On Friday, together with 20-year CNN veteran, Chris Crommett and brand management expert, Mike Wien,  I co-instructed NewsCertified Exchange's "Influencing the Headlines: Empowering Women in Global Media" media skills workshop in Atlanta.  The workshop is 3+ hours of information from defining what you are famous for (Mike) to media strategy & the art/science of the story pitch (Chris) to social media networking (me).

The workshop was filled with sophisticated users of social media - actively blogging, using Linkedin/Facebook and many, wadding right on in with Twitter.  With this audience, the workshop was more "how to engage more" vs "how to", more "maximizing the social media networking venue" vs "you need to be on social media".

My philosophy or approach to networking: it should purpose-focused, whether you are networking in-person or online.  As I like to say "stop committing random acts of networking" (or reserve "random networking" for your holiday card list, as my friend Elizabeth advises).

Am I a social media expert? Nah. I'm an expert on networking, and social media just happens to be a networking venue I find particularly effective for connecting, collaborating and conspiring.  For me, social media websites - Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter - are simply "networking" venues.  Social media networking is about relationship building – on a bigger stage and with an open invitation to multiple conversations. It is building relationships with other people – forget the “venue” (Twitter vs Toast-Masters) it takes time and is part of a networking-suite of activities you should be undertaking to build your reputation with journalists.

During Friday's workshop, we focused a lot on Linkedin (perhaps the least "social" of the Big 3). Why? We were speaking to a room full of professionals looking to get their credentials in front of the global news media.  Linkedin is the business networking site. It's about professional credentials, expertise and opinions. Personally, I think Linkedin is a highly valuable and an under-used social media site. Too many users have incomplete profiles or profiles which merely recite their "resume" of paid employment. Who says non-paid employment (significant roles on fund-raising committees or not-for profit boards or involvement in professional associations) can't get listed?  And don't get me started on the use or lack of use of Linkedin by women - yes, it's the one social media site women do not dominate. A goal during the workshop was to get the attendees to use Linkedin more (and more creatively), to think outside the 4 corners of their Linkedin profile, to own their credentials just a little bit more and to use features like "Headline" and "Updates" to brand their expertise.

Together with NewsCertified Exchange, I put together some tips on using Linkedin to its fullest and in particular, to engage with the media. Those tips can be found here.