I am an an on-again off-again supporter of LinkedIn Answers and so I thought I would provide some ideas about using LinkedIn Answers.
LinkedIn Answers has a number of ways of being useful. It can be used to answer those questions that have been troubling you, it can be used to touch your network, and it can be used to let people know about you, thus expanding your network into specific areas.
I sometimes read questions, I sometimes answer questions, and I sometimes ask questions. I am neither consistent nor stable about my use of it. That reflects my feeling about the utility of the tool. But what I am consistent about, is that I totally astounded by the insight it provide about people, what they think, and how they approach problems. The answers range from real and insightful, to practical and useful, to amazingly shallow.
I have asked over a dozen questions and received hundreds of answers. I have answered a few questions and have received a Best Answer or two. I have read tons Based on the kinds of answers I have read, I have created a few suggestions that can help your maximize your time invested in LinkedIn Answers.
Realize The Size Of Your Network
Some people get that when you ask or answer a question, everybody else gets to read your answer or your question. And that there 10′s of 1000′s of people who read LinkedIn Answers. You can rapidly create a wonderful reputation for yourself, or make yourself look like a total fool. (I think I have achieved both)
My LinkedIn network is large and grows by roughly by 50,000 people a week, so I am constantly bombarded by LinkedIn questions on my LinkedIn account and from my e-mail. When I put out a question, I get several answers within minutes.
Its not just the people looking for stuff to waste time doing. The size of the network means its people who have just logged in after months away, its people whom you are friends with and its people who are customers or suppliers.
Even if you have a small number of direct connections, your network can still be huge. For example, if I am the only person you are connected to – your LinkedIn Question shows up on the desk of 650,000 people. If you answer one of my questions – that can be read by over 5,000,000 people.
Think About What You Are Trying To Achieve
To be effective and successful, you need to have specific goals. Once you have the goals, you can create a plan, adjust the plan or even throw out the plan. But the goals remain the same.
For LinkedIn Answers, each time you ask a question, its very important that you are clear on your goal. Is it obtaining the answer? Is it to to do look lead generation? Is it publicity for yourself?
Talk From Experience
Make sure when you answer a question, make sure you don’t look like a person with far too much time on their hands. Don’t answer a questions where you have no experience. Its suprising how intelligent and articulate people can seem to make sense. However, once somebody with real experience answers the question, the person with theory and no practice looks like a fool.
Anybody with intelligence and business experience can come up with theoritical solutions to business problems. Practical real world experience blows away the theory in two or three lines.
Think About Your Reputation
The larger the network the greater the noise in the Signal to Noise Ratio. In plain English – anybody with a decent size network gets lots and lots of questions asked. The noise are questions or answers that don’t add to the body of knowledge or could be answered with simple Google search.
Worse are the answers that the writer of the question clearly has stated they have tried already.
There are many that you cannot contribute to. There are some questions that are better not asked – or they need to asked in a manner that is useful and helpful to all readers.
Frequent or inappropriate questions or answers will mean that your reputation with your contacts will get trashed or ignored. That means your important questions or your other efforts in networking will get lost.
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Thanks, Zale, good food for thought.
I have been active in LinkedIn for only a month and have found more valuable connections than in another online network I’ve participated in for three years. I value the engagement with individuals one-on-one whom I’ve found on or iinvited through this massive network.
I consider the Questions and Answers to be a very helpful feature. I’ve asked only one question (in fact the question is still open) and am having interesting private exchanges with those who were gracious enough to respond. My intention was to seek a variety of perspectives and that is precisely what I’m getting.
Perhaps in future questions, I’ll be seeking definitive answers or seeking factual information. As you say, it is very important to be clear what I want to achieve through the question.
And, that’s how you and I connected… I responded to one of your questions.
Thanks,
Jeanie Marshall
Personal Development Consultant