So yesterday I attended the Small Business Summit in NYC, which is remarkable on two levels: 1) that I, a confirmed introvert and hater of crowds, would pay money to attend such a thing and 2) that I (who hate cold weather -- and man was it cold yesterday -- and have repeatedly been unable to make it into NYC because of last-minute car and health problems) actually made it. Proof, I guess, that miracles do occur.
Even more remarkable: I stayed for almost the whole thing -- and kind of enjoyed myself. I even got up in front of entire ballroom of people (sober!) and asked the VP of Marketing of Dells' SMB (for small and mid-sized businesses) Group a question -- and a good one at that! (How do I know? The VP, Karen Quintos, said "That's a really good question!" as did several people who came up to me afterwards. Want to know what the question was? You'll just have to ping me to find out. But it was so good that just about every speaker thereafter addressed it. Yeah, babies, I'm good.)
So, as anyone who has ever gone to one of these things knows, it's all about NETWORKING. You know, putting your best foot and a lot of business cards forward and hoping you score a new client or at least a lead (though I think some of the people there were looking to score a lot more than that). Yeah, I can do the smile, head tilt, shake hands, "And what do you do?" thing pretty well when I'm in "the zone." My problem with all of this, though, and the reason for the title of this post is, to borrow from Rhett Butler, Frankly, my dears, I don't really give a damn.
Speaker after speaker extolled the virtues of using social media and networking (both online and in person). You would think these people were getting kickbacks from Facebook and LinkedIn (and maybe they are). Speaker after speaker (and I am not exaggerating) said, "You need to have a Facebook page, a profile on LinkedIn, and a blog!" (Hey, two out of three isn't bad!) After the third or fourth person said this, I actually wrote in my notebook (Luddite that I still am), "Get Facebook page."
And then it happened. There I am, listening to yet another speaker natter on about Facebook and LinkedIn, as I am texting a buddy and wondering, as I often do, if anyone besides a mortgage broker or recruiter has ever actually made money or gotten a job or at least a solid lead from having a Facebook page or a LinkedIn profile, and this guy stands up and asks the question (which I am somewhat paraphrasing), "I have a profile on LinkedIn and a lot of contacts, but besides having a lot of names, what's the point?"
To this brilliant question, which I have been wanting to do an article on, titled "He Who Has the Most Contacts on LinkedIn Wins! (Wins what, though, nobody's sure.)," a VP of Marketing at some global internet marketing company responded first, "I'm probably the wrong person to ask. I think I have around 1500 contacts, which is probably too many, and don't really do anything with them" -- then quickly shifted course and said, "I know of thousands of success stories of people using LinkedIn!" Yet he couldn't name one.
You know what LinkedIn's great for? Showing off to a bunch of people you already know how many people you know and who you know (unless you are one of those people who totally defeat the purpose of LinkedIn by hiding your connections -- like we really care, please). Yes, I have a profile on LinkedIn, which I acquired when I was researching an article on online networking. And yes, I occasionally get and send invitations to "link in." Yes, I occasionally check out people's new connections (when I'm really bored). And yes, I direct prospective clients to my LinkedIn page so they can see recommendations of my work. And I know other people who do the same.
But besides giving people the ability to show off how self-important they are, does this "tool," LinkedIn, have any practical value? Go ahead. Prove me wrong. Btw, mortgage brokers and recruiters need not apply. I know you get leads on LinkedIn. I'm talking about the rest of us.
As to Facebook, I need to do a little more research on that one. Last time I checked, though, it was a way for 18 - 34-year-olds to show off how drunk they can get, how "cool" they are, how many "friends" they have, and find possible sex partners.
As I am older than the target demographic, definitely not cool (and don't care), have no friends any more (at least not after this post), have decided it's probably best to be monogamous (hi honey! love you!), and am not looking to market a product or service to the target demographic, I'm not sure Facebook is going to help me grow or promote my business (though I kind of like the idea of making zombies and throwing sheep at people, which you can do on Facebook apparently). Still, I might give it a shot. While I don't have any pictures of myself getting shit-faced, I do have some swimsuit shots that while not worthy of SI, could land me some new business. ; O
So what did I get out of yesterday's Small Business Summit?
1. I got to dress up and get out of the house. (Good and good.)
2. Probably a hundred or more people who, before the Summit, didn't know my name and what I do now do. (Possibly good, possibly creepy.)
3. I have a couple of business/job leads. (Again, possibly good.)
4. Had my ego stroked. (Always good.)
5. Learned about a few cool-sounding, possibly very useful websites. (Always good.)
And 6. Met Laurel Touby, the founder of Mediabistro (of which I am a member and which has proven to be a MUCH better investment than LinkedIn when it comes to generating leads and work), who I really liked and may do an article on -- and soon may be hosting a Mediabistro party here in Stepford. (EEK!)
All in all, not a bad day.
UPDATE: Since writing this post, I received an invitation to link up on LinkedIn from the gentleman I sat next to at lunch yesterday. For the record, I accepted.
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12 comments:
Facebook lets you THROW SHEEP AT PEOPLE? I now have to reconsider my aversion to it...
