our next product…

That was my “Aha!” moment on the lack of privacy in public spaces.

The 12-year-old was a girl who happened to be sitting next to me on a plane.  I was working for Hewlett-Packard and trying to get some work done on my laptop; in this case, as it usually was, it was a not yet released product.  She started asking questions.  I responded with some to shift the conversation, and closed my laptop. 

 When you work for a top Fortune company, you learn to live with feeling like you’re wearing a big, visible target 24/7. Sure, I was careful in what I said in trade shows, on press tours, to business partners.  From that moment on, I became that much more hyper-aware of it.  Years before I’d learned a lesson the hard way about not even subtly mentioning in an emailed trip report an un-named co-worker’s lack of follow-though.  My days of getting radically different judging scores on the same speech in tournaments only when I chose a controversial topic, were also clear indicators that my stance would likely be judged more than the quality of my communication.

In that way I’m at a bit of an advantage in the digital age… recognizing that what can be seen or heard is something one has to feel comfortable announcing to a current or prospective employer or customer.  They may well be more concerned about how my personal beliefs and actions reflect on them and their company, than on my ability to do the job well.  In fact I’ve broken off business relationships by others who struck me as so cavalier I simply chose to take my business elsewhere.

The reality is … those with the power, dictate the rules, ex check out 

Can Employers Do That? Turns Out, They Can: Exploring Workers' Rights : NPR

We can ignore it to our detriment, choose to be private about those communications that might hurt us publically, or try to change it.  For the moment, my vote is to choose carefully what gets shared with whom, where, all the more so if it’s digital, as those footprints can go viral and last a long, long time.

It starts out innocently enough....

"Hey, do you have a few minutes, maybe half an hour to check out something and edit it?  You know, check for spelling errors and stuff.... Of course I gotta have it finished in the next day or so."

In reality, most of the folks who ask me this, their stuff would be fine untouched.  Sure, anyone can catch a few things... spacing, spelling, word choice, a spare correctly spelled oops word or two.  Honestly, some folks get their knickers in a twist about that, though will they really lose a serious sale as a result?  Guessing not.

What's often needed is something more... honing the purpose.  Ask quite simply...

1. Who am I trying to reach?
2. What do I want to have happen as a result of their reading?
3. Is it too much in one fell swoop? (can they read it in single screen and still get something useful out of it?)
   

We often try to leap tall buildings in a single bound.  And since most us don't have those superpowers, it just doesn't quite work. 

A less ambitious and often more effective approach is to scale back.  In covering less ground, we create the space to embrace our objectives more completely.  Convert one long 3-part blog that leaves out the juicy parts, into three shorter, more complete posts. 

Doing that one post really well also queues up the other two parts for later, with room for a teaser inviting satisfied readers return.

Next time you find yourself in a rush, trying to quickly hack something down to size and see if it still makes sense... reconsider.  Begin with the end in mind.  Simply.  Focus. And save some goodies for the next round.

Before Blogging:  7 Ways to Use LinkedIn

In the last few weeks several small business professional folks asked, "Can you write my blog for me?" 

When I asked what they were looking to have happen as a result of their blog, they expected a bunch of followers and a vibrant dialog.

My response "Oh, you mean like on a good LinkedIn Group?"; theirs ... "What's LinkedIn?"

While LinkedIn started as a professional network for recruiters and job seekers (note:  see what makes a good LinkedIn profile), it's become a powerful and very targeted tool for connecting and knowledge sharing.  It's definitely opened some doors for me!  To get you started, here's 7 ways to use LinkedIn....

1. E-introductions 
   LinkedIn makes it easy to professionally match-make peers.  Send their LinkedIn profiles to each other with a brief explanation of how you know each person and why you believe they'll benefit in connecting.  The LinkedIn profiles do the rest.  In the land of good karma, this is likely to come back to you, and if it doesn't it's just the right thing to do.
   
2. Finding an "in"
   Let's say you're bidding a piece of business or applying for a job.  LinkedIn makes it easy to explore the adage "It's who you know."  Type in the company you're looking into and there's a reasonable likelihood someone you know directly or just a degree of separation or two away, knows someone there.  Suddenly, you're much more likely to have insider information.
3. Testimonials: 
   It's much more comfortable to just hit a button asking a colleague, boss, or client for a recommendation.  It's nor much harder for them to give you one this way.  It's visible once you accept it and then fair game to use your testimonial in other materials, like your website.  It's also pretty easy to return the favor, or initiate the recommendation yourself, regardless of whether you expect one in return.  For other ideas on testimonials, feel free to ask for 3 Terrific Testimonial tips.
   
4. Collaborating
   Type in your professional area and there's a reasonable chance you'll find several groups full professionals who are interested in learning from each other.  For example, I've learned a lot from  a number of lively LinkedIn on-line discussions amongst divorce professional groups, joined a mastermind group scattered across the country where we're supporting each other's progress and have discovered a number of other great resources which my clients find valuable.
5. Problem-Solving
   There's an expert section that's perfect for seeking advice.  It's simple.  You ask a question on LinkedIn, such as, "What web software should I use for my next website?" Or, "What steps do I need to take to fire my employee without getting sued?"  Experts will answer.  Free.  Maybe you get what you need, maybe you realize you need more help and they might be just the ones to go to for it.
   
6. Establishing Credibility
   You might want to consider positioning yourself as the expert on LinkedIn that solves others problems in your field.  It's a good way to give them a test-drive of your expertise.  Maybe they'll hire you, or maybe someone else will based on your answer.  It is a good idea to know a little bit about LinkedIn etiquette in this area first, and not just blatantly self-promote.
   
7. Research
   Linked-in  one-question polls can be quite useful.  For example I asked a multiple choice "why would you use...?" question.  The answers convinced me to change the benefit approach in my website based on what what most important according to my respondents.

In my book, LinkedIn is so much more navigable in niche areas than blogs.  If you're a newbie to blogs, try LinkedIn first as a warm-up.  You might not need more than that.  And if you do blog, LinkedIn can reinforce your presence by offering more ways to be found, for followers to find out more about you, and to post your blogs on your LinkedIn profile.