Is the new Google+ format a Facebook killer?

For some months many of us have been wondering why a large empty space has been positioned on the right hand side of the Google+ stream. Now we know.

The Google+ stream has now become a multi-column affair. Which adjusts between one, two or three columns depending on the device being used.  I for one, think it works really well.

It's now possible to quickly scan through numerous updates. With a wide range of picture sizes now being used, it's also a visually appealing experience.

The other major benefit that Google+ has maintained is that YOU decide what to read. Either by perusing the stream which shows updates from all your "connections". Or by allocating connections to specific "circles" and viewing the stream for each specific circle. 

Compared to Facebook which heavily filters the updates you see, Google+ now gives you a better visual experience with content that is under your control. The updates displayed on the LinkedIn home page are certainly not as visually impressive as those on Google+, with the rendering of pictures often being far from perfect. Neither service offers the level of personalisation which you can achieve using Google+ circles.

Savvy business people will be able to use Google+ as a very effective information source. Don't be surprised to see a another major increase in the usage of Google+ over the coming months.

Other new Google+ enhancements include:

Hashtags - When these are clicked, they now "flip" the current item and allow you to browse a range of related information, right from within the Google+ stream.

Hangouts - The group video application has been enhanced to operate across desktops, Android and iPhone devices.

Photos - Improved photo editing features have been made available, including an auto-enhance feature.

Now's the time to establish yourself on Google+. It's really starting to take off, which is the best time to grow your network on any social media service.

To see the new Google+ stream in action go to: http://googleplusproject.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/new-google-stream-hangouts-and-photos.html

How To Get Introduced To New Contacts On LinkedIn

Asking an existing contact to make an introduction is a great way to build your business network. LinkedIn provides an easy way to facilitate these introductions and increases the likelihood of success.


Here are the key steps:

1) Go to the LinkedIn profile of an existing contact on LinkedIn. Preferably, a contact with whom you have a close relationship. Scroll down to the "Connections" section on their profile (see below). 

2) Peruse their existing connections using the "next" button or by using the search box. You can search by name or another term.

3) If you conduct a search it will also offer you the opportunity to access the advanced search options.

4) The advanced search options (e.g. company, location etc.) then appear on the left hand side of the initial search results.

5) When you find somebody you wish to be introduced too, go to their profile by clicking on their name. 

6) Select "Get introduced" from the drop down menu in the header section of their profile.

7) The following box will appear. Select the LinkedIn contact you wish to make the introduction on your behalf. There may be multiple options available from amongst your LinkedIn connections.

8) Enter an explanation of why you wish to connect with the person concerned. Then press "Send Request". The request will go to your selected connection, who can then pass on your request accordingly.

Note: It is also possible to access the "Introduction Request" box by going to the "How You're Connected" section on the right hand side of any LinkedIn profile.

Need To Affirm Your Thought Leadership? Then Try Out This New Video Platform.

An interview with Jeremy Richman, Director of Chameleon Corporate Communications. About their innovative new video offering, EyeLevel - The Executive View.

What does EyeLevel provide over and above standard video platforms?

Jeremy Richman
Chameleon Corporate Communications

EyeLevel is a custom-built thought leadership platform. It has two main components. The first enables you to showcase a thought-leadership video presentation on a topic of strategic importance to your organisation and your market. The second enables you to set five thought-provoking questions around the topic, and feature the responses of an executive panel of your choice. In a nutshell, it enables you to demonstrate both what you know and who you know – the all-important criteria of judge us by the company we keep.

The interactive navigation was custom built for EyeLevel with a considerable amount of effort going into the design and functionality. It enables viewers to control which question and which panel response they view, which makes for a far more engaging experience.

What can a business achieve through using EyeLevel?

For many businesses there is a significant benefit in being seen as strategic partners to their clients rather than mere suppliers. That is not easily achieved. EyeLevel provides businesses with the ability to elevate the level of discussion to issues of significance to their clients’ senior managers and executives.

For example, if your business is transport and logistics, at an operational level you may be talking about schedules and pricing. To be perceived as a thought leader, you may need to be thinking about infrastructure developments, demographic shifts, sustainability requirements or the impact of changing consumer behaviour on transport and warehousing.

Which type of businesses do you think will benefit from EyeLevel?

The EyeLevel Platform

The original intention was to create this platform for organisations in the business to business arena. However, the more we talk to people about EyeLevel, the more uses we are finding for the platform. We've encountered ideas covering a spectrum from training staff at remote sites through to featuring travel and leisure locations to rewards for sports club fans. Imagination is the only barrier.

What is the function of an EyeLevel panel member?

For the host, as mentioned, it provides the ‘who we know’ factor. If your business is seen as associating with good, smart, progressive and high profile thinkers that has to be beneficial for your profile.

For viewers of EyeLevel topics, the panel provides five different knowledge sets and perspectives on each question. Interestingly, our experience shows that it’s not just the answers that differ, it’s often the interpretation of the question as well. The more diverse and interesting the panel, the more diverse and interesting the responses are likely to be.

How are EyeLevel video presentations produced?

Another EyeLevel Production Example

The great thing for businesses is how easy it all is. We provide a complete package that covers every component of the service. Ideally, the host presenting the topic and the five panel members are all videoed in one location on the same day. This could be at the offices of the host company or a recording studio.

