I have long been a big supporter of LinkedIn groups because I always learned so much from the discussions. Because of that, I invested a significant amount of my social media time in group discussions — until LinkedIn redesigned the site in early 2017.

That’s when the group chatter just stopped.

LinkedIn groups seemed to disappear

The first clue that groups were in trouble after the redesign was that I couldn’t find them. I had to use Google to locate the 20 or so groups where I am (or was . . .) the most active.

Since then, group discussions have practically disappeared. A group post that might have generated 48 comments two years ago might get three or four, now. I truly, truly miss those discussions.

Traffic from LinkedIn to this blog has dropped, too. In the first quarter of 2016, LinkedIn was a top traffic source for this site. That volume started declining in the first quarter of last year after the site redesign and today? It’s about half of what it used to be.

Authors have noticed a difference

I asked the Build Book Buzz Facebook group members if they had noticed the change (it’s no coincidence that the group is on Facebook, not LinkedIn). Those who used to be active in the groups did see a difference, of course. One group owner said she created a new group for her community on Facebook because of the dropoff in group member participation on LinkedIn.

With confirmation that others had noticed a disappointing drop in LinkedIn group activity, I did a quick online search to see what I could learn about the what and why behind this apparent effort to kill off the social network’s groups.

Search results were initially discouraging — most had reached the same conclusion that I did — until I came across “LinkedIn Set to Bring Back Groups from the Dead (But, Why?“) on Inc.com.

Notice that, “But, why?” in the title.

The “why” is that they were amazingly useful before LinkedIn messed things up.

I emailed a LinkedIn publicist twice to confirm the article’s report that there would be “a renewed focus on groups” but never got a response.

What I did get two weeks later, however, was an invitation to the “LinkedIn Groups Listening Tour” in one of the company’s three offices in San Francisco, Toronto, and New York. I’m interpreting that as a sign that the company actually is trying to breathe life into groups.

Ask the expert

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I contacted my friend Wayne Breitbarth, author of The Power Formula for LinkedIn Success, to get his opinion about the future of LinkedIn groups.

“I am hopeful, but there is a real lack of caring right now from the members so it will take some real emphasis and focus” he says, adding,”I haven’t seen enough from them since the big January announcement. I do hear of some smaller groups still operating efficiently, but that is the exception rather than the rule.”

To quote The Clash, “Should I stay or should I go?”

Should we abandon LinkedIn groups? Or should we wait a little longer while the company begins to implement changes promised in January before making a decision?

“If you find a group that is being managed well and the membership is still made up of the right folks for you, stick with it and post, share, and engage in what is going on and try to take those interactions on to connections and then to phone calls or email or meetings,” Breitbarth advises.

He notes that people in groups can message 15 group members per month even if they’re not connected to each other.

“That’s like getting 15 InMails free from LinkedIn each month,” he adds.

What are your other options?

That’s not to say you shouldn’t be looking at other options, though.

“If your audience is on Facebook, I would probably move in that direction because of a general lack of LinkedIn showing they truly care about this part of the platform,” Breitbarth says.

Are you still using LinkedIn groups, as I am? What are you seeing with them? Are they fading away, or surviving? 

Like it or not, LinkedIn has become the go-to source for information about people who are employed or self-employed.

If you’re looking for a job, your profile is your online resume.

If you’re looking for clients, prospects will check your profile before returning your call.

If you’re an author hoping to be interviewed by the press, reporters will use LinkedIn to make sure you’re the right source.

9 reasons why you should update that profile

William Arruda, co-author of Ditch, Dare, Do: 3-D Personal Branding for Executives, explains why you need to update that profile now in a must-read article on Forbes.com, “9 Reasons Why You Must Update Your LinkedIn Profile Today.”

The article’s key point is that LinkedIn has become a personal branding tool for authors and others. If you’re an author looking to build buzz about your book, you should update your profile even if your book’s target audience isn’t using LinkedIn because the journalists who might interview you will use it to vet you as a resource.

Don’t overlook these 3 profile elements

When updating your profile, take these tips into account:

• Pay special attention to the headline you use in your profile. (The “headline” appears under your name in your profile; most people put their job title in that space.) Make sure it includes the keywords that journalists and others will use to find you in a search engine or LinkedIn search.
• Use a professional headshot, not a photo of you and your spouse with your spouse cropped out (or worse, with your spouse included). This is a professional networking site, not Facebook.
• Work to blend your author persona into your work persona in the “Summary” section. Since many authors are employed full-time, their profiles emphasize their jobs. Find a way to work in that you’re also an author and describe what you write about. This is especially important if your books are related to your profession.

In addition to working on your behalf as a personal branding tool, LinkedIn has book marketing value for many authors. For example, you can join the LinkedIn book marketing groups to learn more about that topic. If your book’s target audience is on LinkedIn, the network can help you become known and recognized by them.

For more information on how authors are using LinkedIn for book marketing, read “How are authors using LinkedIn to promote their books?” and listen to the audio program with LinkedIn expert Wayne Breitbarth, “How to Use LinkedIn to Sell More Books.” (And before you go too far, read “Don’t make these four common author mistakes on LinkedIn.”)

LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for authors. It all starts with a great profile.

What’s your best tip for a great LinkedIn author profile?