Are You Linked-In? Why Should You Care?

The TV News business is a pretty small business. Word of mouth is a key factor in making deals and moving your career forward. I've been working in this industry since 1982, and I've spent time in more than 100 different newsrooms over those years. I'm thankful to have met a lot of smart/funny/kind people, many of whom are still my friends today.

So when I first heard about LinkedIn, I didn't think it would help me much, but I created my own free page nonetheless. LinkedIn wants to be a MySpace for grown-ups. Much less about playlists and friends-chat, and much more about making professional connections to build your business. All that's well and good, though I'm not sure it will do me any better than what I'm able to do with the connections I already have. But life is about possibilities, right? And since the online world is where everything is moving, why not professional contacts too?

So with that in mind, here's my LinkedIn page. http://www.linkedin.com/in/chipmahaney

And just for fun, here's my MySpace page. http://www.myspace.com/chipmahaney.

As you can see, I'm in desparate need of virtual friends. Sign up and join me online.

By the way, the very smart & busy Amy Gahran has just finished an article about LinkedIn as a means of connecting reporters to local sources. Check it out here on the Poynter.org site.