Just in case you’ve been living on another planet lately, there is a new trend rocking the world, social media.  It’s a new way to stay in touch and show everybody what is going on in your life.  I’m not a big fan of it because I think it is an invasion of privacy, a potential ID theft vehicle, and since it is highly addictive, it can be unsafe it you engineer a train, operate a school bus, or drive a car.  To me, not only texting, but talking on a cell phone should be illegal.  Bet I made lots of points with that statement.  But that is a different subject.

So I don’t use Facebook, Twitter, or the other social sites, but I am big on LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is a professional site that allows people to network, share ideas, express views, and look for jobs. It is not a social site.  In that context, I think it is fantastic.  But like with fire, it must be used properly, or you could get burned.

I think you have been exposed to enough articles, emails, and seminars to know what these sites are and how they work, so I won’t repeat that.  I do want to reinforce the idea that LinkedIn is a great way to share ideas and concepts, to ask for help, to communicate, and to voice your opinions on business related subjects.  The ability to network with potentially millions of people all over the world really makes this a powerful tool.  Now please understand that in the technology world, I am at the very bottom of the food chain, I know next to nothing about this area, it is not my expertise, so I am only talking from experience, but I have gotten business out of LinkedIn, and made numerous contacts. At first, I couldn’t understand how this site could benefit me, but the more I use it and the more contacts I make, the more I have the ability to access minds that know far more than I do.  And I can get help that I never could before.  Plus I can reach out to God knows how many people and communicate with them.  This idea of network leverage is real and useful.

You too can benefit from LinkedIn.  Besides the leveraged networking possibilities from joining it, there are groups that concentrate on specific areas, interests, and professions.  From that standpoint, I would suggest you not only join LinkedIn, but join the 2 groups that focus on our industry, CFP and FPA.  Once in Linkedin, go to the Group Directory and find them.  They require that you ask to join, then the group leader looks up your numbers and approves your membership.  Then you can blog away. 

I just wanted to bring your attention to LinkedIn and the 2 groups because I think they are useful for what we do.  They are not something magical or mystical, but are another useful tool to help us be better planners and do a better job for our clients.  The Realtors have really figured this out and use it as the communication technique of choice.  They are very effective and talented at using it.  I think we, as planners, can do the same.  Check it out.  www.linkedin.com.