Addressing the audience on #LinkedIn

I saw The book of Mormon last night. Rude, crude and socially unacceptable, But I loved it.

I took the program home to read the actors’ credits. When you make the national roadshow cast and previously have been on Broadway and regional top name theaters, you can, and should, strut your stuff. I get that.

But when 1/3 of the one actor’s credit reads:

“Love and many thanks to mom, dad, family, friends, the creative team, my teachers and my mentors”

or when more than a half of another cast member’s credit lists:

“Thanks to Mom, Pops, Moen, Phileo, Birdwell, Dr. Bill, Jan, my OCU family, C&C, Leading Artists, Carrie, Kate and my entire BOM creative team,”

I wonder: who are they addressing: themselves or the reader?

Not me, the reader.

I am all for thanking the right people who help you in your journey. We all need to do that more often.

But please pick the right venue to do so, the right place they will be recognized, and most importantly, address the audience, mindful of who your readers are. Don’t waste their attention span or time. It’s too short…

Nice for Dr. Bill to see his name in print, really? but in a national playbill of cast credits? Does the actor think those of us reading this will say to ourselves, “Wow, I better get a hold of that Dr. Bill!”

So it is with your LinkedIn profile.

Identify the people who may be interested in how you portray your past, present and future, your “why” and “‘how” you do what you do as they will search you out, and if you are crafting a great profile, they will read yours.

But speak to them. No one likes, or reads, a dull story. Tell yours to the audience with the color and character that they will get when they get to know you. Speak, and speak well, and pointedly.

To the reader.

Not to Dr. Bill and Mom and Pops.