What Starting A LinkedIn Group Has Taught Me About My Own Behavior

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A few moths ago, I became born again LinkedIn. Why it took me so long, all the while knowing that this is where I belong, remains a mystery. Call it plain stupid. Part of this may be explained by my 3.5 year journey of exploring as many social networking options as was humanly possible. This included spending an inordinate amount of time trying to get myself to actually like Facebook. Well, I still hate Facebook but, that’s another story:)

As a part of my LinkedIn rebirth, I made the decision to create a new group on the platform. I am already a member of a number of groups but, this would be mine and it would be “special”. My goal remains to create an active and engaged forum for local B2B sales and marketing professionals to share ideas and best practices. In creating the group, I meticulously outlined the group rules and goals and handpicked and sent probably about 100 invitations gleaned from my existing connections. The response was surprisingly good and, in the beginning, I was regularly seeing new requests to join. Sweet!

We also have some folks who are very good at contributing consistent and valuable information that prompts stimulating discussions. Yet, things seem to be heading in the wrong direction. Why? The evaluation of this question has taught me a lot about my own behavior on networking sites. What I now see in others are the same behaviors that I should have recognized in myself. It was just never this close and I never realized that I was not looking through a glass window but rather, I’ve been staring at a mirror. Here’s what I am seeing …

  • Some who had been regular contributors seem to have disappeared.
  • The levels of discussion, commenting, seems to have dropped off.
  • Probably 5% of our membership is active. The other 95% have never said a word. They are just there.
  • New requests to join have significantly diminished.

Why are we seeing this? Probably for the same reasons that I have been known to demonstrate exactly the same behaviors …

  • Some folks like the idea of belonging to a group but are either not inclined or are afraid to actually participate.
  • The group badge looks good on your LinkedIn profile.
  • Maybe you really don’t have anything to say?
  • You visit a group and decide quickly whether it is active or not and then choose to stay or not to come back. It has not held your interest.
  • Creating and participating in discussions requires time and some do not have that time to give.
  • Sending out a tweet or posting an innocuous comment on Facebook is a lot quicker and easier!
  • There are so many other options out there that it is difficult to focus on any single one or two.
  • If we have not yet reached social networking fatigue, we are rapidly approaching it.

And, there you have it. I am a member of maybe 15 groups on LinkedIn and I rarely visit more than 2-3 of those let alone contribute to any of those 12 or 13 orphans. Like LinkedIn groups, I have a tendency to at least explore any social networking site that seems to hold any promise, I’l set up a profile, take a quick look, and then move on to the next. I am constantly kicking myself in the butt and telling myself to stick to the big 3.5 (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+). Google+ only gets .5 as I am not yet convinced that it will be a long term player. On the other hand, it may be a niche area that could yet prove to be very valuable to me. Still, I can not afford to spend the time on and in areas that don’t generate a return to me on that investment. Yet, like the sirens of Greek mythologies, these new sites sing my name and draw me to their shores. I think I’m gonna’ get me some ear plugs!

Like all things in life, my social business strategies are always a work in progress. Once again, it is time for me to refocus. There are rewards for those who actively contribute vs. those who merely sit by and just watch. One is highly visible in an otherwise crowded medium. The other is not. Which would you rather be?

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Craig M. Jamieson

Craig M. Jamieson

Managing Member at Adaptive Business Services
Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional. We are a Nimble CRM Solution Partner. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in social selling and communication skills. Craig is also the author of "The Small Business' Guide to Social CRM", now available on Amazon!
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