Randy S
Strategic Accounts Director | Sales, Marketing, & Social Media Advisor | Focusing on Account Management, BD, and ROI
Are you a believer in Linkedin Groups?
Please share your thoughts on Linkedin Groups, are they a benefit?
Why or Why not?
~Randy Schrum
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Good Answers (1)
Sean N
★ Showing businesses how to leverage Social Media to Build Communities and Monetize their Business ★
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Randy,
I could write pages of info of why groups are powerful but I'll keep it short by focusing one one aspect of the power of groups.
That one aspect is "Reach".
I have about 2,300 people in my direct network. This is a collection of people around the world that may or may not have relevance to me. From a "Reach" perspective I can communicate with these 2,300 people in several ways.
In the groups I belong to there are over 600,000 people. From a reach perspective I can communicate with these 600,000+ people in several ways.
Based on "Reach" I would say that my group network is significantly more powerful than my Direct Network. I cover this and other benefits of groups at the Social Media Sonar blog and in my book LinkedIn Marketing Secret Formula.
Warm Regards,
Sean
Links:
More Answers (60)
Heidi T
Independent Computer Networking Professional
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I like the groups. Like minded people can get together, post articles, ask questions, and have discussions.
LinkedIn Groups are a huge benefit. My network would not have grown nearly a quickly if not for the open networking groups. Additionally, the more specialized groups are helpful for people trying to connect in a more focused way. Then there is also those who are just trying to stay up to date with their industry. Not to mention the job groups.
I LOVE LinkedIn groups, not just for their face value power, with great discussion, but for the ability to share relevant news items and share with whatever group I choose is most relevant, and then it appears as a LinkedIn status update - better yet, I do it all from my blackberry - groups is great for someone on the go like myself, who can get involved in discussion and "recommend reading" status updates!
I can also open my network to all of the group's subscribers.
And one step further, join the groups that the people I really want to meet are a part of. What better way to get involved in the conversation??
Rajat M
Country Manager :DSO,Hewlett Packard Sales India Pvt. Limited
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Hi Randy,
Groups is equivalent to Social clubs in real world. Now benefits and use of group depends largely on Owner/Moderator and the member themselves . So you will find some group buzzing with discussion and hence giving lot of Information however others would be created just for sake of creating and dead .
Secondly Group can only benefit as long as member is active member. Most of the people end up joining group and then never visiting the Group page or interacting with member.
The benefit only comes to self motivated here :OP.
Regards
Brian C
Training people to speak English (Fortaleza, Brazil)
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I'm very much a fan of groups and try to include a few which are not work-related. In my opinion, group discussions and Q&A are the most attractive features of LI.
Paul R
Sales & Marketing Strategy consultant and Channel Specialist; Bowen Island's Wine Guy
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I like the Groups, however the amount of spam (or near spam) postings seems to be increasing all the time so the signal to noise ratio is declining. Some owners can be a little too lax about moderation.
As has been observed, a tiny minority of members generally participate in a meaningful way. But that has ever been the same going back to usenet and CompuServe.
Andrew K
Manager of Optimization at Groupon
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I think LinkedIn groups can add tremendous value to anyone that joins and participates in them. However, I am with Paul on this one in saying that there has been a tremendous increase in spam and has subsequently turned me off from some groups simple because it seems as if a majority of the messages tend to be either promotional in nature or just plain silly.
If the group is moderated well and true conversations and ideas are shared then they are invaluable.
I really love the groups when they are used the way they are intended. I started a Linkedin group for my company because I was SO sick of all the spam and job adds in the discussion areas of oil and gas groups and so far so good
Linkedin Groups are great for finding like minded people in ones field of work. We share resources, analyse problems togather and most of all we network with important people in the industry, globally.
I have had many benefis from using Linkedin groups and hope more options can be added in the future.
Linkedin Groups have served me as social club of like minded people.I have joined several that serves my interests of meeting professionals globally.I have benefited from the valuable discussions and news posted from all over the world from time to time.I have been able to expand my network of friends through the groups.
As noted there has been a lot of inappropriate postings in some of the groups.This behavior is a turn off to members who are genuinely interested in meeting and sharing valuable info with other people.
Leonid L
Software Engineer at Linedata Services
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Dude!
Sahar A
Out/Inbound Marketing Consultant/ Cultural Diversity Coach/ Speaker- Motivational Speaker
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Randy:
I can say I do and I don't
I like the idea to be together with people of the same interests, expertise and experiences to exchange ideas and learn new things and new techniques in the industry we are in
What I don't like is that discussions seem to be dead in there, you can hardly get anyone to share discussions or replies, when there is exchange sometimes it is really harsh. Also the group managers sometimes act as if they owned LI
My 2 cents
Sahar Andrade
Yes, they are (and have been) of great benefit to me, from both identifying
potential new business opportunities and also finding people who have
similar interests and skills.
And as others have said, I don't like the "spam" that seems to be growing,
although I have no idea how you'd cut it off.
As for why people don't participate more, it may be that they are still "shy"
about "speaking up" in public . . . So "just do it" and become less shy. ;^)
You get from anything what you put into it. Right? I've taken the time to 1) build my network here and 2) answer questions posed by members of my industry groups.
As a result of my activity here, I've received numerous phone calls from prospective clients, many of whom are now my current clients.
I've received expert interview calls from the Wall Street Journal Business and Personal Finance reporter, and was quoted in an article a few months ago.
I'm now a part owner of a start up social networking / freelance / business training company develop marketing strategies that will feature my copy writing and sales scripting advise to millions of new business owners.
I've crafted my profile to get the results I was targeting to recieve. So, yes... I'm a firm believer in LinkedIn Groups.
