The LinkedIn Influencer program is no longer taking new applicants, but Conan O’Brien apparently had no problems being accepted. As yet another example that celebrities live in an alternate reality, Conan had over 60,000 followers instantly after the first cheeky post of “Hello, LinkedIn“.
Any seasoned LinkedIn member understands the critical LinkedIn profile tip of 2013 is providing content. That compelling image and title draw people to your video, podcast, or blog post. You’re now interesting with something truly unique.
Conan is of course a comedian and some LinkedIn members were more than just angry. Millions of business people use LinkedIn to stay current in their industry, connect with prospects, follow customers, hire new talent, find a new position, and monitor the competition. Conan’s profile tries a little too hard to be funny and it’s doubtful there will be the required curated 3 posts per week of thought-provoking business articles.
Some idiot fueled the fire by posting Conan’s joking post on Digg with the subtitle “It’s A Waste of Everyone’s Time”. Even CNET didn’t get it, ending their article about Conan on LinkedIn with “Finally, a businessman for you to look up to.”
My only thought was that LinkedIn has really made it and traditional cable/television and print continue to get disrupted. How many people do you hear now saying “I don’t waste time watching TV”? They of course mean they don’t willingly sit on the couch each evening under the TV glow, but are very selective and may see a couple of select things first by judging a recording.
Twitter and Facebook have plenty of celebrities, but maybe Cheng-Gong recognized an opening on LinkedIn. If you’re going to do political satire or just wanting to greatly expand your audience, why not grab a few million business people?
I’m no Gladwell, but thank you for reading and maybe someday the LinkedIn Influencers will be real up and coming business people, and not celebrities or the marketing staff musings of big players who have already made it.