Have you ever thought about how the power of weak ties can work for you on LinkedIn?

Wait a minute, you might be saying. What are weak ties? And how can they be powerful if they’re weak?

 

What are Weak Ties?

Here is an edited version of the definition of weak ties from Wikipedia’s Interpersonal Ties entry:

Interpersonal ties, that is the connections or ties between people, come in three varieties: strong, weak, and absent. Some researchers theorize that weak ties are actually responsible for most of the structure of social networks, as well as the transmission of information them because more new information flows to individuals through weak ties than though strong ones.”

Read the complete definition at  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpersonal_ties

Sociologist Mark Granovetter introduced this theory in the May 1973 issue of The American Journal of Sociology in an article called “The Strength of Weak Ties. In this article he examined the spread of information through social networks. He found that acquaintances are more likely to be influential than close friends.

Once social media came along, the number of opportunities to create and use weak ties expanded exponentially. The way social media influencers can impact a large group of followers is a perfect example. Read more about this fascinating theory at https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/weak-tie-theory

 

Here’s How I Used Weak Ties on LinkedIn to Land a Speaking Gig

A few weeks ago, an interesting email appeared in my inbox from someone I didn’t know named Annie Hall Mikkelson. The subject line was “LinkedIn Workshop at Rocky Mountain Green Conference.” Annie is the Project Manager for the US Green Building Council’s Mountain Region.

The email began by telling me that Sid Clark had given her my name and contact information. She went on to say:

“Rocky Mountain Green is the US Green Building Council Mountain Region’s annual green building and sustainability conference. This year it will be on April 11th in Denver. We are implementing a new track in 2019 that will be geared toward students and young professionals and we would love to include a session on LinkedIn best practices for career search and development. Is this something you would be interested in leading for us?”

She gave me the specifics of the session and suggested we talk by phone, which we did two days later. And now I’m scheduled to lead this session. Yay!

Here’s where the weak ties part comes in. One of Annie’s LinkedIn connections, Brenda Meller, is a LinkedIn coach and trainer, as well as marketing consultant. When she saw Annie’s post, she “mentioned” (aka “tagged”) another LinkedIn coach, Sid Clark, in her comment on Annie’s post, asking him if he knew any LinkedIn trainers in Colorado. Sid did a search for LinkedIn experts in Colorado, and I came up in his search.

Sid and I had connected on LinkedIn a few months ago, when he commented on one of my posts. I had reached out to him, and we really hit it off in a phone call we had. Because he and I are now connected, I was more likely to come up in his search.

To me, this is a wonderful demonstration of how weak ties connected two people who might otherwise never have met.

 

How About You?

Has the power of weak ties ever benefited you? Think back, even before social media, about ways in which weak ties helped you to land a job or meet someone you might not otherwise have met.

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those ages 45 and older, to become more effective and productive using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

She works with business owners, business development professionals, business consultants, job seekers, and more – ranging from entrepreneurs to people in large corporations. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.