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I have just reached 100,000 followers on LinkedIn. To me this is a significant milestone, one that I worked toward on many a flight and many a late night, sharing my musings on the LinkedIn platform. Both pleased to reach the milestone and humbled by the implied praise, I want to thank my audience for their time and attention, a resource that I hope to enrich and not squander for my readers.

I am reminded as I surpass this milestone of a quote from graphic novelist, Stan Lee:

“With great power comes great responsibility” – Spiderman, 2002

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that my posts give me great power. Nor am I suffering any misconceptions that I now put on my trousers differently than anyone else. But I do feel I have responsibility to share my wisdom especially now that anyone can publish content on the LinkedIn platform.

What I have learned as a LinkedIn Influencer:

1. There are really some great people out there that are very positive. Of course, it takes all kinds of people to make the LinkedIn program work, but I am pleased that so many of us keep it optimistic.

2. Debate is good. I love entering into debate with people on topics. To clarify for anyone who thinks otherwise, I don’t think I have all the answers. We have a saying in Beyond Philosophy. “none of us are as clever as all of us.” The LinkedIn influencer platform is great for debate.

3. Debate is easier on LinkedIn. By that, I mean that it’s better than Twitter. Maybe that’s because I can’t say hello in 140 characters. So while I understand that 140 Characters is Twitter’s thing, I think this limitation constrains debate. I am excited to hear everything my followers have to say, even when they really disagree with what I said, no matter how many characters it takes.

4. You’ll be surprised what are your most popular posts. Some of my top posts have not been about my chosen field, Customer Experience, but instead about Leadership. Look at the following results to see what I mean:

• 41,000 Views: Dealing with Ambiguity: The Business Imperative 
• 33,000 views: Using Humor in Business: Some Practical Advice
• 160,964: Are You a Workaholic or an Outlier?

5. Personal posts are an audience favorite. Make your post engaging. Even though LinkedIn is all business-related, making your posts personal is a great way to reach your audience. Make it simple and don’t hold yourself on a pedestal. You will be shot down. People love to relate to simple everyday examples.

• 55,000 views: How to Build Lasting Relationships
• 21,000 vies: What Inspires Me: The Day I Heard Pink Floyd

6. Be in touch. – My posts on RyanAir, and Wal-Mart caught a mood of people.

• 53,000 views: Wal-Mart Disappoints Wall Street and Customers Alike
• 71,000 views: Ryanair: The Start of Decline

7. People like stats. I was surprised by the success of this post, but clearly it had an affect on readers.

• 124,000 views: 15 Statistics That Should Change the Business World– But Haven’t

8. Not all posts that you think are good work.

• 8,000 views: The Yin and Yang of Familiarity in Marketing
• 4,000 views: State of Customer Service: The Industry May Die Before It’s Fully Grown

The biggest lesson I have learned is that LinkedIn is a great medium for learning and debate and long may it continue. I really appreciate the opportunity LinkedIn provided me when they invited me to be a part of the Influencer program.

Also, I thank you for your time and attention as well. I will continue to work hard be worthy of it.

Please join us for this informative and helpful Webinar on July 15th, 2014:

7 Critical Questions to Improve Your Customer Experience.