UPDATE: Stan now has his own show on TPN! Check out The Connections Show!
My guest today is Stan Relihan, Australia’s #1 LinkedIn’r. Stan is a recruiter in Sydney and has over 5000 connections in his LinkedIn profile (including me). Stan tells me why he thinks LinkedIn is a valuable business tool for everyone, not just recruiters, and I set him a challenge – to get me a very cool guests for the show using LinkedIn.
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hmm…. still not clear on how LinkedIn can be used as a business tool. But I saw Clay on 4corners and decided he rocks. Very interested to see how the experiment goes.
Interesting podcast. I’m finding that more and more people who I get introduced to are already linked in users – and often only a 2 degrees away. There seems to be a real ground swell within Australia over the last few months.
Yes, Bernard, we need more Australians on LinkedIn! Welcome to the Global Village. There is now an Australian LinkedIn yahoo group too, which is a great forum for members to get to know each other in a practical way.
I am writing from Boston, Massachusetts, USA. I know about this fine podcast because I am connected to Stan Relihan through our LINKEDIN, LION connection.
LINKEDIN is similar to a community. There are those who actively participate and those who do not. Although I have made some contacts with whom I communicate on a social basis, the majority of my connections have a business focus. That focus will, at some time, monitize itself or not. Transactions take place because people know and trust each other. Hence, a tool like LINKEDIN, if used with imagination and sincerity, can cannect a person to another person who can help you achieve your goals. This LINKEDIN member cannot quanitify the MONEY/BUSINESS potential but it is sure that the less people you know the less the number of opportunities you will have.
While my network of first tier contacts is only 1300+, my third tier is over 4.5 million. I am in the investment banking business and the more people I have access to the better. I say the more the better because most people prefer to avoid meeting the new people they need to accomplish their objectives. Hence, I know that only 10-20% of the LINKEDIN connections will mature into either a social or business relationship. I am sure you have heard of the 80-20 rule in life and business. Twenty percent create 80% of the value. As soon as one accepts this axiom as the truth, building networks of reliable people should be one’s priority. LINKEDIN is a perfect format for doing just that.
I am sure Stan will come up with a number of celebrities. he knows how to work this database.
Hi,
I am Linkedin with Stan, enjoyed the programme.
I am from Liverpool, but live in Mexico City selling offshore investments, I have clients all over the place, and enjoy speaking to Stan and I am also on the Oz group.
Its a good tool, but for me, its about finding people and building a relationship, it just opens more doors.
Thanks
Daniel
Oh yes, linked in offers target/interst groups residing on your machines. You have a unique opportunity to approach people with High skill set & intellect through your network without much of effort, thats the most interesting part.
Apart fomr that you can search through xillions of profiles to find your related information.
The general understanding ofcourse being that all registered users are open to accept invitations & sugest valuable inputs on queries raised.
Greetings from sunny Brussels (Belgium) …
I am a Linked In user too, and I am of course connected to Stan. Stan has said it all, Linked In is a very interesting tool. It enables you to get to know people all around the globe.
Great show, I subscribed and hope the content will be as informing as the one with Stan.
Noel
Stan has captured the benefits of LinkedIN extremely well. It an excellent tool.
I have made contacts with key people in the Television industry via LinedIN.
Great Interview. Very well spoken.
Best
Prakash
A great interview! Thanks Cameron and Stan.
I’ve alerted a couple of LinkedIn groups on Yahoo, numbering several thousand members, to this as a “must listen” podcast.
While I’ve only just recently connected with Stan on LinkedIn, I have been a LinkedIn user and fan for quite a while now (even co-authored a book on it!). LinkedIn has brought me some great business connections and actual, financially profitable business, with larger possibilities for the future.
I get plenty of requests to connect but only connect with those who are willing to have some conversation first (phone, email, Skype etc) to establish whether having a formal connection on LinkedIn makes sense.
One critical factor for me has been to join and participate actively in some of the LinkedIn associated groups on Yahoo Groups, including LinkedIn Australia. Others are MyLinkedInPowerForum, LinkedIn Innovators and (ahem!) LinkedIn Bloggers. The advantage of these groups is that from following the conversation and perusing the extensive archives you can get the benefit of the experience, “warts and all” of many users from different countries and cultures.
And I see I’m just one person away from Vint Cerf – but I don’t have as good a reason as Cameron to seek an introduction 🙂
Des
I’m writing from the fast pace city Hong Kong. Of course, I’m a direct linkedIn with Stan and I’m active in LinkedIn about 6 months ago and has now over 4,600+ direct contacts and 5.4+ million networks worldwide. LinkedIn is like a communities and enable me to meet and chat with friends from thousands of miles away. I enjoyed it and it makes my networking journey fun.
Cheers,
Richard
I don’t think it needs explanation that having a bigger network could lead to more opportunities. You could use linkedin or other communities like your local football club, your mates from university, colleagues and other people you have common grounds with. What seems the problem with Linkedin, however, is that people seem to assume that the more people they are connected to, the better it IS. They treat the connection like a goal in itself, not a means to actually do something with it. That ranking contest is a waste of time. I agree with Stan’s view that what counts is what you do with it, but have the feeling that for many, the ranking contest dillutes the true value of such a network.
