Once you’re connected to someone on LinkedIn, for example, what do you look for? How do you use their social media profiles to find out about them? Where do you look?
Obviously, you can read over their profile and see what they are doing now, how long they have been there, where they have worked in the past, where they went to school, and what groups they belong to.
You can get their email address.
You can see who they are connected to, and you can see what connections you have in common.
Most people have links to their blog and website.
You can see how active they are on the site, whether they are connecting regularly with new people and posting updates.
If they have the apps enabled, you might be able to see what they are reading, what trips they have planned, what events they are attending, and what presentations they have uploaded to Slideshare.
That’s already a ridiculous amount of information.
If you want more, do quick searches in Updates and Answers.
Then go into a couple of their groups, find them in the Members section and look at their recent activity and discussions.
You will have a much richer picture of what interests and appeals to them, what they are trying to find out, what they are proud of, what is worrying them. That’s information you can use to help them and connect with them at a deeper level.
What are your best tips for information gathering on LinkedIn?