LinkedIn Groups

Why should I belong to a group?

The next facet of LinkedIn that we will talk about are Groups. For the longest time, I didn't understand the value of a group.  Then I joined a few.  Some of the groups I belong to are BGSU College of Business Alumni (GO FALCONS!), The Ohio SHRM State Council, and LinkedHR.  I want to talk more in depth about each of these groups so you can understand the value.  Again, it's not about the numbers.  It's about the usefulness of the group. 

The BGSU College of Business group is valuable to me because I can follow what's happening at my alma matter.  They post when there are seminars, upcoming job fairs, and general announcements.  However, as an alumni I can post things as well.  Just last month there was a posting for 2 IT Recruiters needed in Akron.  You may be able to connect someone to that open job.

The Ohio SHRM State Council is an awesome group because we share chapter best practices, blog posts that are of interest to Ohio (and national) employers, and events all around the state.  We have had 11 discussions started this month alone!  The knowledge sharing on recent legislation is a valueable resource too!

Finally, LinkedHR is another group I belong to.  I will be honest.  There is a lot of traffic that flows through this group.  I only check out the discussions maybe once a month.  Topics in this group are anything and everything HR related.  You do not have to be in HR to belong to this group.

I do want to explain about the private vs. public groups.  My first two examples are privates groups.  Just like a connection, you have to ask to belong.  Whoever created and administers that group gets to decide if you can be a part of it.  The last group is open to anyone who wants to join.  Just to put things into perspective, when I wrote this post here were the stats of how many people belong to each of those groups:

BGSU College of Business                1,174 people

The Ohio SHRM State Council            454 people

LinkedHR                                     663,083 people

So, choose wisely or you can get caught up in the numbers game.  Remember, if you are going to try LinkedIn be intentional about the connections you make and groups you join.  Build those relationships.  You never know when you might need a Link...

For my readers that are already on LinkedIn and members of groups - what group would you suggest to newbies to LinkedIn?