Building A LinkedIn Group Presence

In a previous post, I talked about taking a Leap of Faith and posting to our LinkedIn groups. I posted a link to this to a few of the groups I belong to.

I got a few responses and questions from that post. I was asked about my groups, and about how I find things to post. And I realised that I had another couple of chunks of strategy that I could share with you.

What Groups?

On being asked asked what groups I belonged to, I realised that I belong to 16 groups within my fields of interest, which are in management, academia, leadership, sports and careers. Some groups I have made a strategic decision to join, others have arisen in a more happenstance kind of way.

If you are new to LinkedIn, taking a planned approach to what groups will get you the best exposure in your chosen field will help you to build good, enduring networks.

Many of the groups I belong to are closed, and when I applied for membership, the group managers would ask me to provide my reasons for joining. Because my LinkedIn profile is pretty complete, as well as replying with my reasons, it was easy to provide additional evidence of my interest. Ensuring that you select groups that fit with where you want to go at this stage in your professional life will make it easier to demonstrate 'fit' for you too.

My current groups include the Institute of Management (IMNZ), Institute of Directors (IOD), Academy of Management (AOM), Human Resources Institute (HRINZ) groups, Higher Education Teaching and Learning (HETL), the Centre of Creative Leadership, International Leadership Association (ILA), Association of Leadership Educators and Women on Sport Network, as well as several careers groups (Career Development Association of NZ, Collaborative Career Conversations, Career Services Professionals and the US National Career Development Association).

What to Post?

How I find things to post is from having signed up to a few emailers that really interest me, through my tailored Google News feed, and in cross-pollinating posts between LinkedIn groups.

In other words, I have built up good information feeds in, so I can pass those things that really spark a response in me on to others. That might be things that please me, items that I feel are insightful, or things that appall or provoke me.

My news-feed emailers include Computerworld, TechRepublic, Fast Company, HBR Blog, FacultyFocus, Career FAQs, HR Daily, CERIC's ContactPoint, ILA Connector, my alumni organisations, and the professional organisations of many of the groups listed above. My feeds tend to keep me relatively fresh and up to date :-)

Questions

When I write post, I try to ask questions about what others in the group think. I am not just 'delivering accepted wisdom', but wanting to create a conversation with other members (you can also read an earlier post on this here).

I aim to be accepting of all points of view, and to ask people their reasons when I find myself at odds with their posts. That way I learn something too.

Bonus!



Sam