These great comments came from one of my FEI readers. And he’s right, he probably isn’t the only one asking these kinds of questions. Here’s his post:
I would appreciate your thoughts about all the different “connecting” or some type of affiliation based programs out there. I have recently received invites for Linked-In, Plaxo, Facebook and Konnect. They are all “not quite the same” and of course, do not allow data sharing with each other. And of course, we must “twitter”. I think I just hit the “information overload” stage. I need to simplify and I don’t think I am alone in this quandary.
He’s got it right … he needs to be visible and the sites he mentioned are all tools to create visibility. If time is of the essence, here are my top picks for building visibility.
Linked In is a must. It is the largest online business networking site, and at least for today, the best place to create your portable portfolio. Be sure to open the account under your name and email address, not your company’s, so you own the account. If you’re new to Linked In, you can request a copy of my article “5 Easy Ways to Beef Up Your Linked In Profile” by sending me an email (cindy@cfo-coach.com).
Two other recommended sites include Ziggs and Zoom Info. Because Linked In only allows folks in your network to see your contact information, Ziggs and Zoom Info provide that information AND add to the credibility of your footprint.
I like Facebook and encourage my CFOs to join. Part of the allure of this site is that it allows you to deepen your brand by painting a complete picture of who you are as a person. What you care about (values) and your interests are easy to discern by decision makers hiring for culture fit.
Leverage the power of the Google search engine by creating and managing your Google profile. I recently read that your Google profile will soon show up first in every Google search, so … need I say more?
There are a few sites out now that allow you to consolidate your online profiles, make changes once, and update all of them simultaneously. A few of those sites are reviewed by KillerStartups.
Next post … Twitter for CFOs