or even a networking jewel it’s like found gold. Identifying an influential blogger — No, not me, I only have six (3 relatives and 2 friends whim I quiz) faithful readers — from the LinkedIn profiles is like getting a seat in an advanced seminar in a graduate class.

I recommend Jason’s book to every turkey (i.e., FOWG jobseeker) that wanders into my turkey farm (http://tinyurl.com/lxu93) as a fast way to come up to speed on a potentially valuable resource. I say potentially because I think the jury is still out on LinkedIn. Link MySpace, Facebook, Ryze, and the 999 other social networking sites out there, it is hard to say who will “win” in the marketplace, or how stuff will morph.

Until that’s decided, use Jason’s book to get into the current leader in the “business social networking” genre.

You have to be quick because in the technology space change happens quickly. You can stand on Jason’s shoulders and get a leg up in the coopetition (i.e., cooperative competition) that is “networking”.

So, after all these words, for those that need a conclusion, I’ve stamped his book:

RECOMMENDED

Can I be any clearer? From the fellow who recommends very very few things a (job)seeker should pay for, this is one of them.

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Vincent Wright has received a “trademark infringement” letter from LinkedIn.

Now that is hubris on the part of LinkedIn.

Vincent is the “godfather” of a ton of groups LinkedIn_XXXXX (i.e., power users, bloggers, moderators, plaxo, vets). And, has single handly been LinkedIn’s cheerleader.

This is not the first time that LinkedIn has bitten it’s users with its psycho change in policy. When they were first pandering for users, they wanted you to spread the word and link to everyone you knew. Then after a year or eighteen months, they wanted “exclusivity” so they, with zero notice, imposed the “five i don’t knows and you’re suspended” policy. Vincent single handedly calmed a revolt.

When they blew their service about groups, Vincent was a calming influence.

Eventually Vincent decided to deploy his considerable energy to more worthwhile pursuits. And, I don’t blame him.

Now, LinkedIn is worried about its trademark? They get my “that sucks” award. Trademark that!

(I’m waiting for my trademark letter as well for LinkedInJaspers.)

Guess they don’t think they need that buzz from all those local groups like LinkedIn_State, like my LinkedIn_NewJersey. Makes those folks, who decided to compete by going to LinkTo_NewYork, look like geniuses.

Well, if I was the VCs buying LinkedIn, I’d look at this tired old whore’s teeth. I’ll be deemphasizing LinkedIn.

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My attempts to upload my pic keep timing out.

YMMV!

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UPDATE:  As of about 1100 edt on 28Sep07, the feature is now working.

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http://linkedinbusinessdiscussionindex.blogspot.com/2007/08/facebook-is-completely-different-than.html

From a posting on Execunet (http://www.execunet.com) that was tuned up and reposted at the “LinkedIn Discussion Index” blog honchoed by Vincent Wright. Vincent created the genre of LinkedIn spin off groups that allowed an interesting segmentation of the LinkedIn community. Here’s my posting about the differences in different social networking site.

*** begin quote ***

Facebook IS completely different than LinkedIn

I was much amused by all the Facebook versus LinkedIn discussion recently. As I was with the “religious” quality vs quality qauziness (sic craziness). All courtesy of Vincent’s various creations. Of course, as a big fat old turkey, I have lots of DIKW and a few opinions. I wrote this on a pay site for the networking group there and, as a lazy turkey too, I will repurpose it for my blog. But first I’ll drop it here as my inaugural post. I don’t want to reignite religious wars, but I am trying to make the point that just as there are different tools like a hammer, screw driver, and wrench, that start out with different design goals, humans can use their tools in unexpected ways. I personally have used a hammer to keep a reference book open to a certain page, poke a hole clear with a screw driver, and used a wrench to bang a nail. The hammer was holding the book open that said “put nail here”. (Don’t ask it was a bad day!) But seriously, it all starts with the user’s individual goal, then proceeds thru any number of tools, and finally to the results. If the proverbial nail goes in the right spot, who’s to say that the user was wrong.

So with that caveat, let’s dive into the mind of a big fat old turkey thinking about Facebook, as compared to LinkedIn. Bear in mind, that Facebook here is really a specific instance of other social networking sites such as Friendster, MySpace, and all the what I call “near social networking sites”. You know those sites, where they too are bolting on, after the fact, some aspect of social networking.

Here goes. Jumping into a conversation about Facebook as compared to LinkedIn:

I think you have to approach “networking” on Facebook completely differently than LinkedIn. More social! And much more passively. More timeless. And unstructured.

