RE Capital's Visionary Leadership under Newman Leech
Rob Duncan - Social Networking As An Innovation Tool Jan 27, 2011
1. Using online social networks to your advantage
By Rob Duncan
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2. Your Speaker
Rob Duncan
Director, BCIT Applied Research Liaison Office
Author of:
- Haul Away! Teambuilding Lessons from a Voyage around
Cape Horn (2005)
- Competitive Intelligence: Fast, Cheap & Ethical (2008)
- Improv to Improve your Business (2011)
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3. Our Agenda
So what is all this social networking stuff?
Is it really useful for business or is it waste of time?
What is collaborative or social innovation?
Lessons from my doctoral thesis
What are some key collaborative innovation tools?
Okay, I’m on there – now what?
Q&A
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4. ...not just a place to have fun...
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5. Online social networking
Competitive intelligence
Collaborative innovation
Get early warning of trends
Tap into collective brainpower
Build your dream team and find partners
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6. Networking is not new!
Why we network
Strength of weak ties
Enabling technologies
Reed’s 3rd law
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8. Why collaboration matters
Harvard study (scientific problem)
Social media is changing business
Lines are blurring
The customer is on your design team
And your competitor’s!
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9. Lessons from my doctoral research
Looking at the role of online social networks in inter-
firm collaborative innovation & problem solving
Extensive study of LinkedIn users
Some key findings...
People are connecting more with people in other
organizations
Online social networks are allowing greater access to
innovation partners, faster problem solving & greater
innovation ability
Online social networks will have an increasing importance
in organizations
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11. Online social networks...
Some are good for intelligence gathering (Twitter,
LinkedIn, Facebook)
Some are more collaborative (LinkedIn, Quora,
Twitter)
Let’s have a quick tour...
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13. LinkedIn
Intelligence: Collaboration:
Executive profiling Weak ties
Who is connected to Small favours
who? Large networks
Groups = tribes Groups = expert pools
Q&A Q&A
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15. Facebook
Intelligence: Collaboration:
Personal life Life outside the suit
Friends
Friends of friends
Habits
Interests
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17. Twitter
Intelligence: Collaboration:
Tribes Follow the right people
Interests Live blogging events
Location Meet-ups
Activities Emergent situations
Who follows them
Promote self, blog etc.
Who they follow
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19. Quora
Intelligence: Collaboration:
Fast answers to Locate team members
questions Find catalysts
Peer-rated answers Potential partners
Organized by topics
Follow topics
Follow particular
questions
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20. A deeper dive into LinkedIn
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21. Being a good citizen
Full profile with photo
Build your network – add connections
Ask & answer questions
Update status frequently
Join groups and participate in discussions
Help others: “what’s in it for them?”
Be a giver not a taker
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22. The Power of Q&A
Ask strategic questions
Answer questions
frequently and generously;
think of yourself last
Put a Weblink in your
answers (draw people to
your Website, books, or
blog)
Earn expertise rewards &
build reputation
TIP: Visit Q&A daily and
answer as many
questions as you can,
insinuating your web
address where possible
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23. The Power of Groups
Search for & join relevant
Groups
Be strategic: should I join
“Starving Inventors” or “New
Product Tycoons?” Why not
both?
Display your Group badges
on your profile to allow like-
minded people to connect
Contribute to Group
Discussions
TIP: Join the group “Invites
Welcome” to grow your
network
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24. The Power of Discussions
Each LinkedIn Group has a
discussion feature
Good way to advertise new
books
Ask strategic questions
Introduce yourself to the
community
TIP: Seed a discussion
with your key business
challenge, e.g. “How do I
connect with inventors who
need protoypes made?”
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25. The Power of Introductions
Connect 2 people who can
help each other
Ask for introductions from
your connections
Be generous with your
contacts
TIP: Search for your
dream client and see who
in your network is
connected to them – get
introduced
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26. Getting the Most out of LinkedIn
Put everything in your profile
Increase your network size
Join LinkedIn Groups
Ask and answer questions strategically
Give more than you get
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27. The Power of Small Favours
Help 50 people with:
Answers
Recommendations
Expert suggestions
Leads
Introductions
When you need help, 50 people will be there for you
Give generously; the “getting” flows indirectly from
your investment in others
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28. Thank You!
Any questions?
www.robduncan.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn!
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