Unlike a round-table panel discussion, each panel member is videoed separately. This allows them time to interpret the question in their own way and to record their views in a comfortable setting, without pressure and without being influenced by what other panel members say. If they are not happy with their response to a question, we just do another take. It’s important to us to make this to be thoroughly enjoyable for everyone involved. We want panel members to be happy and for the experience to be a positive one.

Where can you see EyeLevel video presentations?

The first two demonstration topics are already posted on the dedicated EyeLevel website. Once we move into production of EyeLevel topics for clients, there will be links from the client’s web site as well as external links through email campaigns, social media, blogs etc.

Part of our service will be to help our clients ensure their EyeLevel topics reach a broad audience that includes their clients, prospective clients, market influencers, media, potential recruits and anyone else who may be touched by the company’s products or services.


Interview by Richard Carter of Business Connection Resources.

Being in the Top 1% on LinkedIn provides amazing publicity.

I was delighted to be notified recently that my profile was among the top 1% of viewed profiles on LinkedIn in 2012.  

Now that LinkedIn has over 200 million business people as members - with over 3 million of them in Australia alone - this level of visibility is simply amazing publicity for my business. 

Do you want the same visibility for your business? I can make it happen for you.

Contact me to find out how.

Are You Taking Advantage Of These LinkedIn Profile Changes?

With over 3 billion searches being carried out on LinkedIn every month, your profile is probably being viewed a lot more often than you think. But is it creating the right image? Or are you losing potential clients without even knowing it.

The past 12 months have seen a raft of innovations at LinkedIn. One of the major changes is the introduction of a new style of personal profile. If you implement some of the new features available, it really does provide you with a much enhanced online presence.

HOWEVER...some of the changes implemented may have disrupted the entries already included in your profile. As most LinkedIn accounts now seem to have been migrated to the new profile format, it's time to check how the following changes have affected the presentation of your own profile.

New Headline Section

Headline Section - Your profile picture is now displayed in a larger format, along with your "Headline" being more prominently positioned. Make sure your photo still presents a good quality image. And there's even more reason to have a descriptive headline (not just a job title).

Contact Information - These details are now hidden (but available as a drop down menu under the headline section). It's still very worthwhile having these completed and including links to appropriate web resources. Be sure to name your web links, don't just leave them with the default labels.

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Activity - Your recent activity on LinkedIn is now also more prominently shown, directly under the above Headline section. This makes it even more important to issue well composed updates on a regular basis.

Summary Section - The summary and specialities sections have been combined but you can only use a limited amount of characters in the combined section. Make sure your entry looks OK within the new format. Edit the section if required. If you've not done a summary section as yet, it's time to get cracking. The summary section may be the only thing visitors to your profile read and it's also an important factor in search results.

Applications (Apps) - There's bad news, if you used any of the LinkedIn profile apps to display additional information (e.g. blog posts, articles, pictures etc.)  - THEY'RE GONE! However, there is in new feature within the Experience section (see below) which may be even better for you.

Recommendations & Web Links in the Experience Section

Experience Section - Two major enhancements in this section. Recommendations are now displayed under each role. This looks really good but there is no longer an overall recommendation count shown anywhere on the profile. Secondly, you can now insert links to images, documents, videos and presentations related to each of your roles. THIS IS A REALLY GREAT WAY OF ENHANCING YOUR PROFILE. Just make sure any links you insert provide appropriate and good quality images.

The new link insertion feature is also available under the Summary and Eduction sections.

Web Link Insertion Symbol

Note: Even if you have been migrated to the new profile format, the ability to insert links may not yet be available to you. Look out for the symbol shown on the right. When it starts appearing on your profile the feature has been activated.

Company Logo for Business Connection Resources

Company Logos - These are now displayed alongside entries in the Experience section. To enable this facility, however, you need to have your company logo loaded onto the LinkedIn Company Page for the related business. It does enhance the look of individual profiles and is good exposure for the company concerned. So make sure this has been done.

Endorsements as they now appear in the Skills & Expertise Section

Skills & Expertise Section - You're probably already aware of this feature, as LinkedIn have been actively promoting it for some months. It allows you to endorse the skills or expertise of your connections with a single click of the mouse. Make sure you've included the skills categories that are important to you within this section. Having skills endorsed seems almost certain to become increasingly important for search results within LinkedIn (and maybe with the major search engines themselves).

Move Profile Section Button

Moving Profile Sections - It's now easier to move sections around within your profile. For instance, as your endorsements grow, you may wish to move the Skills & Expertise section to a more prominent location.

Additional Information - Some Personal Information entries have now been transferred into an Additional Information section with a somewhat different structure. Make sure your original information is now appropriately displayed. It's now also possible to add additional details on the organisations with which you're associated.

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Groups - LinkedIn groups are now more predominantly displayed with their logos. Unfortunately they appear on your profile in alphabetical order. There is also a drop down menu if you are a member of more than eight. Make sure you're happy with the groups that are being displayed. If not, you can hide individual groups via the Groups, Companies & Applications section in your LinkedIn settings.

New Section Options

Other New Sections - Information on Projects, Languages, Publications, Courses, Patents, Certifications and Volunteering can now all be provided within their own discrete sections. When you're in the process of editing your profile, the option to add these sections is displayed on the right hand side of your profile.

Nowadays, like it or not, you're expected to have professional, well crafted profiles on social media sites. If you don't, you will certainly miss out on business opportunities.


You can find my LinkedIn profile at:  http://au.linkedin.com/in/businessconnections                         

Be sure to let me know if you would like to connect on LinkedIn.


What do you think of the new LinkedIn profile set-up? Are there any other features you've found particularly useful?