For example, I’m using it to collect as many “alma mater” networking contacts as I can. By that I mean fellow graduates of “my” school, people from past employers, current fellow employees, industry colleagues, and work / home regional granfalloon type contacts. You then proceed to “infiltrate” the target companies where your target position is likely to exists.

Since Facebook aims at a younger demographic, old far … fogeys like me, need to swim gently, being helpful and very non judgmental.

(Posting one sexuality in their profile was the biggest thing I had to “overlook”. Talk about digital dirt! Who knew that all the “hot chicks” from my stogy Catholic College were gay? Or is that defense mechanism. But some of the pictures are borderline NSFW! Can you believe any of the nonsense posted there? Recommend sunglasses and a large supply of NaCl!)

OK, I’m swimming in that “pool”, and remember I have no specific “networking agenda” in mind. I have helped about a dozen people with job leads and resume help. (Seek first to help, then be helped.) And, for example, in the process have acquired one networking contact at a very low level, who is giving me organization announcements for a company in my geography where I’d have a trivial commute. (I could go home for lunch.) Will any thing come of it? Who knows. I have about 100+ new “friends” and bunch of new “fellow alums”. Does it matter? Too soon to tell.

Remember I measure things in decades. My lesson from the Universe on that was a trivial good deed done to an IBM sales engineer 15 years prior snagged me a great job with him as my boss when I needed it. It taught me the value of timeless chronologies. Not everything you plant gives you veggies in 15 minutes. Americans with the “now” mentality have to learn everything comes to fruition in its own time.

Bottom line, that contact had never heard of LinkedIn, and really doesn’t “do the networking thing”.

So you have to become a chameleon. Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom is where you can find it. Here’s some of my whiz-dumb about Facebook, its difference from LinkedIn, and the need to be “flexible” in each social networking instance.

Do I think that I have the pearls of wisdom about LinkedIn, Facebook, or anything else? Sure I do. Even the big fat old turkey has a big fat ego.

I appreciate a new venue to pontificate from, and that VW is an all “right” fellow. Even though he has too much time on his hands to be creating all these genre busting concepts. Due to him, I personally have had to go to the new paradigm store several times for a meme clean out and reload. Maybe he’s a Microsoft Executive in disguise. You know spend lots of time – money – attention to upgrade a perfectly good operating system, just so you can have a new ribbon and lots of old problems. Yup, Vincent, is one of those good kind of trouble makers. The kind that make you think and act differently.

Now if he could just transform me into one of those kids on Facebook, then he’d be impressive. (I wonder if Frau Reinke, my wife, would approve?)

You are, all, of course, welcome to peruse my various and sundry DIKW entries at my various sites. Or, not as you see fit. I don’t have as many as VW has domain names, but then I’m just a poor turkey. Not one of them there domain en-tray-pren-you-ers.

fwiw ymmv faiwwypfi,
fjohn
the big fat old turkey hisself

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http://segala.com/blog/please-no-more-linkedin-invites/

Please, no more LinkedIn invites
on July 16, 2007 at 10:47 am | By Paul Walsh

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LinkedIn Out and Facebook In logo

Ok, for the last time and to put an end to some speculation, I’m no longer updating my LinkedIn profile (full stop).

The reason is simple. I use Facebook as my shop window, into which you can see who I am, who I know, what I stand for, what I’m working on, where I am and anything else I’d like you to know. If I write a blog post, send a twitter or have pictures taken of me talking at an event, you’ll see them via my RSS feeds which are pulled in from various Web sites.

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Is the bloom off the rose with LinkedIn? I’m not so sure one way or the other, I continue to use both, fwiw.

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FROM A MESSAGE I PLACED ON LINKEDIN INNOVATORS

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I was playing with Jobster and really really didn’t want to spend a lot of time rebuilding my resume in my profile. I did it in LinkedIn, and it literally to a huge amount of time effort and attention. So what we really need is what I call a “sausage to pig” creator. Put in a resume on one side and the “sausage to pig” would create your profile on LinkedIn, Jobsters, and all the other “resume building” sites. It could be nothing more than making a resume an XML file.

The insight came in realizing that I, as many others I’m sure, have multiple resumes. I have several base resumes that I have customized in the past for SPECIFIC opportunities. If the purpose of a resume is to induce a conversation about a specific job to begin, then you want to highlight accomplishments relevant to that job. So for example, when I’m helping a newly minted turkey (i.e., the person just axed from “their job”), when we get up to creating their “marketing collateral” (usually a resume and cover letter), I counsel the “less is more” philosophy.