I'm on LinkedIn too (in fact, you may or may not be one of my contacts -- can't remember). But it has been pretty useless to me thus far. And to tell you the truth, I only joined due to peer pressure and feel kinda silly about participating even to that small extent in the whole "social networking" phenomenon.
Despite my endless supply of shitfaced pictures, I don't fit naturally into the social networking demographic, and participating feels as stilted and contrived as doing a sideways peace sign while saying "peace out" would feel. Is there anything more pathetic that a middle-aged woman (ME, not you) trying to be hip?
Well, yeah. But it is pathetic nonetheless. I'm glad to hear confirmation of my suspicion that it's practically useless as a business tool as well.
PS: What was the damned question?
i was in the city yesterday too, although, I share your comment on the freezing temps, it sounds like your day was a lot more fun than mine.
sounds like you are having FUN!
be well :-)
Thank you, Sherry. And yes, we are linked in -- and are of similar mind on the "whole social networking phenomenon." Peace out, babe. : )
As for Anonymous, thank you for asking. The question that I addressed to the VP of SMB Marketing at Dell, more or less (drum roll, please):
As a marketing expert who has interracted with a lot of small and mid-sized businesses over the years, what is one of the biggest yet most easily correctable mistakes you have seen/see SMBs make in terms of marketing and/or promoting their business?
(And yeah, I know it wasn't really brilliant, but I felt the answer could help a lot of people.)
Hi Jennifer,
I was at the Small Business Summit too and yes ,your question was very good. I am not sure you got the answer. Becky McCray ( a small business owner herself) asked this question on her blog http://www.smallbizsurvival.com/ a few months ago and got some good answers :http://www.smallbizsurvival.com/search?q=mistakes"
On the Linkedin and Facebook front, I am also on a quest for SMB success stories. I know a lot of HR people and people seeking Virtual Assistants have had great success through Linkedin. Forbes had a story on SMall businesses succeeding on Facebook http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/0128/062.html
Thank you so much for your comments, Shashi. I will check out the links you sent me.
Btw, I am now having a bit of an identity crisis, thanks to your post, and am wondering if I should have posted this diatribe(or a cleaned-up version) on my business blog. This blog, which is semi-anonymous, is where I rant and rave about non-business topics (in good fun, of course). But Linked In and Facebook were mentioned so many times yesterday, I just had to comment here.
As for Anonymous... You have definitely piqued my interest. Is there one of you or more? In any case, thanks for commenting on my blog. : )
As someone who is a scant two months closer to the target demographic than our hostess, I am pretty sure that these kind of sites are directed toward a younger crowd.
What strikes me most, though, is the two-part reaction of the Supernetwork Enthusiast:
1) I have [x bazillion] links!
2) [Often fails to come up with benefits thereof]
This seems to be a case of mistaking the tool for the actual work performed, which I see a lot in my job as a software designer. I always caution my clients that the application I am developing for them will help them do their job, but it will not do their job for them. That is a critical distinction that is overlooked rather often.
Excellent point, Dave S.! Though it is I who am a scant two months closer. ; ) Still, I believe both of us are probably too old to be throwing virtual sheep at our virtual friends.
Speaking of Facebook: One of the speakers who was evangelizing the site cautioned users not to use pictures of themselves doing things they might later regret or inappropriate nicknames such as "LuvBunny." Personally, I think LuvBunny is an excellent moniker --especially if one runs an escort or matchmaking service.
Jennifer,
You could still make a post on your business blog with a summary. I also saw the need to have 2 actually 3 different blogs (Technology, My thoughts on anything on this earth, Restaurant reviews) The blogs are in my profile :)
Shashi
J, you're right! Sorry about that. Good thing one never uses numbers or math functions in software development.
Shashi, you could have the same division of topics on a single blog using rigorous labeling of posts. That might be easier from a maintenance standpoint, and the reader might find useful information outside the boundary of the original purpose of visiting the blog ("While looking for a restaurant review I found an interesting thought about something"). It all depends, of course, on whether and/or how you want to compartmentalize the information. For example, if I were inclined to nickname myself "LuvBunny" (for the record, I am not), I would probably not post that on a blog related to my small business, unless of course the small business was related to love or bunnies or, um, both.
Hi, Jen.
As you know, I'm probably the last person to jump on an online networking bandwagon (heck, I'm still on Friendster!), but in my new position as a managing editor at a publishing developer, I've found LinkedIn to be pretty valuable in terms of not only finding writers/editors through common contacts, but also reminding me of who's out there whom I've worked with and what they're currently up to (i.e., are they working for someone else, are they freelancing, at liberty, etc.?). And when I find someone I think could fill a spot, I print out their resume and ask my editorial director what he thinks. From there, I can ask one or two common contacts what they think of the person, then decide whether to make the call.
So, all in all, I'd say LinkedIn is pretty darn useful. FWIW. :-)
One of the most universally DISLIKED people I know has more LinkedIn connections than anyone I've seen about 400). You can have "friends" in the cyber world, but it's a different story in the real world.
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