Thing Four - continued

I guess today we are still on Thing Four. Today we explore academia and LinkedIn. My immediate question is how do these promote networking as compared to the kind you would do at a conference. I have set up accounts with both previously and I have to say they have not helped much. I think the way that technology is advertised and promoted is slightly misleading (and this is coming from a lover of technology). Well, I do not see how having an account in any of these would increase or help collaborations etc. Although researchers are very happy to get an e-mail from anybody and nobody, it is very rare from my experience that they would take a collaboration request that seriously. This is were I still believe in the six degrees of separation. Unless you know someone who knows somebody who get introduce you to someone who has met somebody that has worked with somebody's partner then your chances are pretty slim. This still works in research and within social media. So I would apply that in either academia or LinkedIn, and make sure that you know or get a link with someone who knows somebody.

On the other hand in aspects of giving greater visibility online, yes I have to say it works as they do rank highly and are picked by google HTML robots, but still I would say you need to do twice as much if not more work than you would do at a conference. This is a playing field without visual cues etc which is quite difficult and people tend to need more assurances on deliverables etc which is understandable. So I think if you are someone like me (very limited time to network online) it might still be better to do things the old fashioned way and either pick up the phone or better still spend the money to make a personal visit. If all else fails, stalk people at conferences and meetings but please don't say you read it from this blog because by that time I will have deleted this post :). Besides I wouldn't want word to get round that I am a conference stalker!!

So back to the task in hand, I have accounts with both sites, but I could not remember my password for LinkedIn and so had to create another one. I am now trying to merge the two accounts but they will not let me as I cannot remember the e-mail account that I created the other account with (2 years ago), so I guess its goodbye to all those people I was LinkedIn with before :(. I guess this week for me is about pulling the people in before I start pushing information out. Do not want to drive people away by information overload (well not just yet:) anyway).

Liked the exeter university information on LinkedIn, I thought it was very helpful. And on that note it is goodbye for today and see you sometime soon. As I said I am trying to keep up with this blogging thing even if I may fail in everything else on the module - perhaps I am in the wrong profession - should have been a journalist, this writing thing is growing on me although I am still in the Introduction page of a paper I have to submit end of the month. ...
Anyway where was I , or yes on the farewells and all that jazz - Goodbye Folk see you tomorrow