LinkedIn has been around for many years now, and maybe some of you created an account in the early days of 2004 like I did and just forgot about it, including the password. Then, later on you created a second account. Or maybe you used your business email as your primary email address and no longer work at that company. Either way, I am always hearing stories of people desperate to merge two LinkedIn accounts into one for various reasons, the most common being that they just can’t access one of their accounts anymore. How can you merge two accounts …
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If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it will soon: the dreaded request for a LinkedIn Recommendation from a former co-worker or employee that you may not want to give one to. Why? Well, every time you make a recommendation, it appears on your profile and becomes part of your LinkedIn Brand. Perhaps you don’t want to be associated in any way with this person. What to do?
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As you probably already know, I am very active on LinkedIn as a LinkedIn Open Networker or LION. I accept all invitations, and I respond to each invitation with asking my new connections how I might be able to help them. I often get the following response, which I again received just this week: Hi Neal, I do have a question you may be able to help with. I’m attaching my resume so you can get an idea about my skills and experience, but if you were in my shoes, what would you do in finding an opportunity in the …
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I finally got access to the new LinkedIn user interface (UI) yesterday, so I thought I would write up a quick comparison to the old user interface and conclude with my thoughts on whether or not this is a step forward for the LinkedIn user. I already mentioned in a previous post that the new LinkedIn user interface brings with it no new functionality per se. But from a usability perspective, the change is dramatic and warrants a unique post in helping you adjust to the new way of navigating LinkedIn.
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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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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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There are many resources on the web for finding people to follow on Twitter. Just do a search for any particular type of person you want to follow (student entrepreneurs? job seeker advice? etc.) and chances are you will find a list. But why none for LinkedIn? Well, just as I have been the first to write on other things LinkedIn-related, I think it is important to introduce people on LinkedIn that I think you should invite and/or connect up with. These people are either LIONs or “Super Connectors”, people with lots of connections that are open to receiving new …
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After networking with several great people over the last several days, which have in essence been conversations that seem more like a veritable cross-breeding of ideas, I believe that more and more people are starting to see the potential value of meeting new people on LinkedIn. Now, just because you are open to doing this does not mean that you necessarily need to become a LinkedIn Open Networker, or LinkedIn LION. There are many methods to the madness of connecting with new people. My method for connecting with new people is using the vehicle of the LION brand. You can …
read moreI always hear of people bashing LinkedIn open networkers or LIONs. Some people characterize LIONs as people who “amass connections as if they’re Beanie Babies”. Others think that the intention of open networkers is just to spam you. For all of those who doubt the intention of open networkers, I want you to see things from my perspective as a LION, and for a moment consider this question: Why are you on LinkedIn? And, more importantly, If you are only connecting with people that you know, what is the value in LinkedIn?
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 …
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