Who influences you on social?

LinkedIn today added some new features to their “Influencer” program that they launched in October of last year – these influencers regularly publish posts that get special syndication on LinkedIn’s platform.

It’s an interesting add from LinkedIn – who are clearly serious about changing our use of the platform from how we might have thought about it a few years ago – the rolodex, the place to find your new job, or get the reference that helps you get there.    I remember conversations where someone would ask me “how do you know John?” – let me check LinkedIn would be my regular refrain.   As our networks become larger and we have more networks, keeping track is tough.

Robin Dunbar suggested that “this limit is a direct function of relative neocortex size, and that this in turn limits group size … the limit imposed by neocortical processing capacity is simply on the number of individuals with whom a stable inter-personal relationship can be maintained.”  – which for me is significantly less than the 2,000 plus connections I have on LinkedIn.  Our Dunbar number evens out at around 150.  That feels right to me… so long as its not a different 150 on each network!

This new functionality from LinkedIn now lets me – through threaded comments, engage with other folks who are commenting on an Influencers post and I can mention other folks.   It extends me reach beyond my network.    It’s pretty interesting that what I thought was my discrete network is now expanding exponentially.

Do I like that?  Actually I do.  Influencers by nature are not shrinking violets – commenting on and connecting in this way with those influencers and the folks who are commenting on like content, gives me brand association.    Currently if I want to reach folks outside my current network with content on LinkedIn, I post through groups that I’m members of, so this simply extends me reach to a whole new set of folks.  And yes, LinkedIn it keeps me on the platform.

I can feel my neocortical processor starting to need an overhaul!    But that wasn’t what I started out to say.  The influencer program is great, but its not where I get most of my content.  95% of the content that I read comes from a trusted network of folks who I have self designated as curators for me.  If these people share content, the vast majority of the time I read it.  I don’t have to go looking myself.

Who are they?  Industry colleagues, trusted partners, friends certainly.  How did they get to my (none published) list?  Time, good content and trust.

Which leads me to my questions.

• Who influences you?
• How did they get to that position?

Today’s blog comes from Sarah Carter, General Manager of Actiance’s Social Business. Find and engage with Sarah Sarah on Twitter @sarahactiance or via LinkedIn.