<span class="pro_member_name">Joe Hage</span>

Linked:Seattle Community Chairperson
Seattle, Washington

Posted by Joe Hage, Seattle, Washington | Dec 01, 2012

How can you use a 40,000-member Seattle community?

I was recently given the privilege to manage Linked:Seattle, a 40,000-member group of professionals on LinkedIn. (80 percent of them live in the Greater Seattle region.)

I'm figuring out what to do with the group. All we really have in common is proximity and belonging to a free group.

Remembering my Biznik roots, I remembered the great members I've come to know. I often think of Bizniks as the first place to go when I need something done locally.

So now it's time for me to repay the favor. How can I use the Linked:Seattle group to serve you? Should we have a joint event? Should we share a Biznik discussion? Maybe a way to get Bizniks in front of local prospects?

Your ideas welcome.

Posted by Kate Phillips, Seattle, Washington | Dec 05, 2012

Joe, very cool that you are managing Linked:Seattle. I suspect you will make the best of it. Love the discussion you started about the possibility of dialoguing with Inslee about the economy, and asking for feedback.

I think I am a member but long ago changed my email settings so I have to GO to the group to see the discussions, which I haven't in a long time!

I guess what I loved about Biznik is that it was mostly self-employed folks. There's so much discussion on LinkedIn that is focused on getting jobs (you low-balled your estimate that perhaps 2,800 group members were looking for an "opportunity," as I'd bet money that a much higher percentage are on LinkedIn to network for opportunities... at least, that's been my experience with LinkedIn. It's not JUST an online place to post a "resume", but it is one of the best places to do that!)

So Linked:Seattle seems to be a very broad group. I think the question to ask is what common needs/ wants do Biznik members have with the members of Linked:Seattle? And you're probably in a much better position to answer that than I am!
Posted by Matt Lawrence, Seattle, Washington | Dec 05, 2012

Congrats on your new assignment! That sounds like a very cool opportunity.

I've been to several Linked:Seattle events over the years.

And my favorite part of them was seeing Biznik members I hadn't connected with in a while.

Since I'm not looking for job, the recruiting element of the events never applied to me.

Given the eye you have towards Biznik, and your time spent with Linked:Seattle, like Kate, I'm curious what ideas YOU have for Seattle, as well as other cities with large "Linked" vents.

Biznik Director of Community
Posted by Kate Phillips, Seattle, Washington | Dec 05, 2012

I'm with Matt - I'd love to hear your ideas, Joe!

I've always thought that there's a real opportunity to show unemployed/ underemployed folks (not that that's all who is on LinkedIn, of course!) how they can stabilize their own personal economies by becoming self-employed and creating their own income, even if it's just "on the side."

However, to my surprise, in my personal experience, I have found that most people "looking for a job" aren't really all that open to earning their own income. Some are - and I've met a couple of these "accidental entrepreneurs" on Biznik, who started a business while attempting to find a new job after another ended). But most job-seekers are looking for a paycheck and what they think of as "security."

(Okay, now that's something I could go on and on about... but I don't want to hijack this thread!)

Joe, what events have been going on at Linked:Seattle? What's the history there? What seem to be the commonalities with the audience, aside from geography? What do you feel the needs are? You're asking how Bizniks might be able to use a community that I'm frankly just not that familiar with. I did log in and see what's happening in current discussions (mostly people seeking advice who are job hunting in or moving to Seattle, it seems), but I don't have a good overview.
Posted by Joe Hage, Seattle, Washington | Dec 05, 2012

Thanks, Kate, and I just had a lovely 20-minute conversation with Matt.

I write an email to the Linked:Seattle community each week. I've covered marijuana legislation, our state budget gap, and, tomorrow, about the gaps between available jobs and available skills.

I'm still "feeling around" to find our groove. I'm reaching out to chambers of commerce and major employers for a start. It's true, LinkedIn is much more geared toward traditional employment.

My thought is LinkedIn members still need services provided by Bizniks. That's where I think the convergence may lie.

Plus, when it makes sense to do so, I can amplify the messages seen here, either in articles (I rarely have time to read) or in local events that need to be promoted.

Perhaps a joint Linked:Seattle / Biznik event in the future. I don't know. But I'm open to ideas!