Last week, inVocus discussed how LinkedIn can be utilized by PR pros and journalists who may just be embracing this professionally based social media platform. Some journalists, however, are already masters. Take Todd Wallack for example: he’s a business reporter for the Boston Globe and he’s been using Linkedin for about four years. Wallack recently dished to inVocus about some of the ways he uses LinkedIn and provided some tips for future users.
Katrina M. Mendolera: How do you use LinkedIn in your profession and how often?
Todd Wallack: I use Linkedin in a few ways. I often use it to learn more about people I plan to interview. And I sometimes use it to track down people who worked (or used to work) for a specific company in a specific location.
KMM: What kinds of relationships have you established on LinkedIn? How have these relationships aided you as a business journalist?
TW: I used Linkedin just a week ago to track down people who worked for a Fidelity Investments affiliate in Tunisia who I otherwise never would have met. However, I do not generally correspond with regular sources through LinkedIn.
KMM: What about it as a resource and social media outlet appeals to you? How is it most valuable to you?
TW: Unlike Facebook and other social media outlets, it’s easy to search for people based on employers and occupations.
KMM: Do you think LinkedIn is still an untapped resource? If so, why?
TW: Yes. I think Linkedin is used more by headhunters than by journalists. That’s partly because the site is so limited. It’s very difficult to send e-mail to other people on the site. And Linkedin just made it even harder to use by obscuring the last names of some people listed in the site.
KMM: Do you have any tips for others in your profession who have not yet embraced LinkedIn?
TW: Accept invitations from almost everyone, because the bigger your network, the greater your ability to find people. (Unlike Facebook, people don’t normally post personal information that you have to worry about protecting.)
— Katrina M. Mendolera
