DISQUS

Specifically regarding the idea of doing CRM in LinkedIn, there is a huge design/philosophy issue that must be addressed. Here's a scenerio:

Right now, if I'm connected with you in LinkedIn, and YOU disconnect from me, I lose everything about our relationship.

I'm assuming (I have asked LinkedIn but they haven't answered - it's great to see Mario respond here but hell, why won't he respond to anyone else?????) that if I have put in "notes" and some of the other CRM-like fields, they would also dissappear.

What salesperson would ever let a prospect or customer delete themselves from the CRM? That is craziness.

Technology-wise it's simple.

But LinkedIn needs to figure out what it will do with regard to "privacy," etc.

If LinkedIn allows YOU to delete any metadata I put in (once you disconnect from me), that is a huge, huge problem.

I strongly encourage people to get a CRM to complement their LI user experience. You know my choice of CRM... I'd love to see LinkedIn open up some simple, non-intrusive APIs to allow interfacing between their system and CRM systems. Hopefully that's coming soon.

Ben, great post - you linked to one of my favorite posts :)

--
Jason Alba
:: JibberJobber.com - organize your Job Search
:: "LinkedIn for Job Seekers" DVD (not just for job seekers)
:: http://www.ImOnLinkedInNowWhat.com/dvd
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I still read ya (on Connectblogs.com) :p Sounds like a BLAST!!

Awesome post and resources - thanks for including me (#13, #36)!

lol. It never does last.

Robert Merrill calls blogging a heroin drip.

drip. drip. drip. You came back for more ;)

Brilliant - refreshingly new :)

Jason Alba
CEO - JibberJobber.com
Author - I'm on LinkedIn -- Now What???

Dan, great post and great ideas. Building on the other comments, and your response about this being a "process," I think it's critical that you think about how personal branding fits into how you manage your own career.

Some of the stuff you need to do is one-time (like setting up a profile on a social site), but other stuff should be part of a schedule... like, give recommendations on LinkedIn once a week or once a month, comment on blogs once a week or once a month, etc.

Also, regarding the database, you know my site is a personal CRM used to manage career relationships... I can't emphasize how important it is to start collecting and organizing your network contacts now, before you need them (as you mention). When you get laid off, or get in transition, you'll have so many other worries and concerns that trying to figure out who is "in your network" will be a sloppy exercise.

Is this stuff hard, and does it take time? Whether it is or not, it's seriously time to take charge of your own career path, and networking and your personal brand are key.

Jason Alba
CEO - JibberJobber.com
Author - I'm on LinkedIn -- Now What???

Thanks for the link to my unruly spreadsheet... I designed JibberJobber.com to do exactly what you are talking about. I think we launched about a year before Highrise launched, if I remember correctly.

- jason

<abbr>Jason Alba´s last blog post..I Used JibberJobber In A Cool Way!</abbr>

Maybe I'm just short-sighted but I can't imagine resumes really dying. Perhaps there are some hip and cool HR and recruiters out there who are more visionary, but for every one of them I'm guessing there are 1,000 (or more) who just love that resume.

I remember my first real job offer, after going through a comprensive interview process, getting a nice offer, etc. and they said "oh yeah, one more thing, could you please fill out this employment applications?"

HUH?

Old habits die hard... and the resume is so universal I can't imagine it's going to die.

Then again, no vision :p

Jason Alba
CEO - JibberJobber.com

Great post... thought-provoking. I think this line says it best:

>> But ultimately, I think that the real winner is you.

There is a big IF after this line, about the quality of your posts, but it's true... the CNN and MSNBC and celebrity people might have huge followings, and entertain and inform, but Twitter gives a voice to the nobodies out there, and allow them to become somebodies...

@jasonalba

Daniel, thanks for sharing my income security post with your readers :)

Great post Chris, I totally agree with you on all points (how to get recommendations (not asking, although it's okay to ask), what to write, etc.

I wrote about LinkedIn Recommendations on my JibberJobber blog.

Jason Alba
Author -I'm on LinkedIn -- Now What???
(second edition coming out ... this month!)

Thanks for the ping - I haven't played with this yet, just heard about it from my contacts :)

I'll play around, but it seems like this would be a terrific feature for LI users, as long as it doesn't get too spammy, which is what I am getting from my FB "friends."

Jason Alba
CEO - JibberJobber.com
Author - I'm on LinkedIn -- Now What???
<abbr></abbr><abbr>Jason Albas last blog post..Avoiding a Layoff - Great Tip to Avoid a Job Search</abbr>

Bob, interesting comment. I find that people can get passive value out of LinkedIn (by having a strong profile and growing their network (not like crazy, but calculated growth), or active value out of LinkedIn by participating in Answers, Group discussions (relatively new), and actively reaching out to their contacts. I'm guessing you are on the more passive side?

