Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - (Page 14) Social Media Even the US President is on LinkedIn. Networking objectives So, what do you do once you find the people you’re looking for? “Because LinkedIn is such a personal space it can be difficult to approach people and difficult for them to realise the benefit of connecting with you,” says Matt Rhodes, head of client services at London-based social media agency, FreshNetworks. “This is where online communities really come to the fore,” says Rhodes. “Whilst social networks are about ‘me’, online communities are about ‘us’. Profiles and personal connections take second place to a shared idea, interest, focus or topic of discussion.” Rhodes says this is where LinkedIn’s groups function comes into play. “Although LinkedIn is primarily a social network, a ‘me’ space based on profiles, the groups facility allows more of the ‘us’ networking that you get from an online community.” A quick search of pharmaceutical-related groups on LinkedIn turns up 558, ranging from the Pharma Connections Business Development group, with over 6,000 members, to the newly formed Orchid Community for Neglected Diseases Drug Development. Pharma Connections founder Mark Wilbur is evangelical about the power of online networking in the pharma space, not least about the role online networking can have in filling the pharma pipeline. Wilbur, who runs groups on LinkedIn and Xing and is developing his own business development portal, cites drug execs at more than one company using online professional networks to look for licensing opportunities that will deliver short-term revenues. “Only two years ago, I could find little to no activity from any real decision maker on LinkedIn, OpenBC (Xing) or Plaxo. Now they come to me. I’ve got senior level licensing managers joining my groups on LinkedIn. Everybody is searching for something out there,” says Wilbur. Lluis Ballell, principal scientist and project leader for Tuberculosis Drug Development at GSK in Madrid, is searching for ways to achieve no less than “the critical mass necessary to make an effective impact on global health.” Ballell founded the Orchid Community on LinkedIn to help in the fight against neglected diseases. “The scientific community is quite fragmented. When you have an idea or a technology demand, it is difficult to identify the right partner,” he says. With 150 international members joining in less than a month, he now has a “database” of potential drug development partners. The Orchid group also hosts online discussions relating to the development of drugs for neglected diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and Chagas disease. Drug development for neglected diseases is truly honourable goal, but the most common real-world outcome on LinkedIn is a new job. Adam Pearson of specialist recruiters Infinity Pharma says LinkedIn has become essential in his search for quality candidates. “It’s always open on my taskbar to quickly search for candidates or find a certain person as and when I need to. For recruiters, the more connections you have the easier your job.” So is LinkedIn just a fancy, interactive Rolodex, more about helping people find a better job than doing a better job? “It is another way of keeping in touch,” says Professor John Finch, “but it also allows some merging and visibility of one another’s networks.” Professor Finch, leads a multi-disciplinary research group at the University of Strathclyde Business School, studying how people do business networking. He goes on: “Each connection is typically about something, even if it’s a project that we worked on together five years ago. There’s a lot there to be unpacked should the occasion arise.” Peter Houston is Advcanstar Communication UK’s Editorial Director. 1 7 NEWS VACCINES 2 11 FROM THE EDITOR / NEWS STRATEGY 5 CALENDAR 6 BRUSSELS REPORT 12 ONLINE NETWORKING 15 ON THE MOVE http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=58888 http://www.strath.ac.uk/marketing/academicstaff/finchjohnprof/ http://www.strath.ac.uk/marketing/academicstaff/finchjohnprof/ http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1783204 http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1783204 http://pharmaconnections.com/pcw/ http://www.freshnetworks.com/ http://www.infinitypharma.co.uk/ http://www.plaxo.com/ http://www.gsk.com/financial/reps02/CSR02/GSKcsr-7.htm
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 Contents From the Editor News Calendar Brussels Report Vaccines Management Theory Online Networking On the Move Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Contents (Page 1) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - From the Editor (Page 2) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - News (Page 3) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - News (Page 4) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Calendar (Page 5) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Brussels Report (Page 6) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Vaccines (Page 7) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Vaccines (Page 8) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Vaccines (Page 9) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Vaccines (Page 10) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Management Theory (Page 11) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Online Networking (Page 12) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Online Networking (Page 13) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - Online Networking (Page 14) Pharmaceutical Executive Digest Europe - February 18, 2009 - On the Move (Page 15)
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.