Thursday, November 29, 2012

Toronto, November 29, 2012 - Are you tired of learning new "features" whenever one gets added to your favorite Social Media site? Or are you excited about the possibility that the new feature may unlock for you? The LinkedIn Endorsement feature holds fascinating possibilities, but they are completely beyond your control.

You are able to set the Professional Headline, the Summary section, and of course, the remainder of your profile as it supports the first two parts. The only exception so far is the Endorsements section, which is the crowdsourced reputation for your skills and expertise. At what point will these endorsements be weighted by who is giving them? For example, a CEO endorsement is worth two Manager endorsements. And how much longer will it be before LinkedIn begins to allow people to vote – thumbs-up or thumbs-down – on other aspects of your profile?

"If, or rather when, LinkedIn crowdsources your entire profile," Says Randall Craig, Web and Social Media Strategist, and author of the Online PR and Social Media series. "LinkedIn will become the ultimate arbiter of your real-world professional reputation – something that sites such as Klout and Kred do crudely at best."

And if we are heading into a reputation-transparent, crowd-sourced world, then what can you do now to prepare? Randall Craig suggests these three pre-emptive actions:

1) Slim your connections: The ability to endorse someone is limited to direct connections. Disconnect from those you don't know so well, to improve the accuracy of your current endorsements. Removing these people will also remove their ability to "vote down" your profile in the future.

2) Strengthen real-world relationships with your LinkedIn connections: Instead of merely collecting names, engage your connections more proactively. Demonstrating your expertise, willingness to help, and attitude now means more "up" votes later on. This also strengthens the tribe of people who will rush to your defense if someone comments negatively about you.

3) Remove wishful thinking: Don't list "wanna be" expertise that people might question or call you on. Remember the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Adds Randall Craig: "Will LinkedIn ever crowdsource the rest of your profile? Whether they do or not, and even if LinkedIn never implements a 100% crowdsourced model, people are still voting up or down in their minds – and sharing their thoughts in real-world conversations with their colleagues." How strong is your online reputation and could you benefit from the above actions?



Since 1994, Randall Craig has been advising on web and social media strategy. He is the author of six books including the newly published Social Media for Business and the Online PR and Social Media series and the President of 108 ideaspace inc. For more information about Randall Craig visit www.randallcraig.com.

For more information contact:

Randall Craig

416.256.7773 x101 / Randall@108ideaspace.com

Carolyn Bergshoeff

416.256.7773 x 103 / Carolyn@108ideaspace.com