I like the idea of a sparse resume with three things on it — the (reader’s) objective, last three positions which each have three significant accomplishments designed to induce conversation, and education.

My modest insight is that if you use LinkedIn, or any other site as your resume, then you can do that customization for specific opportunities.

Argh!

One size really doesn’t fit all needs.

*** end quote ***

FROM A QUESTION TO ME

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From: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
IT Professional
Greater New York City Area

Current:
* Sr. Business Analyst, Infrastructure at Wyndham Worldwide
* President/CEO at JLS Technology USA

Past:
* Project Manager, Infrastructure at IncentOne
* Regional IT Project Manager at Iron Mountain Inc.
* Sales Counselor at Circuit City

Date: June 30, 2007
To: John Reinke

Can I put the upstart consulting firm I own on my resume? If so how do I list it in conjunction with my current FT job?

I would like to update my resume and was wondering if I can put my small consulting firm on my resume? I have done some contract work through my consulting firm but am apprehensive because i don’t know if its taboo to do, or if it has enough “OOMPH” to list on my resume.
I’m the President of the company but would this be frowned upon by recruiters, looking at it as padding my resume?

Thanks for all your help and advice in advance!

*** end quote ***

Dear X,

Well I don’t see why not? I did. Even it before it was more frequent.

I was reluctant to be “president”; I like “owner / consultant”.

I think it is important to differentiate your “daytime” and “night time” duties. You don’t want it to look like you are “short changing” your daytime employer. You also want to avoid the the appearances that you are “competing” with your employer.

I know a tech exec who moonlights as a CICS coder. I knew a security exec who did fancy banisters for staircases. I knew a CEO of a major ad agency who moonlighted as freelance writer to unwind at night.

So, LinkedIn presents some interesting challenges. You can’t customize it like a resume for a specific opportunity. So it’s one size fits all.

Argh! Tough call. My advice is to put anything that is a significant adder that doesn’t detract from your value.

I’d include President of the Little League, Library, or ASPCA for a decade. But, I’d omit the President of your AA, KKK, or Democrat/Republican chapter for the same decade.

l8r,
fjohn

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/2/384/192

http://www.linkedin.com/in/reinkefj

Suggest using the linkedin edit function to create a non-gibberish url. may mean nothing. but takes a minute and indicates an attention to detail and easy to do business with orientation imho.

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FLASH: Hoovers, yet another business info collector that lives off sec filings, seems to be making a move into LinkedIn’s space. I say “seems” because while it claims to be in ‘beta”, it doesn’t allow any sign ups. It also claims to be free, but I don’t believe it. They have a bottom line to feed.

Here’s a jpeg snapped at their site.

FWIW!

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http://linkedin.pbwiki.com/LinkedInProfileComments

Create Public and Private Comments for LinkedIn Members

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LinkedIn provides no way to record public and private info about your fellow members. Who did you use to send your last Introduction through? Is that member active? Is that person a good or bad networker. Where have all the sock orphans gone? Nobody knows. Because on LinkedIn nobody can hear you scream. So I created a solution using Diigo at http://diigo.com. It’s an imperfect solution but gets the job done. I’ll use this page to record my latest instructions, tips, and findings.

*** end quote ***

I’m trying it. Will report.

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XXXXXX : I accepted, but I’d suggest that you never just use the stock invite. The problem is that, if your contact has brain freeze and says “don’t know”, then you could accumulate the “five strikes and you’re dead” LinkedIn suspension. You may, or may not, get it lifted. But it will certainly be a giant hassle, So I suggest ALWAYS put in a non-standard invite. Hope this helps, fjohn68

*** begin quote ***

——————————————————————
From: XXXXXX
Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 4:49 PM
To: John Reinke
Subject: Invitation to connect on LinkedIn

XXXXXX requested to add you as a connection on LinkedIn:

——————————————————————

John,

I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

-XXXXXX

View invitation from XXXXXX

——————————————————————

Fact: More people have joined LinkedIn than live in Sweden

© 2007, LinkedIn Corporation

*** end quote ***

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FROM AND EMAIL EXCHANGE ON MLPF

On the net, no one knows your a dog!

On LinkedIn, you can’t be sure you’re not linking with a “dog”!

I tend to talk in shorthand and seem to always assume too much.

In my taxonomy of entities you find on LinkedIn, I have some “findings”.

* Real people, like me! Seekers, loafers, helpers, tryers, stumbling blocks, mean well, dumb as rocks. Real people in strange places like New Jersey with all sorts of connections, motivations, and understandings.

