How can LinkedIn Groups managers best work with each other and LinkedIn?
As a manager of a group on LinkedIn, how would you like to learn from and share experiences with other group managers? What should all group owners know? Would you like to help other group owners? How can the LinkedIn team work best with you?
Answers (29)
Brett S
Information Technology and Business Consultant
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I'd like to be able to easily send a message to all group members (ie from the 'manage' group area).
Brett
1) GO needs to understand the members' background and requirements better and so its legitimate for GO to send invite to member. So don't count member's IDK against GO's IDK statistics for restricting the account.
2) Display summary data like group website, group owner, member count on the group list page
3) Most important - Bring back withdrawn and removed members lists back
Communicate clearly with all group managers about the current changes to the group management interface and the resulting bugs. You are currently getting a lot of bad publicity on various blogs and consumer sites (i.e. http://gsfn.us/t/kd3) and the current lack of clear communication from LinkedIn is worrying a lot of group managers.
Andrea Z
On/Offline Reader, Writer and Research Wrangler
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I second Noami's suggestion. The group management tools took a nose dive with your latest updates; you should have no problem sending a message to all group managers about the changes (what they are and why they were put in place).
You need some transparency on these changes, as well as a means to provide feedback. Apparently customer service is broken; I've been trying for several days to send a message and I get a bizarre error message each time. Seems like you might want to fix that problem too.
I've been a huge promoter of LinkedIn's usefullness to my friends, colleagues, and charities -- and I'm on the verge of a really pissed off blog post because of the problems that are cropping up.
Hi Ben,
In terms of a way forward I would suggest using Q&A to let Group Managers (and users in general) know of impending/suggested changes to the system, that way you can give people a chance to respond and it won't be a surprise when functionality is lost or added. Groups can add value to Linkedin, especially ones linked to outside organisations as it encourages new members to join so it would be good if we can have the functionality to run those groups - it doesn't need to be bells and whistles - I was quite happy with how it was before and can't really see a benefit from the changes.
Group managers seem to use this forum already to help each other out which i think is adequate.
Rather obvious answer I know but I hope that helps.
David D
Client Liaison;Relationship Builder;Trainer. No-Spam LION Golden-LIONs™ - Open Networking Elite; KIVA & BOINC Suppor
In general, improve LinkedIn's communication about software changes, restrictions or bugs - perhaps a link from everyone's home page. Specifically for Group Managers there should be a short notice (news item) and link on their Manage Page about any ongoing issues. This problem had no warning with the only info available through outside forums!
John J S
Research Manager at BrainworksInc.
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Ben,
I would like to see an answers section dedicated to Group Manager issues.
John
Hi - I think that the new, compact listing format is initially more informative, so thanks for that.
I would like you to bring back, though, the 'declined' list. We need somewhere to "park" an applicant while we check on them or have a correspondence. In the past I could reject them and then reinstate them with ease. Now I have to ask them to reapply or have a messy 'waiting list' with a pile of people who have mixed status.
I would also like the return of sortable column headings. Please.
In terms of new features I would really, really, really like to have job title'company visible, searchable and PLEASE in the export. This is VITAL where one has a mixed list of, say, suppliers and customers. Right now the list export is so basic as to be verging on the useless.
Seconly, I'd LOVE to be able to add notes to contacts and group members. How/where I met them, their preferences, my promised next actions - whatever.
In terms of mailing people I am not interested in LinkedIn being my mailing house and so - over and above the easy 'mail this member' - I don't see that turning LI into a mailing list house is beneficial. I think it'll put off lots of members not only from groups but from using LI at all. Where groups are that large there are many third party mailing options available - but they all need better info that name + email address. Job title and company are vital.
Cheers ikj
Is the following which I read at http://gsfn.us/t/kd3 TRUE ?
Dear --,
Thank you for contacting LinkedIn Customer Support. We will be putting into place a messaging system soon that will allow you to communicate with the group members. The email addresses will no longer be visible for the group members.
Links:
I think if you started a group for LinkedIn Group Leaders which would keep us up-to-date on changes/enhancements, provide us with suggestions on how to better communicate with our members, recommendation to enhance the LinkedIn Expereince would be great.
Since the creation of the searchable directory many have learned that there are similar groups serving the same purpose. Maybe those groups could look at combining with the small groups merging with the larger ones.........................just my $0.02
Keith B
CIO at Quick Quote US
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Damn site ate my answer, argh!
1) Stability and openness. Please let us know in advance when you will make such major UI changes. And what is the problem lately with the servers failing?
2) Maerging of smaller similar group sinto larger ones would be helpful, then you also have multipel admins.
3) 50 groups is kind of limiting, btu then if #2 happens probably not too bad.
4) Limits of 1,000 people is archaic.
5) Sorting of proposed members by date of their inquiring is very helpful to me, but lost in the new UI.
6) Make it easier to email or notify people in yoru group when you need to. It would help if I could search by zip or geography. Many people internationally and when I travel like to try to meet them, right now not an easy way to do this.
7) Stop banning us from sending invitations when we have sent them to people in our own group.
