

Its a great way to approach someone with a common interest (via a group once you've joined) but also a potential way to find quality groups.Ĭonnect with other groups members. If you have a special interest or niche industry go to some LinkedIn profiles of Thought Leaders in this area, scroll all the way to the bottom, select interests and the groups tab to see what groups they are a member of. A little know LinkedIn feature is the ability see which groups any LinkedIn user is a member of (as long as the group is not hidden). You need to know the names of the quality groups though in order to find them this way so suggestions can really help if you're just getting started with groups.įind groups through a shared connection or interest. You can also search for groups via their name in the search area, and refine your results to show groups. Not a lot of LinkedIn users are aware of what groups exist so this is a good place to begin. Under the My Network tab (scroll down though the options) are some group suggestions based on your industry, location and activity. Join some suggested groups that LinkedIn provide as this is an improving feature. The considerations for this are for users as participants, group admins as aspiring community leaders, and for LinkedIn in the areas of education and product development. Members have an invested interest, responsibility and shared ownership of making the group work even if they aren't a manager or an admin."Īll three conversations were different but highly insightful and helped me formulate the following key takeaways on how we can improve the experience of LinkedIn groups. When a shared interest becomes a shared identity and a shared purpose it becomes a community. A group is any bunch of individuals who have a shared interest. By reputation most LinkedIn users believe groups to be the place where people pitch their wares but don't start or engage in round-table discussions.Īs Greg Cooper explained in our conversation, "Some of the best groups become communities. Only a small portion of groups achieve this. Communities must bring a sense of connectedness and belonging to other members. Unfortunately a lot of groups are more like the latter. Think of a campfire, not a solo hike up a mountain. They should facilitate the connection, introduction, or shared sense of purpose between members, and help people to become better at a desired outcome or better connected in some way (depending on the group's purpose). Communities should be round-tables, where more than just one person contributes, not a speaker to a silent audience. I have and always will be a big believer in community but let's be clear on the definition: a group does not make a community. My question led me to Greg Cooper, who runs a few small and locally based business groups in the UK, Tsufit who is responsible for one of LinkedIn's best groups - Step into the Spotlight has over 13,000 members, and Jeff Young who runs LI Tips for All Levels of Experience with over 2000 members and adds a lot of value to members looking to learn more and share more tips about LinkedIn.
#Creating linkedin groups series#
I myself manage 3 small groups on LinkedIn, none of which I'd consider to be thriving nor offer a large group experience, so I asked my network about the most engaged and thriving groups - where were they and who was running them? As part of my community conversations series on LinkedIn Live I set out to interview a few stand-out examples. So I embarked on a discovery journey as to why LinkedIn groups work, why they don't work, and what we can learn from some very positive LinkedIn group experiences. Most LinkedIn users I know actively network on the platform without even taking part in group conversations. LinkedIn groups have a fairly poor reputation for many reasons which I'll address in this article. Whilst LinkedIn has always been a platform that I love, I've often felt that the groups feature was in need of some further development to be taken seriously. What makes a thriving LinkedIn group? How do we begin to address the problem with groups that a lot of LinkedIn users experience?īack in October I asked my community builders group what their ideal topic for live interviews would be, and I was surprised that the consensus was asking for more discussions around the use and experience of LinkedIn groups.