Peter,
(6.5 billion 3rd degree connections)
Thank you so much for a very interesting podcast. Our Norwegian not-for-profit initiative, Seed Forum International Foundation, is developing a global market for early stage financing and is growing rapidly. I use LinkedIn actively rolling out in new markets. Spring 2007 we will have 19 international events, and I am directly responsible for projects in Oslo, Moscow, NYC, San Francisco, Minneapolis and Tallinn. We need a wide local network when we initiate new cities. We are also looking for potentials partners, nominators of projects and investors to support the deal flow in the cities where we already have a presence. Hopefully you will be willing to share network with me to support our efforts. If you think that you can contribute in other matters including developing into new cities and countries, please feel free to contact me. You will also find the draft event program at http://www.seedforum.org, and we hope to see you at one of our events next year.
I received an e-mail as I am currently part of Linked in and loved your broadcast. Look forward to hearing additional great interviews.
Alan Rothman
In the interview, I mentioned a LinkedIn Question I’d read recently that I’d thought was a good example of using LinkedIn effectively as a Business Tool.
The Question was from someone who was looking for $3M venture capital for a business acquisition a friend of his was doing.
For those that are interested, it can be found at:
http://www.linkedin.com/answers/finance-accounting/mergers-acquisitions/FIN_MNA/30612-7322675
This Podcast seems to have generated a great deal of interest – and is the topic of an Question in the LinkedIn Q & A forum:
http://www.linkedin.com/answers/using-linkedIn/ULI/33970-2308560
If you’re a LinkedIn member, & wish to contribute to the discussion, you can leave your comments there as well.
If you’re interested in this topic then you’ll find my article of April 03, 2004 of interest “How to Build Your Linkedin Business Network”. http://www.diblog.com/2004/04/how_to_build_yo.html
Walter
Just a technical correction.
Stan mentioned Vint Cerf as “Inventor” of the INternet. To say the Internet was Invented, is pushing it a bit, it was a growth and adaptation of ARPA, IMP, Decnet and other bits the well – pre-existed the Internet as we know it.
But then, those that write the history, get the pride of place…
Stand also listed Tim Berners-Lee as a coninventor of the Internet – not so, he developed the first TCP/IP based browser and server. This was based on a prototype that he had been demonstrated (that had actually been written about 3-4 years before his, that run on Decnet (called Memex Prototype 1) developed by Bob Wyman and his team in DEC’s Valbonne (France) facility. TBL’s first bit of code was public in August 91, as I recall. THe Memex Stuff would have been around 1987. and TCP/IP (aka the “internet” was coming together (with chewing gum, and baling wire)from around 86 to 92.
Almost every piece of technology, has “deeper roots” if you are willing to look for them. Sadly, in this day and age, their are now “billions being spent by the Google’s and others, that are little more than a techno “me-too”, with very little raw innovation involved.
Good Day,
I’ve been in the Information Technology Management field for 30 years and have found LinkedIn to be a great way to stay in touch with past employees and employers. I strategically started using the tool to re-connect and maintain a circle of contacts, however, now I am finding it is expanding my consulting practice and opportunities are opening up around in Canada.
Using LinkedIn as a business tool — novel idea and will explore this in more depth over 2007.
Great PodCast.
so how is the experiment going? Where are all the guests?
Molly
This Podcast Interview has some great useful Information and Tips for LinkedIn members and Non LinkedIn members.
I even think this can be used as a good tool to explain to friends that are skeptical about using Linked.
I am a LION which stands for [LinkedIn Open Networker] who is always interested in expanding my professional network, getting introduced and connected with other SAP Consultants, Recruiters, Professionals and Companies in Australia, NZ, Egypt, Oman, Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Middle East, Asia, India, Pakistan and anywhere else Worldwide.
Why be a LION?
Well, I believe in many cases ‘who you know’ counts more then ‘what you know’, as it easier to know someone that knows about something or at least knows someone else rather then you knowing everything about everything.
I have found LinkedIn a great tool to get me connected and Introduced to many SAP and IT professionals. So much so that I sometimes challenge some of my friends to give me a company name especially in the IT Industry that my Network would not have at least an employee that currently works there or has worked there.
There are many times where I have been asked by a friend or a LinkedIn connection to introduce them to or find/recommend someone
Ehab Elagaty
SAP Consultant
[email protected]
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/SAPNetwork
To Join my Network: http://tinyurl.com/2zxues (Welcome All Invitations)
vert good podcast
Great show, and illustrates the power of willing networkers. Stan won the bet handsomely.
That doesn’t mean that Cameron has a smaller audience. It means that Stan has a greater number of people willing to do him a favour on the basis that favours make the world go round.
If that basis is true then Stan has an audience that can get something done.
I highly recommend listening to the podcast interviews run by Stan after this interview on:
http://connections.thepodcastnetwork.com
Ehab Elagaty
SAP Consultant
[email protected]
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/SAPNetwork
To Join my Network: http://tinyurl.com/2zxues (Welcome All Invitations)