How often in your business day have you picked up the phone and asked a half dozen people for advice? If you’re like most of us, it’s a pretty regular occurrence.
The good folks at LinkedIn have finally incorporated a feature which likely should have been part of the original design — the ability to ask your business network a question. Called LinkedIn Answers, it lets you ask the people you know and trust for advice, just like the real world.Â
You can ask a private question, in which case it goes to only the people you select in your direct network. Or, you can ask a public question, and have it posted for up to seven days. People who answer lots of questions, with thoughtful responses, generate “expert” points, and stand out from the community.Â
I’ve tried both the private questions, and the public questions. The service works as advertised. Within a matter of hours, five people responded to my private question about how to promote our new Blackberry application. When asked publicly, I had a half dozen responses in 20 minutes.
Cool!
Alec Saunders is the Vice President of Developer Relations for BlackBerry make Research in Motion. This is his personal blog, with his personal viewpoints. Prior to this Alec was the CEO and co-founder of Calliflower — the easiest way to hold a meeting, online, on a conference call, or on the go. A double-decade veteran of product management and marketing, he spent nine years at Microsoft where he helped launch Windows 95, the first two versions of Internet Explorer, the Universal Plug and Play initiative, the push into home markets, opt-in email marketing and what might well go down in history as the very first direct email list ever.
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This changes linkedin from a mildly useful way of tracking what your associates are up to, into a really valuable business tool.
Bravo LinkedIn.