Why Your LinkedIn Updates Matter More Than You Know
It's one thing to gripe on Twitter. People expect it. If it's a customer service issue and you're lucky - the right person from Company X will see it, work to resolve your issue, and you can move on. It's a common occurrence these days as some companies are offering better customer service on Twitter than they are over the phone and in person. But that's a post for a different day.
Back to the griping.
Because Twitter is so fast-paced chances are, the majority of your followers won't even see the gripes if they are few and far between. You are in no way classified as a common complainer and can easily go back to your normal way of tweeting. No harm, no foul.
But when you post the same kind of content as an update on LinkedIn, it attaches to your profile page and is visible to anyone who happens to view your profile. Now remember, this is a professional network. What you want to appear in that space is something that reflects positively on you or your business. (I recently posted link to a video highlighting some of the work Capstrat's social media team has done on Facebook.)
What you don't want is something that casts you in a bad light or leaves a bad impression on someone who may be interested in working with or for you, hiring you, or gleaning a bit of information from your profile to make some other decision about you.
I came across a LinkedIn profile today that had an update filled with Time-Warner bashing. And you know what? I wasn't phased by the bashing at all even though there's a great chance that all of his claims are true. I was more concerned about the person who was willing to sacrifice their own image on a professional social network, just to blast Time Warner. In my opinion, that is a major mistake. This person may be the best of the best in their field, but after reading that rant about Time Warner, which shows just below his name and current position, I wanted to get as far away from him as possible.
Now what if I wanted to hire him or contact him about an opportunity? I am now questioning his professionalism and quite honestly have lost interest.
You've heard it before, but with social media, you have to be smart. You can't post everything that crosses your mind. Be selective about what and where you post. And when it comes to LinkedIn, keep it professional.
Save your gripes for Twitter, where they belong.
Comments
Over the weekend, I saw someone with the same profile photo on LinkedInthat they used on dating site. I did a double take. Is your professional photo also appropriate for meeting the person of your dreams, or vice-versa?
And I'd caution about griping on Twitter. Just ask Chrysler what happened to them.
You're right Jay. The point is, be smart wherever you are.
I couldn't agree more, Angela.
Your post also highlights the danger of the autofeed feature from Twitter to LinkedIn. That makes it all too easy to wind-up in the situation you describe. Too many folks jump at the opportunity to broadcast messages across all social networks rather than narrowcasting the messages appropriate for specific networks.
Hi Mike:
EXACTLY!! Linking accounts with no real thinking behind it is a real mistake. I like what you wrote about "narrowcasting" and focusing on specific networks.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Good article, all right, but there are plenty of nuances that have to solve on the fly, and constant self-control not to go too far, especially in emotionally
I was kind of thinking the same thing. I don't bother with tweeting anymore anyways.
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