Let’s take a quick break from the virtual world and visit the real world for a moment, shall we? Would you ever go into a room, get everyone’s attention, start a conversation (that gets the room involved) and then boogie the hell out of the room; never to return? Kind of wacky when you think that an adult would vanish like that but these “David Copperfields” exist in force and they have found a home on LinkedIn!

They start intelligent discussions, which attract intelligent people and then Poof, Copperfield has left the building! I’ve even witnessed others ask a question back to Mr Copperfield but to no avail cause the son of a bitch says hold all my calls, Daddy is offline baby!

Kind of makes one want to respond with the customary typing of “WTF?” 3 times fast!

Here are some tips that will help you add magic to your discussions, minus the disappearing act!

First, remember your manners and stick around, better yet, facilitate the discussion. When you facilitate the discussion you encourage a dialogue, get additional visibility and keep your discussion at the top of the threads. Kind of cool when you think about the benefits of being one of the first threads to be seen, don’t ya think?

Thank people for their input and contributions. People like to be thanked and thanking them publicly enhances your brand and theirs. Keeps your thread alive too!

Thank people offline by sending them a quick private message. Its not only good manners but a no brainer insurance policy that they will contribute to future discussions you host!

Ask compelling follow up questions, ask people to expand, give examples, ask for a different spin. Keep the conversation alive, interesting and moving forward. Facilitate!

Offer links and resources to help the group. Give value first and make sure you do it in a way that isn’t shameless self promoting (aka “Pimping”).

Note to the group leaders on LinkedIn: Monitor your group for heaven’s sake! I see more crap not only clogging your boards but in the responses you are allowing to go undeleted. You see someone shamelessly self promoting, delete the bastard! While you are at it, do some housecleaning and delete all the open networkers who post threads for that (not sure why since it really isn’t a discussion), people who get cutesy on us and start a discussion and leave us off half ass with a link and the line that reads “for the rest of the article visit my blog at www.imafreakinpimp.com” Note to those who like to do that: Post your blog in the news section. Its an accepted process and you won’t look like this guy…

We need to beware of the “Featured Copperfield” This is when the group manager features so many discussions that all the new discussions seem to disappear. If you are going to feature a discussion, do so for no more than 24-48 hours. If it can’t sustain itself after that, trust me when I tell you it aint worth featuring.

While we are at it, don’t do your “David Copperfield” when your group members reach out to you to flag the spammers!

So I guess its time for all of us to stop embracing our inner Copperfield, finish what we start and put a broom and mop to our discussion threads in the spirit of cleaning them up!

It’s time for me to do a “Copperfield” and disappear from this blog and get back to my day job!