What Does This Mean for Your Business?

LinkedIn has added a new “click” feature that enables you to very easily “endorse” people for their expertise in the skill areas listed on their LinkedIn profile. A recent article from Social Media Examiner talks about this new feature and offers 6 Tips for Using the LinkedIn New Endorsements. Endorsements has been met with mixed reviews. But it does set the stage for additional dialogue on how social-media connections turn into actual business relationships?

Through the new feature I have received Endorsements, like many of you probably have. I’m honored to receive this acknowledgement from my industry colleagues, but it makes me wonder what these Endorsements actually represent.

Prior to Endorsements, LinkedIn offered the ability to write Recommendations for people you know. People take time to think through their thoughts and provide a true Recommendation. These are “real world” personal testimonials. I very much appreciate the Recommendation comments I receive and believe that written Recommendations have true value. To me, Endorsements just don’t carry the same kind of weight.

Here’s an example. In preparing to write this article, I thought about my good friend Rod Brown from MadeToOrder. It seemed like the appropriate time to write a positive Recommendation for him, illustrating my point. I wrote: “Rod is an asset to our industry. I've seen his savvy business skills and leadership ability in action. Through the years, Rod has taken the time to mentor me and I am privileged to call him my friend.” My Recommendation is short and to the point, but I believe it has far more value than simply clicking to do an Endorsement, which requires little if any thought at all.

This article on using LinkedIn’s new Endorsements feature has stimulated many comments, many of a negative nature. This particular post sums up my feelings: