Annika's comments

I'm so sorry to have to miss this! But I'm already out of town for the holidays.

Sorry to have to cancel, but I've got a cold and jet lag and think I'd better stay home this evening. I'll try to make the next one!

Fabulous! Biznik is such a great community and resource, and it deserves the recognition. As do you, Dan and Lara, for all your hard work in creating Biznik in the first place and continuing to improve it as it grows. Congratulations!

Thanks, James, for putting this together. I learned so much, including just how much work I need to do to optimize my website! Aaron's insights were really great for getting me started until I can afford to have a professional redo my website for me (not in the budget anytime soon, unfortunately).

Thanks also for providing such a nice lunch for us all!

James,

This sounds great. I could definitely use some SEO help on my own website, and I'm also interested in what you have to say because I've just been assigned to write an article on creating a powerful website. It sounds like this could be helpful on both fronts!

Annika

Great event, Corbet! I learned a lot. I'll post a compliment on your profile.

Sierra, this sounds great, but I'll be out of town. I hope you'll do this again.

Suzi,

Unfortunately I'm going to have to cancel. I'll hope to make the next one!

Annika

I'd like to be able to change the "relationship" label before accepting a request from someone to join their network. For example, I recently got an invitation from someone I don't know who specified our relationship as "Friend." I'm happy to link to this person, who seems very interesting, but I would like it to say "We met online/at an event." Currently, as far as I can tell, I either decline the invitation or I accept it as is, even if I think the label is wrong. I've heard a rumor that you are already addressing this issue - I hope so!

Another thing that would be nice would be the ability to sort/archive messages so that I don't have to scroll through the entire list in my inbox to find what I'm looking for. Similarly, I'd like a few more options to sort my network list. I llike the ability to bookmark people in my network and view only those, but it would be nice if I could view my network alphabetically or sorted by the labels I choose (other writers in my network, clients, referral partners, or whatever label I choose). The bigger the network the harder it is to find someone in my list.

Great article, Dani! I'm a long-time user of LinkedIn and have recently been exploring the groups feature to make new connections I otherwise would have been unable to link with. Some people are reluctant to accept invitations from people they don't know, but since one of the goals of networking is to make new connections, I don't restrict my connections in that way. What I do make sure to do before accepting any invitations to link to people I don't know is to really check out their profile in detail. I like to see recommendations because they give me a sense of who the person is and how he or she is viewed by colleagues and/or clients. If there is a website link in their profile I also check that out before agreeing to the connection.

I myself have sent out requests to link with people I don't know who look interesting, but it's important to explain why I am interested in linking with them in my invitation. After that, I agree that it's bad form to start asking for anything (referrals, introductions, etc.) without doing a little relationship building first. It's definitely worth taking the time to have a dialogue with new connections and getting to know them a bit. Another nice new feature of LinkedIn is the discussions within groups. It's a good way to increase your visibility within a group, though as a new feature, these discussions are still just taking off. This feature is similar to the Q&A section, but it allows for discussions within a more targeted group of people.

Allan, you mention getting bogged down with LinkedIn updates. Have you set your account preferences to limit the number and types of e-mail you receive? As for the network updates on your LinkedIn home page, I don't think there's any way to avoid seeing everything, but I find that even the updates about connections I don't really know can occasionally be useful for triggering new ideas (for discussions to join, people to search for, etc.). I love Biznik and agree that it is much more friendly and easy to use, but like Dani I find that LinkedIn can also be a useful tool. I think it's well worth maintaining an active presence on several of the largest networking sites, and for me that includes both Biznik and LinkedIn.

I might be a little late...I'm hosting another event (my first Biznik event as host) immediately before this one, but I'll try not too be too delayed.

Great idea, Eylon! Wish I could make it, but I'll be out of town until the 11th.

Sorry, Kirk, a work issue has come up, and I won't be able to make it to this event tomorrow after all. Hope you all have a great time!

Annika

Bob and Judy,

I'm so sorry to cancel at the last minute, but I'm just not going to be able to make the drive today. I've been suffering from severe back pain lately, and I thought it was getting better, but this morning I woke up and things were pretty bad again. Driving always makes it worse, and I'm not sure my back can take the 100+-mile round trip today. I've been looking forward to the event and am really sorry to miss out. I also apologize for messing up your count and food plans at the last minute.

Thanks for understanding, Annika

Helen,

I'm still hoping to be there tonight, but I'm not entirely sure I'll make it. It's been one of those crazy weeks!

Annika

Suzi- So sorry to have to cancel, but I just got back from Mongolia last night (much later than originally scheduled) and have too much on my plate for this week. I hope you host this again sometime!

Thanks so much! Spot taken!

Unfortunately I can't make it to the Bellevue one and will be out of town for all of May, so if no one cancels this time around, I guess I'll have to wait until June. I'll watch the numbers here as the date approaches, just in case....