(LEENkt-inn)
Interactive
What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a social media platform designed for professionals to connect, share industry news and information, and job announcements. It allows you to set up private groups for asynchronous conversations.
Key Properties
LinkedIn is an online social media platform that was created as a way for professionals to connect and network. Here are some key properties of LinkedIn:
- Professional networking site
- Allows you to connect with anyone else who has an account (although it’s most useful if you connect with those who have common professional backgrounds and goals)
- Public posts include short-form status updates, photos, videos, documents, or blog-like articles
- Interactions come in the form of commenting on someone’s post, commenting in a group forum, or direct messaging those with whom you are connected
- Job opportunities may be posted or searched for.
Insights that connect from What's Your Formula?
- "LinkedIn allows you to create online discussion groups that are marked as “unlisted” and used to facilitate an asynchronous, online discussion that can take place prior to, during, or after a training session. These are easy to set up and bring the added benefit of allowing participants to connect with one another outside the formal training setting."
- "Similar to Twitter, LinkedIn allows you to connect with learning professionals across the country and around the world. With LinkedIn’s more robust profiles and the ability to filter and share information, it’s also an excellent way to find and connect with likeminded professionals in your local area."
- "If you or your learners are seeking to establish credibility in the field, then being active on LinkedIn to share insights, articles, and resources can take you a long way. You may also choose to use LinkedIn as a blogging platform through which you can share longer form thoughts or insights. Just be sure to avoid using phrases like “thought leader” in your description. You don’t get to stick that label on yourself. Let others do that for you."
Elements that are Likely to "Connect" with LinkedIn
Adult Learning
Yes, a key facet to adult learning is to respect the autonomy of the learner, but relevance is also an essential principle. LinkedIn is a big place, so if you’re planning to use it as a piece of your learning program, you’ll want to ensure that you clearly point to resources, links, or people that are most relevant to the experience you’re trying to create.
Spaced Learning
As you can see from the example of setting up a private group, LinkedIn can be used to carry on asynchronous discussions during a program to keep content present and front-of-mind for learners. Asking learners to conduct research and find articles relevant to your topic may also be a way to leverage LinkedIn while spacing the learning out.
Mentorship
LinkedIn, by its very nature, is about connecting people with similar professional interests. There may be times when it’s difficult to find a mentor for an employee (or yourself) within an organization. LinkedIn makes the potential pool of mentors, at least on an informal level, much larger.
Goal Setting
As a platform to check once or twice a day and learn a thing or two, LinkedIn works just fine. Add specific goals, such as “Connect with at least five new people in the field” while attending a conference or “Find and post one new article each day” can give this element even more power to help you improve your craft.
Resources From The Train Like a Champion Blog
Who should follow for insights on L&D? If LinkedIn is going to be part of your learning process, you’ll want to seek out the best minds in learning & development.
LinkedIn Groups for Learning and Development In addition to seeking out the individuals you should follow, you can also join groups that focus on topics that are of interest.
While on the Train Like You Listen podcast, Darren Nerland recommended The Art of Social Media for L&D professionals. Darren said, “Now, the reason I think this is not because I think every L&D person needs to be all over Facebook and LinkedIn but the same tactics that Guy talks about in The Art of Social Media are the same things you can be doing internally in your organization to get learning out there and to get people to think about learning differently.”
