I had the opportunity to ask my network for a few referrals this week. You'd think that certain things would be common sense. For example, if you're referring someone and are trying to help the person asking, don't just provide a name. I'm not lazy. I live on Google but there are often more than one person with the same name. Without more details, it's sometimes hard to narrow down the search.
When I'm referring someone I try to add a line about why I'm referring that person. I figure that if someone wanted random names they'd go to Yelp or Google directly. If they're asking their network, either personal on Facebook or professional through LinkedIn or a specific group, they are crowdsourcing from people they know and/or trust. Guilt by association.
These days I try to get recommendations from my crowd(s) for everything. Need a photographer, ask for a recommendation on Facebook (I got 12 within an hour). Need a speaker for an event in an area outside my expertise, ask my trusted Alley to the Valley community (14 replies within a few hours of posting). Almost all replies included only a name. So I spent hours trying to track down the actual person.
When it came to photographers, it was overwhelming. I ended up choosing a woman who introduced herself on a private Facebook group I belong to. She didn't push and I liked what I saw after she sent a link to her site. We got on a quick call and that was it. Frictionless.
The speaker referrals were all over the place. Most people just sent a random name or referred themselves. They didn't pay attention to the specifics of the request. I did submit one name from this group but found the rest through my personal contacts.
Here's how we can help each other better when providing referrals/recommendations:
I respond to every email when I get referrals but please don't be rude when I tell you that I didn't go with yours. This isn't high school. I'm not being a mean girl. It's just not a fit for me or the person I'm helping.
Related: Can This "Ask Culture" Be Truly Successful?
Bottom line: For all the complaints we have about social networks , I find that they are great when you're looking for a specific recommendation. Especially if we all try to take an extra minute to make the referral sing.