Jason Alba
Author - I'm on LinkedIn -- Now What???

I wonder if this is even slightly effective since their brand is so, so, so strong? I mean, if Chris Brogan blogs about a no-name, or a hidden treasure, that's one thing. But blogging about Pepsi... what's the real value?

I'm not smart enough to know, but I'd guess it just isn't going to affect sales, or branding, or anything.

And, I still like Coke better ;)

Jason Alba
CEO - JibberJobber

Hey Chris, nice paper. One thing you don't mention, which changed the trajectory of my personal, professional and business brand in a HUGE way, was to publish my first book.

I had been blogging, commenting, etc. This hit a certain demographic, namely, those who get online, read blogs, read comments and follow links, etc.

But it wasn't until I had my first book published that things changed significantly. Interview opportunities from much different periodicals came in. When I speak, I'm not introduced as "CEO of" first, I'm introduced as "author of..."

I submit that many professionals (probably most who read your blog) have enough expertise in their field that they can write a book. It doesn't have to be a big college text book... but just becoming an author does wonders for your personal brand.

Jason Alba
CEO - JibberJobber.com
Author - I'm on LinkedIn -- Now What???
Coauthor - I'm on Facebook -- Now What???

Great post, great links!

Jason Alba
CEO - JibberJobber.com
Author - I'm on LinkedIn -- Now What

pretty awesome, it just proves there is a ton of room for social marketing consultants to help corporate folks get into this social world!

I was reading that wondering why you didn't make it a post on your own blog, it was pretty cool!

Great post Chris... the career environment is definitely different. I love the ability we have to create our own career brand and presence online. You ask for success stories, I'd like to share some that I've found.

Over a year ago I started looking for people who I thought were using online tools the right way to help them with their personal branding. I created a You Get It award, given out once a month. I found people who are using blogs, LinkedIn and other tools in a way that really helps a recruiter or hiring manager find them, and understand their breadth and depth, professionally.

You can see the past winners here: http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/archives/category/monthly-winner

"Jason Alba almost unseen" ... dude, that's how it always is, how come you always hide me in your pics? :p :p

This is a component of what I call a "blog marketing strategy," and it's been very effective for my business. In fact, this has been the most significant thing I've done to grow and strengthen my network since I started my business last year.

I do think that posting direct links to your blog, website, etc. is okay, however, and I encourage my readers to do it. I'll not do it on this comment, though, since I want this comment to get through :) :)

- Jason Alba
CEO - JibberJobber.com
Author - I'm on LinkedIn -- Now What???

Thom, this is one of the most important things to do in a blog marketing strategy - in fact, I think I spent about 4 hours a day doing it last year, and it has paid off with awesome relationships.

Jason Alba
CEO - JibberJobber.com
Author - I'm on LinkedIn -- Now What???

There is a difference between "I need a job right now, where are the tools" and "I am in career management mode." I agree that FB, LinkedIn and others are useful career tools, and of course they have their jobs aspects, they are still networking, which can take a while. Finding someone is one thing, getting an introduction to their contact is another, but developing a relationship to where people trust you and think about you for a position is entirely different... that's why we should all always be in career management mode.

I neglected my career while I was focusing on my job. So when I lost my job I had no resources, no network, 40,000 job boards to sift through, billions of how to articles... it was very, very frustrating.

I should mention, me resume was pretty beefy (I wasn't looking for a McJob). I have a CIS degree and an MBA, and past titles included CIO, VP, GM, etc.

Jason Alba
CEO - JibberJobber.com
:: managing career relationships ::

Sean, this is a very interesting space... I entered it last year after I had been laid off as GM of a software company, thought I would find a job quickly and easily, and found that the job search was totally different than what I thought it would be.

I found a gap between real tools that were available to me (many of the sites you mention here are just some of the 40,000+ job boards out there), and what career experts advised. I designed JibberJobber.com as an empowering tool to fill that gap.

Here's the thing, though. The job search is supposedly something that we do every three to five years... even if we don't change companies we'll change roles or titles. We ALWAYS need to do things like network, have a plan, have an elevator pitch, work on our personal brand, etc.

My site is a job search tool, but it's also a long-term career management tool - something to help you prepare for that next job transition. I encourage you to check out JibberJobber for addition to this list :)

Thanks for this list, it's interesting to see your perspective on what's hot.

Jason Alba
CEO - JibberJobber.com
:: self-serve career management ::