* Recruiters — both (head)hunters and (executive)searchers — retained and contingency — with varying degrees of altruism, cooperativeness, and helpfulness.

Now, the newbies and naive think that this is all there is. Unfortunately, that is not all there is out there. I’ve begun to classify all the strange “identities” that I’ve found.

Usually found “close by” a recruiter:

* “hostages” — I think a recruiter creates a profile for some one that they are representing and not permitting any contact except for a fee.

* “strawman” — I think a recruiter creates a mythical person as “bait” with the characteristics they see in “their” candidate. They do this to encourage connections from inside or outside recruiters where they can then “switch” in their candidate.

* “beauty” or “zombie” — I think a recruiter creates an identity, with all the characteristic of someone they wished they represented. When connected, they then try to form up a solid opportunity with they can present to the real person.

* “clones” — I think a recruiter takes a profile that he likes and “replicates” it into his geographic hunting zone for the purpose of finding “buyers” and like minded “sellers”.

I think they do this to advertise candidates they represent, troll for unadvertised opportunities to sell services, find hiring managers? I don’t know. All I know is I think I’ve see it.

Usually found around individuals:

* “ghosts” — An individual creates a profile of a past boss or coworker to get endorsements.

* “pranks” — People set up profiles of people for hahas responding or not as the spirit moves them.

* “psuedos” — I’ve seen no degreed candidates create a “clone” of themselves and add a degree. Then, control access to the “psuedo” and, when approached, they will try to sell into the opportunity.

I’m just an injineer; not a hunter, nor a seeker, and I haven’t stayed in a Holiday Inn Express lately.

I only tumbled to this “barbara streisand” when I tried to reach an old College friend and hit a toll boother. Another time I found my “credentials” on LinkedIn copied to someone in Kansas City. Exactly; my babblings are pretty distinctive, so they do show on searches. So my curiosity was piqued, I pinged, and never heard anything again. I deemed that was a “clone”, designed to flush out a buyer in that area?

This is posted not to give you ideas, but to give you an insight as to what you might find.

Remember, on the net, no one knows your a dog!

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In looking at the results of who’s been looking at my profile, I’m insulted that my profile is being looked at by anonymous “peeping toms”. I should have a setting that says, “I’ll show you mine (profile) if you show me yours (name)”. Maybe I’m getting sensitive in my old age, but I don’t think I like this feature. NOR, do I think I like the old way of just anyone can see it. Maybe I’m growing up. And I really have nothing to hide, or sell, it just seems … … rude. If I look at someone’s profile, I see nothing wrong with disclosing my name. Let’s have some granularity. This is probably one of Cameron’s Laws of Identity and I’m just not keying into it. Have I lost my mind and slipped over the edge into Advance (Turkey) Paranoia?

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http://www.thinkinghomebusiness.com/
blog/_archives/2007/5/18/2957254.html

http://tinyurl.com/39axpd

How Efficient is Your LinkedIn Network?
by Des Walsh on Fri 18 May 2007 09:08 AM EST

***Begin Quote***

While the delivery of the box of donuts with resume attached is the focus of the post, I noticed also that one of the steps Greg has taken to get noticed for the job is to send a message to the owner via LinkedIn.

***End Quote***

I’d suggest that LinkedIn be used for developing “inside” knowledge. That’s probably worth more than getting to a decision maker. Finding out what makes them tick, what they want, and texture around the opportunity may allow you to tailor the sales pitch.

If I was measure “efficient”, then I’d want to know how “responsive” it was. Effectiveness might be how much “value” it delivers. Responsiveness and value are tough to define and even tougher to measure.

http://www.linkedintelligence.com/smart-ways-to-use-linkedin-prize-winners/

May 13th, 2007
Smart Ways to Use LinkedIn – Prize Winners

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I’d like to thank everyone who participated in the Smart Ways to Use LinkedIn Group Blogging Project, and especially the people who stepped up and donated over $4,000 in prizes. I was overwhelmed by your generosity. It enabled the start of what I hope will become a valuable resource for all LinkedIn users

*** end quote ***

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And I commented
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reinkefj
May 13, 2007 at 5:27 am

Thanks. It’s always nice to “win”, BUT I think the real winners are:

(1) all the people got new ideas;

(2) all the people who showed themselves to be the generous experts they are; AND

(3) YOU for creating a new paradigm. (I call it “rally a group hug” with prizes.)

Even a grizzled big fat old turkey, like me, learned some “new tricks”, as well as some interesting new ideas.

