Social Networking!

Wow, here are some fascinating new statistics about social networking:

• 96% of Gen-Xers have joined a social network
• Social media has overtaken porn as the #1 activity on the web
• It took radio 38 years, tv 13 years, the internet 4 years, and Facebook 9 months to reach 50 million users

Sounds like this phenomenon is becoming quite important in our "communication & connection" circles. My favorite social networking site is LinkedIn because it's all about business and ditto for me. Here are the primary objectives in maintaining a LinkedIn networking account:

• Control your professional identity online
• Stay connected to contacts and your industry
• Find the people and knowledge you need to achieve your professional goals (such as landing that fabulous new job or getting to know someone outside your local area and inside your industry)

Interestingly, as contrasted against Twitter, LinkedIn is NOT:

• An unending diary stream (i.e. "what I'm doing" every 3-5 minutes)
• Spam (no unsolicited and unwanted promotions from total strangers every 5 minutes)
• Pictorial ruination (no photos of last weekend's kegger and associated antics)

I would encourage anyone who either has a business or has a presence in the business world to open a LinkedIn account. It has amazing functionality that allows you to search for jobs, connect to people, research companies, connect to folks in those companies, and communicate with others to build your knowledge base and credibility in your chosen profession.

If you'd like to receive a document from me that outlines specific instructions for opening a LinkedIn account and how to work the basics, please post or send me your email address (to cleavitt@infowest.com) and I'll send it out to you. Good luck with your social networking!

-Carol

Welcome to LeaderSpeak!

Hello and welcome to all individuals who are leaders in their work, their community, their lives! Thank you for your interest in this subject and this blog. We offer leadership tips & tools and discussion of key leadership issues that can help you amplify your work and life success.

We welcome all dialogue -- your comments, ideas, feedback, and debate. We invite you to be an active participant in this blog by sharing your thoughts and experiences as a leader. Let's all learn from each other and spread the good news about being a leader - about the insight, power, and fulfillment that it brings.

Since one of the best ways to amplify your leadership is to clearly recognize the many ways in which you are one, I'll throw out this question to get the conversation started:

IN WHAT WAYS ARE YOU A LEADER?

I'll look forward to discovering your answers right here!

-Carol Leavitt