LinkedIn is really about building your intellectual capital. Special thanks to Matt Homann’s blog, the [non]billable hour, for pointing out this video.
I have been pushing CPAs to start using Web 2.0 tools in order to become familiar with the everyday tools that the millennials are using (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter). LinkedIn is Facebook for professionals — a great place to start with social media and a tool you will be using right away.
The LinkedIn homepage says, “Over 25 million professionals use LinkedIn to exchange information,ideas and opportunities.” Like most Web 2.0 tools, you are rewarded for supplying more information about yourself. LinkedIn will begin to learn your network and constantly make Amazon-like recommendations of people it thinks you should know. It also has a way of identifying how many degrees people are separated or close to your group of contacts (think six degrees of separation).
And now for the intellectual capital part of my post. I have been re-reading Ron Baker’s latest book, Mind Over Matter. In it, he defines three types of intellectual capital — structural, human and social. Social capital is your network of customers, suppliers, friends, co-workers, partners, etc. He makes the case that this form of capital is often the most underutilized and developed source of competitive advantage for most organizations. I see LinkedIn and other social media as tools every professional should have in their toolkit.
After setting up your account in LinkedIn, send me an invite to join your network, then join our groups, “Maryland Association of CPAs” and “Business Learning Institute,” to build you “social capital.”
Check it out and let me know what you think.
More resources:
- Plaxo Pulse (Another good business networking site)
- Facebook — a great tool for recruiting and networking with college students
- MySpace — more for high school and college students, but a widely popular site for millennials
And by the way, check us out on YouTube at the following link.