Where were you in 2002? I was signing up for a LinkedIn account.
I was actually one of tens of thousands who snagged a pre-launch invitation to join LinkedIn and was there on Day 1. I thought then LinkedIn was going to be the place to be for millions of everyday people. Looking back 15 years, I guess I was right since over 85% of the business SyncLab Media, and all my other business ventures, receives came either be directly or indirectly connected through a conversation I had on LinkedIn.
Tough Beginning
However, like so many of the social networks launching from 2000 through 2007, LinkedIn was challenged for it’s survival from the very beginning.
Naturally, a site for business people to network with each other is going to be seen as a threat by the social sites who are only out to gather huge numbers of users under the pretense their site was going to be an Open Social Network. From the beginning LinkedIn was pledge by trolls and spammers of whom were also prominent residences of the mega site Facebook. Did Facebook send them an invite to join LinkedIn with instructions to rake havoc over their users for not using Facebook? What do you think?
Identity Crisis
During the first few years LinkedIn’s site design was lacking in showing what it really was and looked to be more of a cross between an ecommerce site and a recruiter platform. Fortunately, LinkedIn hung in and changed with the times to be what it is today, one of the largest business networking sites in the universe.
LinkedIn is now the go-to site everybody, consumer and business leaders alike, use to validate a person, place or thing’s existence. If you, or your business, is not present on LinkedIn it creates a damaging question in people’s mines on how serious you are about being in business.
Breath of Fresh Air
Today, LinkedIn is a breath of fresh air amongst a very toxic internet. LinkedIn has put a huge amount of resources in place to keep the Darkside out of it’s member’s update stream and people with integrity in. Those who are out to ‘game’ LinkedIn do not last but a few minutes and those who join and then change from a trusting sole to becoming lords of the darkness are cut off at the knees somewhat ceremoniously.
Because of LinkedIn’s positive business/social environment I spend a considerable about time each day on LinkedIn supporting the people and brands I follow. I also enjoy having a large number of constructive private conversations with my connections. I find comfort in knowing I have one of the largest Dallas based network of business people on LinkedIn and cherish their loyalty to being in my posse.
If you are on LinkedIn and based in Dallas, let me know how I can help.
Originally published at Scot Duke.