Only time will tell if those ideas “were actioned”, but they are out there forever for the taking.

And, in some sense, there are future readers who have “won” by having a “blazed path” to follow in exploiting LinkedIn.

Thanks for pulling this together. Do it again next month? :-)
fjohn

p.s., Is there a “wining” logo? (Yeah, I know. What an ego!)

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But I was really hoping my “dog” would be awarded “best in show”! I thought it was one of my best posts. And I was hoping for a kool logo. But, I’m a “winner”. ;-) And I can make my own medal.

http://www.linkedin.com/static?key=wvmp_results

LinkedIn’s new feature.

Useless imho.

http://linkedinbusinessdiscussionindex.blogspot.com/2007/05
/open-letter-to-linkedin-552007.html

http://tinyurl.com/2p4vq4

Saturday, May 05, 2007
An Open Letter To Linkedin (5.5.2007)

*** begin quote ***

We’re confused.

Some of us are downright dismayed.

Even some renown evangelists among us have stopped evangelizing. And
others are watching to determine whether or not they should continue
evangelizing.

Still others of us are intensely looking at other networking platforms
to join or to start.

Why?

Because of the indecipherable policies, inconsistent practices, and
unclear procedures that leave us in the dark regarding what IS and
what ISN’T acceptable ways to use Linkedin.

The confusion is compounded by inordinately long dry spells of
communication – coming after we’d been introduced to professionals
whom we expected to hear from on a more frequent basis.

Of course, Linkedin doesn’t owe us a response and doesn’t owe us
regular communication – or anything else.

But, nor do we owe Linkedin anything – beyond abiding by Linkedin’s
policies when on their platform.

Some of us have really championed the name of Linkedin. But, now,
some of us are so desperately looking for a respite from the confusion
of Linkedin’s current behavior that there’s a growing chorus of
“NIDEKNIL”, the opposite of Linkedin. (Think “Oprah and Harpo”.)

{Drop Over To Vincent’s Blog For The Rest}

*** end quote ***

Vincent Wright, the instigator of a bunch of LinkedIn Yahoo Groups to gather like minded people around some aspect (i.e., City; School; Interest), has become really exasperated with the LinkedIn management. He’s been getting conflicting messages from various parts of the LinkedIn hierarchy. Like Yahoo supplanted with Google, LinkedIn could be vulnerable to a competitor.

In the time I’ve known Vincent, which is longer than I’ve been blogging, I’ve never seen him so … … annoyed. He’s got a following, that would follow him to a better service site.

Perhaps the current LinkedIn management is buffing it up for a sale at jugundo prices. But they, or whoever buys it, could be holding an empty bag if all the users take their attention elsewhere. It’s happened before and it can happen again.

Be afraid LinkedIn. Be very afraid.

>I have to give LinkedIn credit for a really excellent solution to this

Well, I would NOT call it excellent. And, I recognize that it LinkedIn’s “ball” and they can take it home any time they want.

However, if I was them, I’d have went at this a little more sensitively. I’ve been on LinkedIn for a long time. If I wasn’t in the first wave, I was in an early one. When they were trying to get recognition, it was “upload your address book and get connections”. Now, like a reformed prostitute, they want to move “upscale”. No more “connection sluts” wanted. (Sorry if this is too graphic.) They are saying “we used you to get our buzz; now buzz off”. I’d have communicated with people, everyone, what was changing, why, and an attempt to build a community agreement of “best practices”.

I get upset with heavy handed approaches. FWIW I have 60 invites left. And, have been rejected for an increase. As an alumni ezine publisher, I have over 2k or active readers and a rolodex of 6k “live” alums. (And, some dead ones too. RIP! Whose families use their email account to keep in touch.) I also have professional rolodex of 10k from my consulting days. I can’t guess at the percent I know personally, but it is high. But LinkedIn doesn’t seem to see that as a legitimate use of their service. But, their “group” group just accepted LinkedInJaspers as a valid group. Like most organizations, policy and procedures aren’t uniform.

Like Digg just learned the hard way, the community can revolt. If LinkedIn doesn’t recognize that they have a tiger by the tail, then they should. Assume that one of the movers ‘n’ shakers gets annoyed at some tactic or other, LinkedIn could be faced with a competitor. If some one had the time and inclination, you could use them as a model. Do it better based on the mistakes they have made. And, poof, NIDEKNIL is born! All the Open Networkers move. Followed shortly by all the Recruiters. Followed shortly by all the JobSeekers. Followed shortly by all those employed but scared. LinkedIn will have its employees, those too lazy to move, the clueless, and the “strawmen”. Since NIDEKNIL is coded from scratch and knows the volumes, it can be better, faster, and cheaper than LinkedIn. Heck, it can even do an export / import from LinkedIn like those bozos at Jigsaw did. They sucked every public source of profiles, turned it into a db, and started selling it. They’re still there so I assume they are making money.

