[Note: Approximately 24 hours after I wrote this blog post, LinkedIn Events reappeared on LinkedIn as mysteriously as it had disappeared. Other than a tweet or a response to a customer service request, there was never any "official" word from LinkedIn as to what happened...] Poor old LinkedIn Events. I wrote back on April Fool’s Day how LinkedIn was very mysterious in how they branded and placed their Applications in their user interface. For instance, Events was the Application that was never accessible by selecting “Applications” from the left-hand navigation bar. Which raised the question, is LinkedIn Events a LinkedIn …
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Before I could issue my official press release, and much to my surprise, Amazon this week suddenly started shipping my book on utilizing LinkedIn, “Windmill Networking: Understanding, Leveraging and Maximizing LinkedIn.” So without any fanfare, thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed writing it! To help you gain further insight on the book and Windmill Networking, I wanted to give you some background as to why I decided to write a book about LinkedIn. I am not an author by profession, and I began embracing LinkedIn back in February of …
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I was at a networking event last night where someone asked me if I was seeing more “spam” on LinkedIn. If you have been utilizing LinkedIn or Twitter for the last several weeks, you probably have noticed an uptick in the spam in any of the following ways:
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In my one of my first blog posts, I wrote about what a LinkedIn IDK is and why you should know. You have the ability to block people on Twitter and Facebook, and LinkedIn gives you a similar ability to block someone by disconnecting with someone, although in the case of LinkedIn you have to connect with them before you can block them (yes, I know, it sounds strange). But the policy on penalizing someone without either the sender or recipient knowing it, which is the case of replying to a LinkedIn Invitation with an “I Don’t Know” or IDK, …
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(This is the second in a two-part blog post on how to utilize LinkedIn for Executive Job Search. This first part looked at using LinkedIn in the “traditional” manner of utilizing Jobs Boards and searching out Hiring Managers. This second part will take a Windmill Networking approach to utilizing LinkedIn for Executive Job Search through a deeper understanding of social networking.) LinkedIn itself advertises that “Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members.” But it is not enough to just sign up for the service and wait for things to happen. LinkedIn is, at its heart, a social networking …
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(This is the first in a two-part blog post on how to utilize LinkedIn for Executive Job Search. This first part will look at using LinkedIn in the “traditional” manner of utilizing Jobs Boards and searching out Hiring Managers, while the second part will take a Windmill Networking approach to utilizing LinkedIn for Executive Job Search through a deeper understanding of social networking and personal branding.) As a sales and business development executive who has personally experienced being in transition during this recession, I can relate to other executives and their current job search in this dismal economy. Not only …
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LinkedIn is a very interesting social networking site. On the one hand, the goal of LinkedIn is to connect people who already know each other to create a network based on “trusted relationships.” On the other hand, if you strive to develop too many relationships or perform too many other activities on the website, you are restricted. Some of these restrictions make sense and are an attempt to limit potential spamming. Other restrictions are clearly geared towards curbing the appetite of the super connected on LinkedIn. Today I want to take a look at the newest restriction that I have …
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An old friend recently sent me a question about the meaning of one’s Contact Settings on LinkedIn. I should say it is more of a frustration and a LinkedIn complaint than a question, but here it is: “Why do people bother writing that they are open to “business opportunities” on LinkedIn – if they never return or even look at InMail, etc? As a tool, LinkedIn seems to only be useful if the people you’re trying to reach are willing to be reached (despite what their profiles might say). It’s getting a tad frustrating trying to use to help our …
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I attended a great local Tweetup last night in Orange County. There were many people who I had communicated with on Twitter and finally had the chance to meet…the feeling was almost like seeing long lost friends! I will save Tweetups for another blog post, because what interested me last night were how many people I met last night that were active on Twitter but not at all on LinkedIn. Many saw the latter as just being a site for “professionals” or really didn’t know what to do with it. The good news is that my Windmill Networking book on …
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In Part 1 of 3 Social Networking Tips for the Unemployed, I mentioned how it is never too late to Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty and explained the attitude that will help you network while looking for your next job. This is important in interfacing with the physical network that you already have. In Part 2 I would like to provide some social networking tips of how you approach your online networking activities via LinkedIn. If you haven’t figured it out by now, LinkedIn is the place where you will be found by recruiters, and thus your presence on …
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I had one of those social networking moments where a stranger at Starbucks introduced himself to me after seeing the book on my table was Dan Schawbel‘s Me 2.0, the best-selling book on personal branding. The fact that this gentlemen even knew the book and had read it was surprising. The fact that he was teaching college students about social networking and LinkedIn was even more startling. I didn’t know such a class existed! Can you imagine how far ahead of the social networking game you would have been had not only LinkedIn been around when you were in college but …
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LinkedIn Profile Tips. A lot of people tell you what you should be doing, but what about what you shouldn’t be doing? LinkedIn is the place to not only find others but also to be found. And that is why you need a profile that not only helps you get found but also will entice people to contact you once they view your profile. I see many people making fundamental mistakes that actually work against them in this aspect. If you’re going to spend time putting together a profile, I assume you want to maximize your chances of being contacted …
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I am always amazed of the people I meet at networking events or social media conferences that are heavy on Twitter or Facebook but light on LinkedIn. Or others that are on LinkedIn but are not really on LinkedIn. In other words, after realizing the potential value of LinkedIn, what’s next? I have become good friends with Bradley Will, the role model who is empowering young entrepreneurs, and we have a similar goal of helping others better utilize social media. My blog post for today I actually wrote for his demographic, the Gen Y entrepreneurs who have been intimated by …
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If you received an introduction request or an Inmail on LinkedIn and you were not allowed to act upon it, wouldn’t you be angry? The picture to the right is from the actual screen that a LinkedIn user saw the other day. Does it surprise you that your LinkedIn account could potentially be restricted? Let’s take a different perspective. The other day, I received an interesting email forwarded to me from a friend: “I am relatively new to Linkedin and I did not know they put a ceiling on it [= number of connections]. At what point do they cut …
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Come on, I don’t really want you to write me one, but there has been unprecedented chatter about LinkedIn recommendations in blogging circles these days. And I want to put everything in perspective to confirm whether or not LinkedIn recommendations really have value. It was Jeremiah Owyang who started the debate. Jeremiah is a renowned web strategist, but he is also one of the early adopters and biggest fans of LinkedIn. If you check out the archives of his blog, you will see some gems of articles about utilizing LinkedIn for social networking and tips for job hunting. I consider Jeremiah …
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