Maximizing LinkedIn and Other Online Networks – Teleclass 9/22

By Scott Allen, on September 17th, 2008

If you’re reading this blog, odds are that you’re already somewhat familiar with LinkedIn and other social networking sites. But what I constantly get asked, even from people who have been participating in these sites for a while, is, “How do I use these to generate real business?”

It’s easy enough to set up a profile, make a few connections, join a couple of groups, etc. — the basic mechanics. But actually finding customers, business partners, media opportunities, employees and so on via online networking is as much art as science. It’s not a mechanical activity — you’re still dealing with real people with real feelings, and good virtual interpersonal skills can mean the difference between fantastic success and frustration.

Next Monday, September 22, at 12:00 pm EST, (9 am PST, 10 am MST, 11 am Central, 5 pm London, 6 pm Cairo, 8 pm Dubai, 11 pm Bangkok), I’ll be doing a teleclass with networking expert Diane Darling, author of The Networking Survival Guide and Networking for Career Success, entitled “Maximizing LinkedIn and Other Online Networks”. During the call, Diane and I will discuss:

How to best use social networking sites – e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Meetup
How NOT to use them
Ways to make your invitation stand out
What if I get asked to help someone I don’t know?
Why go online? I just call people
How do you get real business
Why an online presence is important
Mistakes that are easily avoidable
Ways to expand your network without compromising friendships
Best ways to give referrals
How to tactfully reject people
Due diligence to do before forwarding a request

This isn’t a how-to on the basic mechanics of using these sites — this is focused on the hard part: the “soft skills” that will actually make you productive, not just busy.

The cost of the class is $20 for the first 10 people that sign up through this link ($25 after that). [NOTE: Sorry for the previous problems -- link is fixed and we've kept the price at $20, even though there will be over 100 on the call.] A recording will be available for your review, or for those who can’t attend at the scheduled time.

By the way, for a valuable online networking lesson, watch The Virtual Handshake blog later today for the story of how Diane and I ended up doing this class together.