|
|  |
|
|
|
| |
| Aug 24, 2005 9:44 pm |
|
re: re: Ryze vs. LinkedIn |
Scott Allen
| |
Randy nailed it (no pun intended):
"One is a hammer and the other a screwdriver."
LinkedIn wasn't designed for "super-networkers" who want to connect with anybody and everybody. It was designed for "everybody else" -- busy professionals who may not have time for "networking" activities, but would still like to be able to leverage their "network".
Whether you "network" or not, you HAVE a "network" consisting of your former coworkers, schoolmates, friends and family. LinkedIn is designed to help you leverage those relationships when you need to.
Now, some people have found that you can also use it pretty well to grow your network of strangers -- not because it's really designed for it, but because it was designed for the first use, which attracted more people than sites like Ryze and Ecademy.
The problem arises in that people using it for the second application reduce the value of it for people trying to use it for the first application. I may only use LinkedIn for my strong(er) ties, but the people I connect with may not, so I can no longer rely on the idea that my immediate connections can provide me good introductions to their connections, or those people to the third degree beyond that.
It's kind of like razors. A razor can shave a man's face, or a woman's legs and underarms. Guys - have you ever tried to use a razor to shave your face after a woman's used it for something else a few times? It'll still work, but not nearly as well.
What LinkedIn is talking about doing is adding a field for relationship strength, so that you could have both strong and weak ties in the system. This would allow you to determine, for example, which of your connections might provide the best introduction path to the person you want to reach.
LinkedIn wants to accommodate both styles of users (and those who fall somewhere in between). They estimate, though, that the "active networker" users make up less than 10% of their user base. So if you go to LinkedIn and wonder why people aren't "networking", it's because they're not using it as a tool for that. They're using it as a tool to better leverage the strong relationships they've developed during the normal course of their lives.
- Scott -
Private Reply to Scott Allen (new win) |
|
| |
|
