This is a quick presentation on how to get the most out of social networking. A discussion of the concept of networks and networking, why to increase your search-ability (search engine optimization), and some ways to do that. Presented at the Mentorship Campaign event on 18 Oct 2017 for the US Army Human Resource Command. The notes pages of the slides have the discussion points. Slides are also available.

1. Digital Social
Networking
Networks
Platforms
Optimization
Connections
Profiles
Action
Michael Dasher
Continuous Process Improvement Program Manager
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2. This is you
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3. You know people
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4. Some of them know each other
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5. And they know other people you don’t know. And one of those people might have
something valuable for you – an opportunity, knowledge, whatever.
You probably know your network but might not know what it
does. It’s a set of mutually beneficial relationships but these
relationships are not based on quid pro quo
You have to contribute to them just as you expect them to
contribute to you, so be the bigger person
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6. Why Do You Network?
• I want to influence my community.Who will listen?
• I want a new job. Who will interview me or help me get an interview?
• I want to change my line of work. How do I get in?
• I want to improve my own quality of work.Who could help?
•I need to have a network ready for the future…
You have these conversations every day in the hall and at the
water cooler.
How is your reputation?
Does it show to people who don’t know you? Would they
contact you if they happened to have an opportunity?
What about people who need you but are not in your current
network? How do they find you?
What does networking get you in a job hunt?
Not an offer – you do that in your interview
Networking drives up your interview opportunities!
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7. Service
Networking
Community
Networking
Tag
Like
Share
Mention
Users
Content
445k
578k
82k
40k
Active Users
Daily Views
519 pieces of content created daily
Overview of milSuite (www.milsuite.mil) for US DoD personnel. Data comes from
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8. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-numbers-2017-statistics-meenakshi-chaudhary/
users share content weekly
Purchased in 2016 for by
recruiters use LinkedIn to
check on potential hires
B2B marketers leverage LinkedIn over
all other social platforms
Believe LinkedIn is a
credible source for
professional content.
earn more
than $75K
94%
92%
71%
44%
millions
Overview of LinkedIn. Most of this data comes from
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-numbers-2017-statistics-meenakshi-chaudhary/
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9. Search Engine Optimization on
• Connections
• Headline statement
• Summary
• Experience
• Skills
• Recommendations
• Images
Minimum 25 connections or linkedin thinks your fake and
pushes you down. Ideal connection size is min 50. After 50
quality beats quantity.
These are what show on search results. So if someone is looking
to recruit, or looking for a thought leader, you need to be a
second.
The results show people who you either know or are
connections of others that you know. This means that the wider
that you cast your social net, the more people you find that are
2 and 3 level and group connections to you.
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10. Connections
1st connections are people that you are connected with. In real life there’s probably
distinction here between people you KNOW and people you’re familiar or acquainted with.
On LinkedIn a 1st is created when two people “connect”.
2nds are people that are connected with your firsts, but are not connected to you.
3rds are all the other people on LinkedIn.
Why does that matter? A search function will push 1sts and 2nds as results up higher. So
the more firsts you have, the more seconds you’ll have access to on a search. On the flip
side, the more firsts you have, the more likely you’ll appear as a 1st or 2nd on someone
else’s search.
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11. Some people are nervous about asking people to connect.
LION - Linked In Open Networker. Will connect with anyone. You become a 2nd for all
their 20k connections, which makes you a 2nd with all their 20k and moves you up on
the SEO.
But remember, quality matters. Connecting for the sake of connecting won’t get you the
search results that are right for you. You have to know yourself (your skills, your industry,
your relevance in these things).
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12. People around here tend to only want to connect with their current 1sts. What do you
get out of that? These are people you already see at the water cooler. Refusing to
connect with someone you’ve never met doesn’t really make sense to me. If you have
that level of inhibition you probably won’t get much out of LinkedIn. However, there are
likely people that you shouldn’t connect with. But it’s more of a relevance issue in my
mind.
Some people hate it when they get requests from people who they don’t know. Adding a
message with a reason why you connect increases change of acceptance. Accepting
people you don’t know increases your business if you are in thought leadership. You can
always disconnect…they don’t get a notification.
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13. Milsuite Profiles act a lot like LinkedIn profiles. The only hard part is realizing you edit it by
clicking Actions. Most of the stuff we’ll talk about applies here (and in many other
platforms).
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14. You can see on the right where to add new sections (and rearrange them on your profile).
14x more likely to get clicked if you have a picture. Your
pic should be professional. Watch out for contrast (dark
hair blends into a black background). And smile.
People rarely look at a dour face they don’t know and
say, “Yeah, I want to talk to that guy!”
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15. Headline
Adding letters after your name - is good if relevant. Things like CLSSBB. But they can only
help if relevant and current.
Write your goals. Write your target audience. Circle the
sections that make the most sense. Target those.
Most common word. Motivated. So it’s been
cheapened.
What makes you stand out? Honestly mine isn’t very good. I’m still thinking here. There
are som VERY good headlines.
If you don’t add a headline it will default to your current job title. And that’s boring.
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16. Summary
To get bullets you have to do in Word and then paste in. Word also captures more errors
than LI editor
This is a good place for your elevator pitch. Like Avery Davis
put out in his talk, these have three parts:
1) Who I am
2) What I do
3) What I can do for you/why this matters
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17. Experience
Use keyword rich job titles
Think of your job descriptions as a blog entry that lets people
know what you
Do not write out long paragraphs, people don’t have time for
that.
Cut out the fluff - take advantage of lists, bullet points, and
other literary tools to encourage brevity.
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18. Skills
50 max
People endorse you for skills who don’t know you. What does
that mean and should you add them to your profile?
Why and when should you endorse others? I endorse people I
actually know. If I endorse you it means something. Many on
LinkedIn hand them out freely, so treat this with some caution.
What reflects what you want to reflect. What are not
necessary
What are the top linkedin skills? Should you use them or
differentiate yourself? Probably a bit of both
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19. Endorsements
Who would write good recommendations for you? Do they
"get" you and how you brand yourself?
How do you ask someone to rec you? Help guide them…ask
them to cover a couple of subjects. Giving templates is a bad
idea. Imagine looking at someone with 10 endorsements that
say exactly the same thing. Would you reach out to that
person?
Most people don’t have recommendations - people pay the least attention in
investing here, but they can make you stand out. This can be a great
place to allow others to talk about your skills without you having to.
While it doesn’t push high on SEO it makes a huge difference in
the quality of your profile and increases what people will do
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20. for you
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21. Non-person Entities
• FOLLOW Companies
• FOLLOW Schools
• JOIN Groups
Connecting to Companies and Schools (by following) starts to generate relevant connection
opportunities. So does joining a Group. Groups could be industry related, interest related,
whatever. COL Crowe brought up a good point on this. Recruiters will look to see your
Group activity in determining your relevance for an opportunity. I would imagine
contributions would only increase your relevance…assuming you’re competent.
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22. How do I network?
POST: Contribute your knowledge and thoughts to others.
TAG: Spread your contribution by tying it to topics.
SHARE: Spread good knowledge to others.They need it, too!
LIKE: Show people you appreciate their knowledge.
MENTION: Credit those who provide knowledge.
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23. Take-Aways
• First thing first - update your profile. Keep it current.
• Second - manage and grow your network.
• Third - leverage your network to find inroads in your industry.
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