So, gazing into my crystal ball, I see that there is a path that LinkedIn could take to their doom. Hope they don’t take it, but they seem to be very oblivious to just how fickle the marketplace can be.

http://linkedintelligence.com/smart-ways-to-use-linkedin-a-group-blogging-project/

http://tinyurl.com/3dcxo8

Smart Ways to Use LinkedIn – A Group Blogging Project
by Scott Allen on May 1st, 2007

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A step-by-step guide to accomplishing a particular task or career or personal goal using LinkedIn.

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One Smart Way to Use LinkedIn – Create a granfalloon!

In the parlance of Malcolm Gladwin, I’m a “connector” and a “maven” but not so much of a “salesmen”. LinkedIn gave me an opportunity to help others, as well as myself. First a little background, then the guide.

As a crusty fat old white guy who’s been in IT since the year of the flood, I’ve been fired 4½ times and “transitioned” myself 4 times. (I’ll explain the half. It was when they thought they were nuking me, but I was hanging out waiting for the severance check with a nice opportunity in my back pocket. Technically they nuked me and paid me off. But, in my mind, it was serendipity.) My third transition was a more traumatic one where I didn’t initiate it. It was the first one where I was “surprised” by the axe coming down! Life administered a bitter lesson! Of course, being a life long learner, it didn’t take me more than once to realize “the rules”, and that those “rules” had changed silently right under my very nose. And, as a “turkey”, I did NOT like being in the “soup”. It was during this life lesson that I began reading the National Business Employment Weekly several times a day. That shows how truly clueless I really was, despite being well “educated”. So I was down on my luck and happened to read an article about a “granfalloon”. Huh? Never heard that word before. “A granfalloon is a proud and meaningless association of human beings.” per Kurt Vonnegut, who must have been talking about fans, Hoosiers, Netizens, and the blogging fraternity / sorority / union. I was desperate to make a break. My self-image was rotting from the inside out. So as an alumni of a modest small Catholic college with a big collective ego, that was my granfalloon. I sat down and started to “collect” every alum I could find, remember, talk to, email (yes we had email in those prehistoric times!). First thing you know, I was “networking”. Then, I found opportunities for other people. The rest was history. A “turkey” was hatched!

I have learned over the eons how valuable my fellow alumni can be. If you know who they are, where they are, and how to reach them. So I like to say I am an experienced old turkey. Now, my collection was ugly, error prone, sloppy, messy, and hit ‘n’ miss. But first with Plaxo, I began to clean up my act. And now with LinkedIn, my collection is not only “beautiful”, it is usable by my fellow alums. I have created, with the help of the editorial staff of Jasper Jottings (One fellow alum. Hi Mike!), and 2 alpha testers, LinkedInJaspers. I’m announcing it as open on May 15th, the feast day of Saint John the Baptist De La Salle, the patron saint of Jaspers. I even designed a logo that shamelessly mimics the work of Vincent Wright. With his blessing, I stood on his shoulders to copy what he had done for the different population of people. I don’t know if it will be a great success, but since I have ~1500 readers of my weekly ezine Jasper Jottings, I’m expecting several hundred to join the LinkedInJaspers group on LinkedIn.

You can use LinkedIn to create your own granfalloon and it’ll be much easier than when I did it.

Step by step guide:

(1) Decide if you really want to spend time building a granfalloon. It’s like a vineyard. You don’t harvest before you plant. It’s a strategy not a tactic. It’s a conveyor belt; not a silver bullet.

(2) Get a small sample of your proposed granfalloon together, and talk to them about if and how this interests them. (You can’t have a granfalloon if they feel no affiliation with it.) I had a core group of FOUR people encouraging me when I started. It’s in excess of 1500 now a decade and half later. It’s too big to even be bothered tracking. I’m an injineer; not an accountant. Remember it’s a strategy; not a tactic.

(3) Create a LinkedIn group (It takes weeks to get this done), a Yahoo Group for the underlying website (takes days; less, if you steal mine), and begin “collecting” your granfalloon. So if it’s your alma mater, then begin to find them. Of course as you invite them to the granfalloon, you are allowed to let them know what you’re looking for AFTER asking them what they want (First help; then be helped!).

