Marriage of Twitter and LinkedIn - A Power Couple to Watch

The integration of Twitter and LinkedIn is industry transforming. Prior to this, I saw little value in the LinkedIn platform. LinkedIn was just a glorified contact database. Now I can use LinkedIn to learn what the brilliant people in my professional network are thinking, reading, and discussing. And now I can see the credentials of the individuals whom I am following on Twitter. The key, of course, for this partnership to really gain traction will be for all of these brilliant people to become comfortable with Twitter, which hasn’t yet caught on with some of the more senior executives - the ones I actually want to hear from.
In terms of integration with Facebook, the jury is still out as to how that move will impact either platform. While the Fan pages on Facebook could benefit from this partnership, I don’t yet see any other meaningful applications. To be frank, I rather not hear about little Jane or John’s first day of school within my LinkedIn updates. On the other hand, perhaps this marriage could spur Facebook to rethink its strategy for business users and come up with a solution that will address both audiences?
The convergence of social media platforms signals a new era for senior executives. Personal brand in the age of social media means something very different than it did a few short years ago. As stated so eloquently in Fast Company: “We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You”. Those who embrace the power of social media will reap the benefits of increased brand awareness - and yes this means get a Twitter account and use it.

Kathy O’Connell
Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group

Kathy,
I agree that adoption of all of these platforms will lead to greater benefits to social media. As corporate America continues to recognizes new business opportunities with these tools, Me Inc will also benefit from increased connectivity.

thanks for your input

- stephen