nwillis's picture Submitted by nwillis on
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Career Management

I've just started to make use of platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter etc so that I can develop a sustainable online presence as an IT Professional, but I suspect I am going to be overusing it soon. At the moment I keep logged into these two and others so I can 'check them out' during the day to connect, follow and post etc throughout the day. I suspect that this is not the best way to do this.

Can anyone suggest a better strategy that is not time-consuming but still allows me to participate in discussions in a timely manner?

gdc2579's picture
Submitted by gdc2579 on Sunday February 4th, 2018 2:52 pm

nwillis - 

This is such a great question and one I've been asking myself. Like you have probably done, I searched for suggestions and articles about this topic. There are plenty. Socialsprout offers 15 Tips to Build a Social Media Presence and The Must-Have Social Media Content Strategy for 2018. Forbes suggests 15 Social Media Management Tools That Can Help Your Business Thrive. 

These articles are generally helpful. They offer the basic advice on identifying goals, choosing your audience, selecting platforms, being authentic and automating - they are more geared toward branding your business than developing an individual profile. 

What I did not find was the high-quality and actionable information that I've come to love from Manager-Tools. But then, I'd forgotten to check for that! When I did, here is what I found. 

Getting Started With LinkedIn - Part 1

Getting Started With LinkedIn - Part 2

LinkedIn For Managers - Part 1 

LinkedIn For Managers - Part 2

The Social Media Cast - Part 1 (Hall Of Fame Guidance)

The Social Media Cast - Part 2 (Hall Of Fame Guidance)

Work, Family And Social Media

Hopefully these links will point you (us) in the right direction. I know I plan to revisit them!

My only advice is this:

- Think about why you are building this presence, who you want to reach, and how you want to present yourself before spending a lot of time and energy on things you will have to change, once you are better informed on the subject. 

- Avoid the temptation to overdo to. Start small, with things you can maintain, and then build out. It's better to be represented well in a few places than represented poorly in many.

I hope this help! 

GaryC

PS: Any advise is my own, gleaned from 18 years in leadership, shaped 10+ years of MT podcasts, but in no way intend to represent MT or their specific views on a topic.

nwillis's picture
Submitted by nwillis on Monday February 5th, 2018 3:13 am

Hi Gary.

Thank you so much for pointing out those articles to me, I'll certainly give them a read this morning. It is the greatest pleasure to find new articles that I have not seen before. Thank you also for reminding me of the two LinkedIn for managers podcasts, I must admit I usually stick with the CT podcasts. I will also remember to try the full power of Google in future.

Your own advice is very sound so thank you for that as well.

As a newbie, my biggest problem is knowing good advice from not so good. For example, there appears to be to schools of thought on making Linkedin connections. Some say be like a Lion (TM), I have seen some on LI and others say making your connections purposefully is best. Despite the overemphasis on quantity, I tend to go for the latter.

 

Thanks once again