LinkedIn and Twitter- How to Foster the Unlikely Relationship

The foundations of Twitter and LinkedIn couldn’t be more different. They say opposites attract, but pairing up this dynamic social media duo never seemed right to me. Twitter has become multi-tonal in its uses. Some use Twitter for serious information sharing, while others use it conversationally, and some use it just to rant (I love to rant!). LinkedIn, hasn’t grown much since it’s birth, but holds its place as the number one professional social networking site and allows you to fool the world into thinking you are some awesome business professional. Depending on which of the three Tweeter personalities you are, you may want to hide your Twitter from your LinkedIn profile-and re-asses how you use them together.

Some folks take special care to keep their content “Sober” on social media networks; this never really made sense to me. Last I checked, social media was supposed to be fun, friendly, inviting, engaging and anything but boring. Twitter and Facebook are like the “Brangelina” of social media, so where does the redheaded stepchild LinkedIn fit into the social media family tree?

 I understand that it’s a business-networking site, and should be treated as such, so I wont push the subject. Your LinkedIn profile says a lot about who you are professionally, and how you conduct yourself in a business setting, whether or not you realize how heavily people weigh in it. That being said, beware when a Tweet from Saturday night emerges in the Twitter section of your LinkedIn profile about how you stole some chick’s Christian Louboutin stilettos. Whoops, there goes that promotion!

So if the fun loving Twitter will continue to date the sober-sally LinkedIn how do we keep this unlikely relationship blossoming? Here are some thoughts:

First: Self-restraint, don’t Tweet silly stuff, it doesn’t look good, simply put.

Second: Make sure you are using #In/ #Li if you close your Tweets to your LinkedIn page and want to say something your industry might find intelligent (Because you are a genius and your voice should be heard.)

Third: Create a professional Twitter profile (like duh!).

I’d say those three steps are the simplest guides to a happy marriage for these two to be functional together. If you still manage to goof up and Tweet on LinkedIn about how you mistook gorilla glue as your daily anti-aging cream, you might want to consider some changes in your life.

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