I hope this helps you understand what a granfalloon is, and how you can use it in your “transition” activities. Remember three things: (1) You are only sure of the last paycheck that cleared your bank. (2) Your “job” is to find your next job without losing the one you have. AND (3) You never “land” until they plant you and put some flowers on you.

See the beauty of creating your granfalloon on LinkedIn is that it will help others. Remember first help; then be helped. And, it will take on a life of its own. Like a phoenix, which you can then “climb aboard and ride”. How’s that for not being a salesman? I didn’t even stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night. Smell that sizzle. Wait till you taste the results. Unbelievable.

Now let me tell you about my next project. I am seeking to be the self-declared dean of the “Sacred College of Scared FOWGs” (fat old white guys), where I can say with virtual certainty and absolute confidence, speak ex cathedra, from my belly button, that you will never hear of a bigger turkey than me.

Of course, I am available for consultations and confessions. I do wakes and weddings. And, I’m a notary.

>the underlying theory behind the concealment of connections to invitees.

Here’s a swag:

I believe I have seen (can’t prove it) a recruiter create “strawmen”. A fake online identity in LinkedIn. The profile was relatively complete. But, when you ping the person, you get no response. Since this particular “strawmen” and I were relative tight when we worked together. And, I’m kind of distinctive (gobble gobble big fat old turkey are easily identified), I’d have expected a response. There was no other introduction path to him other than thru this recruiter, the recruiter had contacts cloaked (so I couldn’t confirm others), and nobody responded to an inmail. Eventually the profile was deleted. So there’s one reason, “fraud”.

My lawyer has a LinkedIn persona, but cloaks his clients for fear of violating privilege.

A VC I know cloaks lest he give away anything accidentally

>It seems that the purpose of networking is to get and give contacts.

I don’t agree with the premise.

My purpose in networking is to “learn stuff”. That maybe to give and receive contacts, but not necessarily.

I believe that the PRIME DIRECTIVE of networking is to first seek to understand “stuff” (i.e., what can I do that others value; wisdom in using it to achieve my goals; how to establish the “weak ties” that are so valuable), then to be understood (i.e., let me tell you what I think I need).

The law of weak ties says something like “people are generally good; if they can help you, then they will; sometimes you need a spider’s web of “listening posts” around the globe that when trigger get you the needed information; that gets you a new job”. So, if I know what you want, say via a networking profile, (mine is at http://home.comcast.net/~v2y2r0n27rhj6y/DATA/Reinke_2005_networking_profile.htm), and I hear something that “fits”, then I’ll contact you.

So for example, when I am networking with a newly axed turkey, I get his networking profile and put it on my wall by the phone at work and my home office. (I use it as a reminder that I too will soon be out of a job and to pay attention to what is important!) We may never talk again, but as long as that profile is on my wall, that turkey has a chance of hearing from me.

That’s what I think networking is about.

Now some people will do nothing, but most will try to help. (In all the time I have been doing this, I have only had 4 people tell me to “buzz off”. Of course, I have put them on my “S” list. … … “S” is for “Special”!)

As long as you’re “easy to do business with”.

In terms of LinkedIn, even the Zero Help people, by the fact that they connect, even if those connects are hidden, they have made their contacts findable by you in search. You can connect to them with an InMail for a few bucks. So, unlike the old days, where Zero Help could frustrate you from looking their rolodex. With LinkedIn, that can’t happen. So Zero Help IS valuable, in that, his network is in LinkedIn!!!

—–Original Message—–
From: Lindy
Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 12:52 AM
To: Reinke
Subject: [=reinkefj Contact Request]

Hi

I read your comment on the Linkedin power forum on ostracism which gave me a chuckle. I thought you might have been an Aussie ;-)

Your profile is entertaining. Are you finding that LinkedIn and Ryze are worthwhile?

Lindy
www.linkedin.com/in/lindyasimus

—–Reply Message—–

To: Lindy
Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007
From: Reinke
Subject: [=reinkefj Contact Request]

G’day Mate, No, not an awesie, but I watched Crock-a-dile dundee a few times. Does that count? Glad you were amused. I think that inet’s “hidden nature” allows people to be butt heads and think there are no consequences. Putting bozos on the virtual iceberg and giving them a healthy shove out to the proverbial sea will send a quick chilling message. Glad to be entertaining. I had an injineering prof say “if you can’t get the answer right, at least be entertaining”.

