Final thoughts on Convergence: What's your "should be" name?

As an exhibitor at Convergence 2013, I was compelled to check out the Social Experience Center.  I kept seeing people with name badges, you know, “My Name Is:”, but these had the “is” crossed out and “should be” in its place. I was intrigued and sought out my “should be” name.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.What I found was a cool app, www.nametaganalyzer.com, developed by Pang Ngernsupaluck of Microsoft. Just plug in your LinkedIn profile and it generates what your name should be based on your LI profile.

The exhibit also provided blank nametags, so we could stretch our creative muscles and come up with a memorable name of our own. Here are a few of my favorites:

Inigo Montoya (You killed my father, prepare to die) – Chris Corado, Nissin Foods US

Developing Dynamo – our own Microsoft Dynamics NAV VIP, Matt Traxinger

Top Hot Dog – Lee Weiner, CFO of the Bradshaw Group

I was then introduced to Mary Toomey, a LinkedIn Certified Trainer. I didn’t even know there was such a thing! Mary provided an invaluable service: She reviewed my profile and gave me pointers on how to improve it. I can’t tell you how important I think this exercise was, because LinkedIn is THE network for business. Here are a few general pointers to get the most of your LI profile:

1. Complete it!  LinkedIn shows you what you’re missing on your profile…and it’s easy as pie to do.
2. Make those connections! Set aside 30 minutes to an hour a week, during office quiet time or after hours, to build out your network. No need to keep all those business cards you collected at Convergence—Connect on LinkedIn!
3. Update your profile picture—and if you don’t have one, you should.  I don’t connect with anyone I can’t “see.”
4. Join relevant groups, There are so many, you will want to test them out and make sure they are relevant to you and hopefully ones you can add value to as well.
5. Request a personal URL for your profile.
6. Your title doesn’t have to be your actual job title. Make it more descriptive; tell how you provide value to your company, clients, and peers.

Once I had recovered from Convergence, I took Mary’s pointers on my profile and made a few changes.

After updating my profile, I used the naming application to see what it came up with based on my changes. My new name is Customer Magnet. I like it!

Want to find out your LinkedIn name? Check out www.nametaganalyzer.com and let me know the results.