LinkedIn Group

KB · January 21, 2009, 8:00pm

A user of Scrivener has very kindly created a “Scrivener Users Network” on LinkedIn. He has asked me to post about it here, and it’s the least I can do given that he is enthusiastic enough about Scrivener to set up such a group. Note that it has no official affiliations with Literature & Latte, but that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate it. Anyway, just a heads up - and this from the group creator:

All the best,
Keith

Vermonter17032 · January 21, 2009, 8:47pm

I had never heard of LinkedIn, and just reviewed the web site. Would any members care to share their thoughts about the advantages of joining? Thanks!

Plette · January 21, 2009, 10:35pm

I’m not a member of LinkedIn, but my partner is.

The best way to describe it is probably “Facebook for Professionals” - or, as I like to snarkingly say, “Facebook for people who want to pretend they’re too grown up for things like Facebook”.

It’s essentially a networking tool, very much like Facebook or Myspace except the emphasis is on your professional life, not your personal life. You create a profile which outlines where you work and where you’ve worked in the past, your education, etc. You then link to people you know at your current job and previous jobs, and you have a handy online interface for all of your “connections”. People seem to use it for a variety of reasons, ranging from networking for job hunts to building a relationship with their clients to just plain curiousity about where current co-workers used to work and where previous co-workers ended up. It is quite a popular site.

Vermonter17032 · January 22, 2009, 2:59pm

Plette:

I’m not a member of LinkedIn, but my partner is.

The best way to describe it is probably “Facebook for Professionals” - or, as I like to snarkingly say, “Facebook for people who want to pretend they’re too grown up for things like Facebook”.

It’s essentially a networking tool, very much like Facebook or Myspace except the emphasis is on your professional life, not your personal life. You create a profile which outlines where you work and where you’ve worked in the past, your education, etc. You then link to people you know at your current job and previous jobs, and you have a handy online interface for all of your “connections”. People seem to use it for a variety of reasons, ranging from networking for job hunts to building a relationship with their clients to just plain curiousity about where current co-workers used to work and where previous co-workers ended up. It is quite a popular site.

Thank you for the information. Sounds interesting.

Wock · January 22, 2009, 3:12pm

Sounds like a juicy place to get job gossip…

EricB · January 22, 2009, 8:08pm

Hi, All. I’m the guy who started the LinkedIn group. I was dragged into LinkedIn a couple years ago when several of my higher-paying clients starting using it. I’d never been particularly interested in social networking sites, but I must admit I’ve found LinkedIn useful for keeping in touch with colleagues and customers, ‘meeting’ new people, and sometimes getting actual work. Basically, I use it as a professional/business networking tool, though I suppose it could be used as a “Facebook for grownups” too (I love that one!).

Groups are a good way to identify other people with similar interests and can lead to new professional connections, which is why I started the Scrivener group (on a whim, actually). Another group I started, Science & Technology Media Professionals, has grown to nearly 800 members and has fostered relationships between, for example, writers and documentary producers needing scripts (incidentally, feel free to join this one if you’re interested).

So take LinkedIn for what it’s worth; some people might find it useful, others a complete waste of time. If the former, I hope the Scrivener group eventually proves worthwhile.

Cheers!
Eric