8) Members of a group should by defauly be linked tot he owner or at least havethe choice on their own if they want to do so, if the owner has that setting enabled.
9) Exporting of data is key, especially since Linkedin does nothing to promote any social connecitons. We have an external yahoogroups for our group because its the only way to interact with everyone.
10) Would be interested in what other group s have tried or done to interact with memebrs.
can't remember the rest.
Vadim D
Recruitment & Selection *LION* 3600+ Vadim.Linkedin@gmail.com
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I've seen it stated already, but I agree that it should be able to merge groups. There are several groups with the same target audience or similar goals. Now that the directory is searchable, you see several groups of the same type.
One of the groups I own apparently had 3 other "competitors". I contacted the owners of the 3 others and they all asked their members to join my group and I made those 3 other owners co-manager of my group. The 3 smaller groups are now deleted by their owners. So basically merging groups can be done already, bu it takes a lot of work contacting all you members to make the switch.
So if Linkedin could provide a feature which allows 2 group owners to merge their groups, then this would be made a lot easier and help bringing the number of groups back down.
Only way to do that would be a Group Managers Group. Everyone who has a group or starts a group automatically becomes its member, But we would still need a discussion forum or board to discuss maters, LI managment could also participate in it and stay informed of the latest devolopments. It would be hell of a group. I offer my services if needed.
Jim D
Multilingual websites consultant
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An obvious answer is a Group for Group managers, and a Answers section for Group managers -- in which the LI Group team participates!
If the Groups team wants an Answers section to be usable, though, it needs to do some gardening. I used to read the LinkedIn Answers section on Using LinkedIn regularly. I gave up, because too many of the questions were FAQs that LI support should have been answering. The questions were asked in part because the help pages were inadequate and didn't cover that question. I would have been more willing to post answers which pointed to an FAQ response, but the FAQ response didn't exist. I tried ignoring the FAQ's and focussing on the interesting infrequent questions, but the ratio was too extreme.
So I gave up.
An Answers section on Groups could be helpful, but only if a) LI Groups and Support staff actively participate, b) Support staff post web pages with FAQ responses, c) LI Groups and Support staff field the frequently-asked questions, so it doesn't all fall on the target audience of Group managers.
A Group of Group managers will probably only be helpful to the Groups team if there's a way to communicate: at least a way for leaders of the Group Managers Group (that would be you folks) to send messages to the group members, and better yet some kind of forum or mailing list. And funnily enough, trying to use the Groups mechanism would lead you right to one of the improvements to Groups that I see requested in the other thread.
Deborah F
Managing Director, Global Head of ETF Research and Implementation Strategy at Barclays Global Investors
An area that has tips on how to best communicate with our group etc would be helpful.
I run a University Alumni Group for Russia's leading technical university and majority of my group members are in North America.
What I need is the Monthly Report for my group on Activity / User Adoption level (# joined, # left, # direct requests between group members, # direct connections created) and it would be nice to benchmark it against my "Average Peer group".
I use this opportunity to answer "What key features I need to manage my LinkedIn group":
- Automated welcome message to newly joined members
- Discussion / Announcements / Events board
- Geographical & Industry profiling / grouping of the alumni group members
- Ability to notify all or selected group members (including Cyrillic font support).
Three times now that I have typed in a response, and there has been an error. My response is getting shorter and shorter each time:
- A LinkedIn Group for LinkedIn Managers
- A best practices area to see what's being done in an innovative way in other groups.
- Knowledge of any changes happening to the way the manager page is displayed so I know how I need to change the way I am authorizing people to join...
As others have already stated in one form or another, I would like to see:
1. Announcements in advance from LinkedIn to all group owners prior to major group management changes.
2. Some forum where GOs can ask questions and get answers when we run into new problems quickly. FAQs are great for well understood issues that newbies run into. I'm talking about when things get broken in a service update and all we have is FUD and no way to communicate the problems or get explanations in a timely manner.
That is it. I suppose a group for group managers with an associated discussion forum would be nice. To be honest, I don't have time to participate in yet another discussion forum. I would subscribe to it and have it filtered with a gmail label and search it when problems arise though. =)
Bruce S
Pres., E*S*Q unlimited--Marketing Strategy & Analytics
Best Answers in: Internet Marketing (1), Customer Relationship Management (1), Business Analytics (1)
Ben:
1) For future Groups software or platform changes:
(i) Going fwd LI, puleezz try to work out ahead of time the kind of bugs we experienced on 8/13 or 8/14.
(a) Facebook handled the release of its new interface this way for its 90 million users and had a much better and smoother change over. And it kept users in the loop about pending changes, and sought their feedback and bug testing before releasing the changes.
(ii) Puleeez provide a person group admins can contact to raise these kind of issues when they arise.
(a) Perhaps and Admin group where LI can keep us up to date on changes coming down the pike.
See also my comments to your other question at http://www.linkedin.com/answers/using-linkedIn/ULI/301974-4805251?split_page=3
Links:
I think if we could have stats about the geographical coverage repartition, that would be nice. I am as well interested in tools in oder to faciliate echange between members for better cooperation. Today I use ning, but any other tool will be welcomed.
