(Image: The Belle of the Ball, Secret Garden After Party Dance, when the Inn is Asleep by Wonderlane on Flickr)

We’re working with a few clients to build LinkedIn groups for their brand.
Before inviting others to join the group, we are starting an interesting conversation with just a few highly engaged members.
The reason behind this is simple and applies offline as well.

If you show up to a party with no people, food or music, then you’ll leave a few minutes later.
I think the same applies online.

If you’re invited to a forum and there’s no conversation, pictures or articles posted, you’ll leave.
Why would you invest time into a community like this? What’s your incentive to contribute?
If you’re building a community for your brand, start the conversation first with a few trusted advocates.

Get the party going and turn the music on.
Then, invite others to dance with you.

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The first values transparency, collaboration and humanity. In this world, I bog, tweet, review, share pictures and videos and constantly update my Facebook and LinkedIn profiles.

The second worships results. An individual’s value is defined by his or her ability to make things happen.

Sometimes these worlds pull me in opposite directions.

During a recent interview I was conducting for one of my clients, the agency I was interviewing made a snide comment about my blog. The comment was awkward and inappropriate – I ignored it, but felt its sting. I thought of my options: Should I create separate blogs for business and personal reflections? Should I delete my Twitter account? Should I research the online profile of the person who made the comment?

I didn’t act for several weeks. During this time, I reflected on how social media brings my personal life into my business relationships. Clients may actually see the tweet I sent from South by Southwest at 3 a.m., my blog entry about adult communities online or photos of spring break from back when I was in college.

Does this mean we should sanitize our online footprints? Running a marketing agency focused on social media makes this question even more complicated. In some cases, my online footprint can enhance my credibility in one world while undermining it in another.

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