In April, LinkedIn announced that you can now mention connections and companies in your updates using the "@" prefix.
This is a feature that was introduced by Twitter as a way to reply to or mention another user on the social network. In 2009, Facebook introduced a similar tagging feature using the "@" sign.
Here's how it works: Type the "@" sign before you begin typing the name of the person or company you want to mention. A drop-down will appear highlighting those in your connections which meet the criteria of the name you are entering. As you continue typing, the drop-down menu will update to provide you a better list of relevant connections. You can continue typing out the whole name or leverage the drop-down menu shortcut by clicking on the relevant connection.
Once the name is selected, it will have a gray background to indicate that it is a mention.
When you "Share" your update, the mention will become a link with a dotted underline, it will link to the company's page, and the link will enable a tool-tip pop-up to appear with summary information about the company.
Pretty neat, huh? A word of warning, though. Make sure you select a connection from the drop-down menu when using the @ prefix. If you don't select from that menu, the post may interpret the @Name as a Twitter username (and will link you to Twitter. So, if I hadn't selected "World Resources Institute" from the drop down, the update would have interpreted the mention as "@World Resources Institute" and the link would have taken me to user "world" on Twitter.
According to LinkedIn, this feature enables you to connect with a broader range of LinkedIn users -
In addition to first-degree connections, you can also mention other LinkedIn members engaged in conversations in the comment sections of posts on the LinkedIn Homepage. Mentions will make it easier for you to start conversations with your network while also enabling you to respond in real-time when someone begins a conversation with you.
You can find more information about this feature on LinkedIn's blog.
Related Tweets
What do you think about this Facebook-style @ mention capability for LinkedIn updates? hub.am/Xq5aF7 via @thenextweb
With a weekend of a derecho storm and a leap second that sent several online sites into a tizzy, I was suddenly also faced with the prospect of having to work harder at sharing online. But it seems to be quite the opposite.
It was a wild weekend for many
Like many of my colleagues who use social media as a main source of interaction, I was deeply dismayed when it was announced on June 29 that Twitter would unlink from LinkedIn on June 30.
As I opened my LinkedIn home page that Saturday, it was as if the derecho had blown away all the interesting updates coming from my colleagues.
June 29 derecho took down powerlines with a tree in my neighborhood. Power outages continue for many in the community.
Sure, it was interesting that Person-A connected with Person-B, Person-C and also Person-D on my LinkedIn home page.
But a whole page of that? Phooey.
I missed the real content: the news I got from people's twitter feeds.
Afer the decoupling, I discovered sites that claimed they had ways to work around this decoupling - but did I really want to invest in managing another posting tool right now? And even when I tried some of these tools I was unsuccessful in implementing them as LinkedIn was experiencing down time due to the addition of a leap second to our clock.
How to calibrate a leap second on a standard clock.
Now, one thing that LinkedIn'sRyan Roslansky did say in his blog post was that while we couldn't feed our Twitter updates through Linkedin, we could still continue to share updates on both LinkedIn and Twitter by reversing the process.
Initiate the conversation on LinkedIn. Simply compose your update, check the box with the Twitter icon, and click “Share.” This will automatically push your update to both your LinkedIn connections and your Twitter followers just as you’ve been able to do previously.
I was a bit hesitant to try this method because:
Fear of multiplex postings: I've discovered that when you feed one social media update stream to another social media network, you need to make sure you aren't creating an update loop of multiple postings of the same content (yes, I've been guilty of this). I already have give-and-take posting relationship established between Twitter and Facebook - whichever of these two I post on first is set up to migrate to the other network. What havoc would be wreaked by adding LinkedIn to this interactive equation?
Lack of interaction with existing communities. I need to make sure I'm not just feeding updates to my social networks, but am really listening to and engaging with my community online. How would this triple-posting impact that?
How the LinkedIn to Twitter to Facebook posting works
My strong belief in embracing change with a big bearhug overtook my hesitation and I jumped in.
I posted an update on LinkedIn - and here are the updates that were generated:
STEP 1: LINKEDIN. Making sure Twitter sharing box is checked, post update on LinkedIn. Note: The checkbox will default to the setting of your last post, so make sure you have it checked or unchecked accordingly for each post.
STEP 2: TWITTER. LinkedIn update posts to Twitter. While the shortened link looks like you will go to LinkedIn, the link actually takes you to the original article through a redirect from LinkedIn.
STEP 3. FACEBOOK. Autopost from Facebook to Twitter. If your Twitter feed is set up to autopost on Facebook (you can set this up through Twitter Settings > Profile), you get a nicely formatted update, graphic and all. This time the link to the original article is a Twitter-shortened URL which leads to the URL (though the LinkedIn redirect is used in the story).
