I always talk about how much value there is in joining LinkedIn Groups, and I will repeat that I recommend that you join the maximum 50 that you are allowed if you can find enough groups of value for you. The specific value I have seen in Groups is being able to meet, connect, and discuss things with similar-minded people, all unified around the theme of the Group. One area that I specifically thought lacked value in Groups was the News section. And I could be biased because I am a heavy Twitter user and that is where I go …
read moreI hope the title of this blog post did not shock you. No, I am not trying to sell you anything. But this is the question I have been asked twice now in the last month from a gentleman who is apparently living in Bulgaria. I was first contacted on May 22 and offered a database of 50,000 LinkedIn members willing to connect, and I was promised that “all 50K members are open for invitations and business offers.” The email went on to say that, with these connections, I could save “hundreds of dollars” by avoiding costly InMails. Furthermore, with …
read moreYesterday I wrote my own definition concerning what a social media expert is, so today I wanted to look specifically at what I feel makes a LinkedIn expert. Recently I was named a LinkedIn expert on the site of the LinkedIn and Social Media Training Company Integrated Alliance’s blog post. And on that same post there was recently a comment by a reader that debated those guidelines on qualifying a LinkedIn expert. I appreciate that Integrated Alliances, for the first time that I know of, actually started discussing what the potential guidelines could be in qualifying a LinkedIn expert, and …
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There are so many features on LinkedIn, and so many ways to utilize them, that it always surprises me when people just don’t see the same value in features, like LinkedIn Answers, that I do. I always hope, through this blog, that you will get more tips for not only being more effective with LinkedIn but with social networking as well. If we all get better at social networking, it helps out everyone in all of our networks. For this post, I am glad to announce that it will be featured on the blog of my new friend, Jonathan Milligan. …
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The following story of LinkedIn Profile ownership is a true one, and as with my other blog posts, I am hoping to get your feedback as to what the “right” answer to this question should be. Imagine that you began a job as a recruiter. Part of your job is, obviously, building out a network. After being hired you sign up to LinkedIn using your personal name. You start inviting your network as well as new contacts to connect with you on the networking platform. In order to better facilitate your sourcing activities on LinkedIn, your company starts reimbursing you …
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Today I received a question from a LinkedIn newbie which reminded me that sometimes I need to get back to basics and answer simple questions that sometimes may be confusing to others. The question I got today, although worded differently, is someone that is worried about sending out invitations to people that were 2nd degree connections, i.e. people that should be 1st degree connections but weren’t. It really comes down to the basic question of who to invite join our LinkedIn networks? While there is no single rule as to who to invite as this depends on your reason why …
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I have had the opportunity to engage with many lawyers recently, both in person as well as online through LinkedIn, and the sudden interest in social media that they seem to have has been surprising to me. I had always envisioned the legal profession as more of an old-school, conservative group of people that would not have an interest in social networking. The interest from them that I have seen clearly shows that LinkedIn, and social networking, are phenomenons that are here to stay. If you are in the legal profession and are already on LinkedIn, you may not be …
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I received this question yesterday from an engineer who plans to start evangelizing LinkedIn to an engineering community who may not have the same view of Social Media like I do. As part of this person’s LinkedIn Objective, he wants to create his own brand of being the Pioneer of Connecting Engineers on LinkedIn. I think this is a great idea, as every professional should be on LinkedIn, and it brings up a good question as to how an open networking or LION tag can help in doing so. But what about the idea of a selective LinkedIn LION?
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I once answered this on this blog when I answered the question “Why Do So Many People Keep Their Connections Private?”, but since it has been awhile, and since this question was asked from a different perspective, I think it is important to revisit the topic. First of all, in order to even potentially be able to browse anyone’s connections, you first have to be directly connected to that person. I realize that in other platforms like Facebook the option exists to allow everyone to browse your friends, whether or not they are connected with you. Remember, LinkedIn is different …
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It is amazing how often I not only get asked this question of how to disconnect from someone and remove LinkedIn connections from my own personal network but also how frequently it appears on LinkedIn Answers. If you think of connecting to someone as their joining your virtual world, if the relationship does not work out because you feel you are being spammed or for another reason, you do have the option of disconnecting from them and removing them as a connection. Connecting with someone is not a marriage by any means! Hopefully this gives those who want to build …
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