Remember, people are people, whether they are in front of you or behind their computer... and you need to speak to their needs/wants both in writing and over the phone or in person. If you don't know how to convince someone to do business with you, all the activity in the world will be wasted.
The inability to SELL, win someone over, persuade them, to negotiate and close a deal, is the #1 reason that 95% of all small business owners fail within 5 years. It doesn't really matter how good you are at your trade. What matters is how good you are at selling your product or service, recruiting clients and gaining referrals by serving those clients with care.
Learn to under-promise and over-deliver in a consultative sales process, and you'll always have a long lasting and increasing client base.
Links:
Clarification added 4 months ago:
oops... a few typos... we used to be able to edit these answers... anyway, you get the idea...
I am trying to participate more and more. I think once I do I will see more benefit. I think it is hard to find the "muse" of LinkedIn.
Links:
Brent B also suggests this expert on this topic:
IFTIKHAR M
Director, ZED CONCEPT Sourcing Pvt Ltd. - Sourcing Agency / Buyers Representatives - India. www.zedconcept.com
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Yes - I believe they are good for more interaction, some are like private clubs I could say, where you can actually relax with your online friends.
Some are meant to just shout and run - and probably hear an echo after a few months or maybe after things start getting better.
I am a member in some for the content, and in some for the visibility.
Rgds
Zia
www.zedconcept.com
Shankar B
Writer, Artist, Thinker, Musician, & Oddball Innovator
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Randy,
There are just too many groups for me to even look them through properly, so as to possibly pick one for myself.
And, it is nice to have some time to smell the flowers~;o)
Keep well ~ Shankar
Bob K
Highly experienced multilingual Risk and Insurance Specialist
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Yes, the groups are a great benefit, although there are too many similar groups, which would really benefit from consolidation.
Marc B
Comedy Hypnotism Shows, Hypnosis Training, & Hypnotherapy, Voice-Over Artist, Cantorial Soloist, House Concert Producer
Yes, Randy. I have met intriguing and extremely pleasant people in them.
The conversations have expanded my awareness and stimulated my thinking.
Too much spam, but I'm learning to discern the real posts from the sharks more quickly.
Ray C
Marketing Consultant at Shaping Business Ltd and Owner, Shaping Business Ltd
I like the concept of Groups on LinkedIn and the success of a particular group hinges firmly on the quality of content posted within the group. Unfortunately I would class some of the content as spam, as I have seen many items in my inbox that are nothing more than self-promoting messages with no real added value. If users can really focus on whether their posting adds value to the group then this could be a great facility.
John Z
Experienced Multimedia Communications and Customer Service Professional Seeking Immediate Employment
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I am involved in several groups to varying degrees. Several are related to broadcasting and one to an alumni group where I received my broadcast training. Others are more geographic in nature, and I am benefitting from meeting and getting to know professionals who are willing to discuss issues, solve common problems and help each other in various situations.
John Zadikian
http://www.voice123.com/johnzadikian
Yes---if the groups are relevant to my business/professional life or of a high interest in general terms. Becoming a member of a group opens up additional links by default. It also, just like this interaction, encourages people to interact and become a part of the online networking community.
Alison F
Senior Marketing Consultant - The Better Idea Inc.
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Groups are great in general. Some groups are totally plagued with SPAM though.
Get rich quick.
Hire me.
Blah blah blah.
Some people join multiple groups, then post links to their blogs in ALL their groups - masked as questions. And they continue to do so even when there are never any comments. Are they getting the hint yet that no one cares?
It seems to be a tough balance to find groups with great discussions, consistent activity and little SPAM.
I enjoy the groups and feel they are benefit. There's a ton of potential for networking and collaboration.
Alumni groups have also helped increase the size of my network quickly, and a larger network makes LinkedIn a more valuable tool.
However, some groups seem to be overrun with "discussions" that aren't really discussions (sales pitches, article and blog promotion, etc.). Not all groups are created equal, but I feel overall the ability to join LinkedIn groups has more benefits than negative effects.
Ross D
❶Founder of Top Recommended People | Seeking IT Management Role to Drive Business Growth w/Cost Effective Tech Soluti
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Hi Randy,
The group functionality of Linkedin is simply amazing!! It grows your ability to directly contact people from the whatever number of people that you have on your direct network, to an amazing number of people through your group connections!!
I have used this functionality well to connect to you and your groups Social Media Success and Success With Twitter, as well as Nathan Kievman (Nate) Linked Strategies, and Sean Nelson's EduLinktion, and his blog Socialmediasonar.com. We also share my group, Top Recommended People, and I thank you for your insightful posts!!
What more can anyone ask?
Thanks,
Ross
P.S. I loved Leonid Lastovkin's response, Dude!
Greg P
President ♦ Bluefin Productions Inc.
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At however many millions, LI is a large group. In the end, business gets conducted one on one. So, in order to get more face time and build a stringer relationship, groups are the answer. It allows me to be more personal and connect better with another individual.
Dave H
Business Development Manager(Distribution,Parcel&Postal) at Vanderlande Industries
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Great question- Absolutely ! I think Groups is a key differentiator for LI. with over 40M members, it breaks things down to relevance. Just wish there were a few more than 50. I'm always agonizing over which group I must leave in order to join another. Was a sad day when I had to leave Led Zepellin Fans-LOL
Seriously, the groups you join do provide others more insight about you. From a professional perspective, you can reach out to people that are industry specific.
Dave
I like Linked In as it gives fast track for professionals to get connected. Even i have created 7 groups related to my field. Not big response yet. But i have guarantee that groups will be successful soon and memebers will be benifited.
Thanks Linked In as well as Randy
Raghu
I am a big believer in LinkedIn Groups. LinkedIn groups are an excellent way to expand your networking tactics as well as develop added visibility to a large professional user basd.