To other posts, I've also tried adding @profiles and #hashtags to the post title - they do carry over to Twitter and to the Facebook status line (rather than the title which is pulled from the story link).
One downside of this is that you can't control what graphic or text gets posted over to Facebook. So if you do care about how a particular link is posted, you might want to hide from your Facebook timeline then repost the link by hand. You could also decouple posts from Twitter-to-Facebook and just do posts from Facebook-to-Twitter.
Tracking all of this in terms of metrics for posts from your blog/website may get complicated unless you use some kind of campaign tracking code such as that leveraged by Google Analytics. Because you are passing the link through multiple URL shorteners, it may be worth revising the Google Analytics campaign code a bit:
utm_campaign=LinkedIn-Twitter-Facebook
utm_source (don't include as it will be generated via the URL shortener)
utm_medium=LauraLeeDooley (name of poster)
utm_content (optional)
utm_term (optional)
Why does this Twitter-LinkedIn decoupling make my life easier?
It encourages me to spend less time on posting and more time on listening. Reversing the Twitter-to-LinkedIn connection to LinkedIn-to-Twitter allows me to post once and reach three networks. Yes, it is important to have a conversation with your audience on social networks, but sometimes you have something to share that you want to get out to as many of your touchpoints as possible. Making LinkedIn a resource that enables you to post to Twitter and Facebook for those posts you want to share via all three networks cuts down on the time needed to craft each posting. This gives me more time to "listen" to what others are saying.
It facilitates more engagement with LinkedIn connections. While I am constantly posting content to Twitter and LinkedIn, I have found it more difficult to actively and thoughtfully post content to LinkedIn beyond the group that I manage. This forces me to take the opportunity to craft posts that meet that are more engaging and targeted at my audience on LinkedIn, with the added benefit of also posting to Twitter and Facebook.
It decouples all Twitter/Facebook posts from LinkedIn. Sometimes I want to post something that might not be as relevant for my community on LinkedIn. So I can target Twitter and Facebook with these humorous or off-topic posts without carrying over to my professional network of LinkedIn.
It has the potential to increase my Twitter following. I've reached the 2,000 Twitter following limit and have been working to build my followers to be able to get over that hump. While Twitter has decoupled from LinkedIn, LinkedIn has not removed the "Follow @Twittername" button on individual profiles. Since updates will now be crafted for the LinkedIn community, if people are interested in my posts they may have more interest in connecting via Twitter (since they won't automagically get my twitterfeed via LinkedIn). While not a proven theory, this is definitely something to monitor.
All of this is based on connecting your personal profiles together. You have to hand-post content to any Company and Group page you maintain.
What are your thoughts on the Twitter-LinkedIn decoupling?
Finally, people are beginning to realize that social media is no longer optional.
Social media has become:
as necessary as email,
as informative as a website, and
as connective as a cell phone.
There are many reasons people get involved in social media, but for those still hesitant to join the bandwagon, here are 5 simple reasons to integrate social media into your daily activities.
Reason 1: Everyone is doing it. Well, not EVERYone. But a recent Pew Research Center study says that 65% of online adults use social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace. That's about half of all U.S. adults! And it's not your college student's facebook anymore - according to a Pew Internet study in August 2010, half (47%) of internet users ages 50-64 and one-in-four (26%) users ages 65 and older now use social networking sites. Finally, if you aren't present in social media, you are absent - meaning that your expertise and your voice aren't contributing to the ongoing conversation about the issues and people you care about.
Reason 2: Immediate news and information. In his Dot Earth post "The No(w)sphere" New York Times columnist Andrew Revkin introduced me to the term "noosphere" - the "sphere of human thought." I have followed and participated in many a workshop, seminar and conference via social media - enriching my notes and comments. And ayone who experienced the recent 5.8 earthquake in DC knows that the earthquake quickly dominated social media immediately after the ground shook.
Reason 4: Tools to build knowledge for innovation. You can learn a lot about people by what they post. You can learn a lot more about the issues you care about by listening to what others are saying and sharing on that topic. Together, this is what makes up your community - and the more focused you are on listening and engaging with your community, the more knowledgeable everyone becomes. Common knowledge shared helps lead people to play with ideas and explore ways to innovate.
Reason 5: Many flavors and sizes. Not everyone has to jump wholeheartedly into social media with the enthusiasm of a dachshund in a dog food factory. Want to track the latest news? Use Twitter to follow key news sources (both people and organizations). Want to connect with colleagues? Use LinkedIn to highlight your professional experience and topic expertise and to connect with coworkers and partners. Want to develop existing friendships (personal and professional)? Use Facebook to share day-to-day news about what you are interested in and what is going on in your life. And, of course, take time to listen.
Recently, Congress has convened hearings around whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is able to use the Clean Air Act to limit emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants associated with climate change.
Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA is required to regulate emissions that are considered to be pollution and that "endanger public health and welfare."
According to Beth Kanter, there are two different types of nonprofits:
Fortressed Nonprofits. These type of organizations try to maintain total control of medium, message, spokespeople. They limit their audiences to a small of constituents identified by the organization. And they don't necessarily get social media.
Fortressed organizations. Source: Rob Cottingham.
Networked Nonprofits. Consider everyone inside and outside of the organization resources for helping them to achieve their goals.
Beth believes nonprofits can unleash the power of social good by transitioning from stand-alone fortressed institutions to networks energized by abundant resources in their ecosystem. In order to do this, they need to work with free agents.
Free agents are individuals working outside of organizations to organize, mobilize, raise funds, and communicate with constituents. They are hyper-connected people passionate about social change without being an employee of the organization(s) they support. Free agents use social media channels like Facebook and Twitter, and can create social movements in the palms of their hands.
Leading a session at the annual NonProfits and Technology Conference, Beth brought together organization representatives who had learned first-hand the opportunities and challenges of working with free agents.
The relationship between the organization and free agents is sort of like marriage. The partnership has to be mutually beneficial and not coercive. Important characteristics of this partnership includes:
Trust. Free agents must be worth trusting and able to support in mutually beneficial ways.
Transparency. Trust and honesty are important for organizations to have to make the relationship work. It is important to build a relationship that doesn’t change based on what free agents do.
Empathy. Organizations and free agents need to understand each others’ motives.
Enthusiasm. This helps to sell a concept.
In thinking about "economy" between organizations and free agents, both have to get value from relationship. What's valuable for your free agents?
Free agents like Shawn Ahmed (@uncultured) are promiscuous for good! Free Agent. Source; Rob Cottingham.
To take this metaphor a bit further, Beth set up her panelists as “couples” in a newlywed game format
Kat and Mark were aware of each other’s existence via Twitter; they met in person when Mark interviewed the Executive Director of 100k homes. Mark describes free agents as "the marketing plan that the organization can’t afford. They want to help you tell your story, and they are connected with stakeholders you would otherwise not reach." When asked, "How do you resolve conflict?", they responded "You commit and work through it." Mark explained, “The worst thing you can do to me is censor me. Free agents share goals and won't intentionally hurt the organization." Based on their experience working together, Kat and Mark believe that organizations need to empower free agents. "Take a leap of faith. Encourage your staff...create Evangelists." said Mark. It helps if the organization is ready to reach out and embrace the free agent. Kat said, "I am lucky to work for a director of a campaign...that is willing to take risks." Mark added that organizations are good at "navigating his passions" to focus his agenting.
Shawn describes himself as a "Former Notre Dame grad student who dropped everything to start an unplanned, unexpected, & 'uncultured' journey to help the poor." He heard good things about Save the Children, so he investigated and liked their work so much he sought out ways to promote the organization. "A free agent is a bridge maker for nonprofits," explained Shawn. "American people want to KNOW who they are giving money to." He added, "The last aspect of bridge making is bridging cultures." To demonstrate, he showed the following video about "The Boy Who Lived."
Free agents at work. VIDEO of community efforts – The Boy Who Lived.
Ettore added, "The moral of the story is the connection to Shawn (a free agent) has opened the door to other supporters." Save the Children considers some free agents "citizen journalists", thus precedent for paying for travel - so other organizations may want to consider free agents as citizen journalist, citizen or philanthropist to be able to afford to bring them to events/efforts. Shawn explained, "To move a volunteer to a Free Agent means to move them from single activity to multiple activities." Ettore's suggested, “If you work for an nonprofit organization, discover the free agent experience by being one for your own organization.”
One of the concerns that many organizations worry about when opening themselves up to social media is negative publicity. Panelists recommended that if there is someone out there speaking against you, bring them on the team. Embrace them. Turn them from an enemy into an ally by listening and responding.
Finally, one untapped resource of free agents for many NGOs is the whole blogging community. What should you do with a potential blogger? Engage them to see if there is a fit because they are going to talk about you anyway.
Who are you and how do you represent yourself online? As our personal and professional lives blend together, how can you shape your own brand online and reconcile it with your organization's brand? As the communications landscape changes, every staff member serves as the organization's spokesperson, not just the executive director or board chair. How you and your colleagues use social media can greatly impact your organization's reputation with key stakeholders. In this workshop, a panel of nonprofit leaders will share how they manage their own brands online--including helpful tips and tools you can put in to practice immediately.
Session Takeaways:
Understanding how the online "you" may or may not differ from the offline/real "you" and your organization
Development of a personal positioning statement (or big idea)
Guidelines you might set for your organization to help set policies for everyone who works for (and therefore represents) you online