OK, seriously now, I think the jury is still out on the whole social networking genre. I really don’t have time to master multiple sites in the niche. I chose LinkedIn over Ryze for my efforts because Ryze was overrun with MLMers and “kiddies”. I have yet to say “wow, that was because of LinkedIn that I made that $5”. OTOH I have connected with lots of people, earned a little following on my blog, and did publish a “vanity” of my blog in 2006. I’d say that was all driven from LinkedIn. I’m not sure that I say it was “worthwhile” yet. But, I haven’t written it off yet. It’s still a “work in progress”. The genre is still “silo-ed” imho. That is that tools don’t interoperate yet. If ever. I still have a lot of “hand operated” stuff. If I could logically add Act – Outlook – Plaxo – LinkedIn – Skype – Corex Cardscan – AOLIM – MySql – Gmail – Greader – Gpage all into one black box that synced flawlessly, then I’d say “worthwhile”.

Thanks for a great question that allowed me to summarize my thoughts. I’ll blog it when I get time.

So what do you think? Are they “worthwhile”?

Very Truly Yours,
“Crock full of bull” fjohn
aka known in the jobseeking circles
as the big fat old turkey hisself
http://snipurl.com/turkeyfarm

Ferdinand J. Reinke
Kendall Park, NJ 08824

[Note: An interesting idea. Instead of email, blog posts as a “conversation”. I have to get a patent and some VC money. And a slide deck … absolutely have to have slide deck! I can call it “eavesdropping”.]

Hey Gang, A new LinkedIn person shows up. At 1:23 AM on Saturday?

—–Original Message—–
From: LinkedIn Customer Service [mailto:support@linkedin.com]
Sent: Saturday, March 24, 2007 1:23 AM
To: R @ R CC
Subject: Follow up from LinkedIn for Groups (KMM43057I88L0KM)

John,

I am the new manager of LinkedIn for Groups. We recently switched backend systems as well as management of LinkedIn for Groups. I would like to help resolve whatever outstanding issue you might have. I apologize if you have not received a timely response to your inquiry.

Please feel free to email me at groups@linkedin.com or respond to this email to inquire about the status of your group.

Thanks,

Ben Guthrie
Manager, LinkedIn for Groups

===== MY RESPONSe =====
From: r @ r cc
Sent: Saturday, March 24, 2007 8:01 AM
To: ‘LinkedIn Customer Service’
Subject: RE: Follow up from LinkedIn for Groups (KMM43057I88L0KM)

Ben:

Hello. Congratulations. I hope you have a fireproof suit, thick skin, and a “tin ear”. From a PR and service pov, this is a disaster.

I requested LinkedInJaspers back a while ago. As I was told, I submitted it by fax. (Not a scanned email; faxed!)

Off the top of my head, I forget if I asked for LinkedInJaspers or Linkedin_Jaspers. It must be without the underscore because I have a Yahoo Group setup for it http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/LINKEDINJASPERS and the domain name http://www.LINKEDINJASPERS.com ready to go.

(I don’t have the dates handy. The form is in my office at work; in the table draw next to my fax machine.)

I’ve emailed in several queries. Was told either automatically or by a person, that some would get back to me. Black hole after that.

I know from LinkedInPowerForum, that there were “problems” at LinkedIn, so I am not crazed. Good thing you all have no competition!

I still want the group, public, with the logo, so users can display it, and I have been holding off announcing it to my group, until LinkedIn got it’s act together.

So, I’m still here in Limbo, waiting, like all the other “lost souls”.

I appreciate your email, and don’t envy you your tasks. I really do. BUT, I have had several other emails saying “I’m so and so, from LinkedIn, and I’m here to help”. Black hole! Never to be heard from again. So I hope you have better success than those others. The fact, that you don’t have any clue as to what my particular problem is, doesn’t exactly fill me with hope.

But, you get the benefit of the doubt on your “honeymoon” in the new job.

So, when will my group be activated, when can I activate it, and how do I “badge” my people?

Good luck,
Fjohn
One ticked Off LinkedIn User

P.S.: My cofounder of the group is a lawyer and I have been holding him off physically from “dropping” paper on LinkedIn. It’s supposed to be a fun hobby. Not a death march.

Cutting out the “mickey mouse” by over enforcement?

read more | digg story

Interesting that a “private development” “owns” their own roads and the police are limited to what they can enforce.

May need a little tuning? But  a great idea. Like the roads and parking lots at Disneyland, there’s no reason why roads have to belong to the gooferment!

On a technical note: This is one of my first uses of the DIGG “blog about it” function. I’m not sure I like it, but I’ll try anything.

Your thoughts?