About a year ago I wrote a post and a newsletter article about LinkedIn. At the time described it as my new fix for my addiction to networking. LinkedIn became a supercharged version of my address book, but it never lived up to the promise of feeding my need to connect … till now.
I always believed the real power of LinkedIn is in the ability to see who knows who, but it wasn’t much of a conversation tool. I could introduce people, exchange an eMail, but it wasn’t convenient to keep logging in, so I quickly moved conversations elsewhere.
Then Amber Naslund who I follow on Twitter posts her LinkedIn profile and invites her followers to connect, and it all makes sense. Combining the platforms makes each more valuable. Twitter allows me to chat with people efficiently. As long as I keep it to 140 characters, I can share information, humor, insights and ideas. Adding the connection via LinkedIn gives me a broader more detailed introduction.
I still don’t think it will replace face-to-face interaction, but it can give traditional networking an extra buzz. The key is cross pollination. Bring your contacts across platforms, using the best tool for the best purpose. Interested in testing the idea? I am on twitter as roundpeg and you can find me on LinkedIn too. .