Hi Ben,
A special site for groupmamangers (and groupmanagers only), with a forum which can be filled with changes and other things regarding the groups, and input from the groupmanagers.
Ivo
Gloria M
Solving LIMS problems at your company.
Best Answers in: Using LinkedIn (3), Job Search (1), Business Development (1), Career Management (1), Blogging (1)
I agree with the other group managers that this last set of changes hurt the image of the group usefullness and ease-of-use.
When the new feature to search the group directory came out, LinkedIn notified the group admins ahead of time. I actually sent an e-mail to all my group members to let them know they'd easily be able to look for other groups, this way.
LinkedIn could have done the same with the major changes they just made. If LinkedIn had notified us all in advance of what to expect and when to expect it, it would have been less traumatic.
It would be efficient to have a news page like a blog where LinkedIn people and group managers could send posts: we would have a summarize view on new functionnalities, new groups' introductions, ...
The same functionality (forum or blog) would also be interesting for group members, to get a summarized view on the news related to our group interests.
It would be very nice if we could cross market with complementary group managers to increase the effectiveness of our groups.
Ravi K
Sales and Marketing professional
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Hello Ben,
While everyone have a list of complaints and I am no different but let me take this oppurtunity to thank you and your team to bring up a brilliant platform on LI for the groups...I mean it takes lot of efforts to change a platform and take the majority welfare into the cause...Cheers to your team's onus on the same..
Some important yet wonderful things that can happen on groups could be:-
1. Yes a home page kind of dedication, like a small templated microsite, maybe with a limited blog function to have some discussion threads moderated.
2. The datafield downloads on CSV functions should have the data details as filled in my the members, so that we know what is the background of the memmbers to avoid spamming of the group.
3. The people who remove the groups should have a mandatory field to fill before they leave the group which can be sent to the moderator citing the reason why he or she is leaving the group, this could help the moderator/group owner to improve his group attachment and work he can support for the group.
4.Help group owners to maintain and explore their groups better with regular tips and group sharing on their emails with a common threads and thus reporting the most common ones..The product team however can deicide which suits the best for the welfare of the groups and communitties online.
5. Auto dialer kind of feature where the invitation option is given to the group owner or the members to connect with the each other without an IDK function so atleast within a group people can relate with each other.
6.Response function to the members and the group owner for initiating a discussion thread or send messages maybe limited in a week or month and maybe paid later or an upgradation..e.g 1 free message per week and 4 in a month more than 1 message per week should be charged for LI upgraded membership..
7. A different colour code or hue for group owners so that everyone who connects can check the profile and his or her groups...this will avoid some spamming as people will not just keep bragging about their groups as being the group owners...
Maybe a million things more if I were you..LOL....But great job Ben...it couldnt have been better mate :)
Keep walking and stay in touch
Regards
Ravi Kikan
Steve T
SaaS/Software Industry Business Consultant - Marketing, Products, Strategy, Alliances, Venture Capital - (925) 788-1092
There are a variety of answers to your question. If this were my assignment, I would:
- identify appropriate stakeholders and people willing to spend time on requirements with you who represent your most important constituents (I would be one of those, both as a product management professional and group manager for the 2,200+ member PeopleSoft Alumni Network).
- use the stakeholder community to identify the highest priority problems to address.
- use the community to identify the desired outcomes that would serve the most groups and address the highest priority problems.
- use the community to identify solutions to achieve the highest priority outcomes.
- create alpha and beta product forums where new functionality is discussed and evaluated against the solution criteria the group developed.
- create community forums for interaction across group managers in the community (although these tend to focus quickly on very detailed topics - trees rather than the forest).
- Let me know if you would like to discuss this further - I am a product management consultant.
Steve Tennant
Links:
Elizabeth A
Associate Director of Alumni Relations at the Caltech Alumni Association
Hi Ben,
Communicating consistently with the group managers about updates and changes to the site is critical, as is taking feedback from group managers and providing good customer service.
Individually, we as group managers become representatives of LinkedIn to thousands of group members. Keeping us informed about changes and new features makes it easier for us to communicate with our members about what LinkedIn can do for them. If we're in the dark, so are they.
Elizabeth
Chris M
Microsoft Dynamics Resource Manager - www.cimbax.com - Register as a client or associate today
Would it be possible for Linkedin to add a mini forum or mini blog to the groups?
I would suggest that the group managers who use this system if it were available would be responsible for ensuring the content was in line with the remit set down by Linkedin and that they could be removed if they did not keep a sufficiently safe forum. It is just that the groups I am in feel ever so slightly static - I know it is possible to link to a yahoo group or such, but I feel it would be better for us and in the long run Linkedin to offer this within the site.
Regards,
Chris
Hello ,
The last time we heard any news regarding your plans with the groups was on Thursday 8/21/08.
It would help significantly if there was a tighter line of communication between LinkedIn and group owners/managers.
Quite frankly other than that e-mail we don’t know what is going on. Perhaps you might have a message center, available to group owners/manager from the Manager Group menu/page. In the meantime send us weekly updates, so we can keep our members informed.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Regards.
Barnard Crespi
Marketing Executives Group / Owner
