Social Media Marketing

LinkedIn Group Etiquette: What are the Rules?

LinkedIn Group Etiquette: What are the Rules?

I have seen a growing interest in LinkedIn Groups from my networking contacts recently, and in addition to the common questions of What LinkedIn Groups Should I Join? and How to Use LinkedIn Groups Effectively?, there is a growing interest as to what the proper etiquette and best practices should be after joining a group.  As someone who is both a member of the maximum fifty LinkedIn groups while also owning two of my own groups, I can see things from both sides of the court, and would like to offer my own thoughts as to what the proper etiquette …

read more

How Can You Spot a Fake LinkedIn Profile?

How Can You Spot a Fake LinkedIn Profile?

This is actually a follow-up to a post I did recently on Are There Fake Profiles on LinkedIn? At that time I found proof of a few users with fake profiles that I shared with everyone.  And I mentioned that those with fake profiles would create new ways of making us believe that they are real.  I wanted to report back to you on what I am seeing today. First of all, the only benefit for being on social media is if you are real and genuine.  I don’t trust anyone who isn’t.  If you are on a site where …

read more

How Should I Utilize LinkedIn Differently than Twitter?

How Should I Utilize LinkedIn Differently than Twitter?

Many of my LinkedIn contacts have started sending me emails asking me to “follow” them on Twitter, so I thought this was a good time to take a look at what you should be doing differently on each site.

read more

My LinkedIn Profile: Should I Include My Photo?

My LinkedIn Profile: Should I Include My Photo?

There has been some heated discussion this morning on a LinkedIn Group Discussion Forum that I belong to concerning this topic of displaying your profile picture (I hope you’ve also been maximizing your LinkedIn Group membership!).  One of the Group members attended a LinkedIn seminar where the presenter said that those in transition should NOT include their picture as part of their profile, the reason being that it would be an Equal Opportunity violation if a recruiter selects you after seeing what you look like.   Furthermore, the presenter went on to say that most recruiters actually restrict their search …

read more

The Newest LinkedIn Feature: What are Extended Logins?

The Newest LinkedIn Feature: What are Extended Logins?

Today when I went to the LinkedIn Homepage I mentioned a little message at the top promising me “a smoother experience”.  This was a pleasant surprise.  After all, LinkedIn is known to be notoriously slow by all who use it.  If  ”a smoother experience” means that it will be faster it is a welcome feature. So what are extended logins?  Here is the way it is described straight from the source:

read more

LinkedIn Profile Name: Should I Use My Personal or Company Name?

LinkedIn Profile Name: Should I Use My Personal or Company Name?

LinkedIn, as you already know, is a social networking platform for professionals.  It is no secret, then, that there is business to be found on LinkedIn for companies of many sizes and industries.  If you are a small business owner, you may be confused as to whether you should use your company name or personal name for your LinkedIn Profile name.  Be confused no more, as I always recommend you use your personal name, and here’s why:

read more

LinkedIn for Lawyers 101

LinkedIn for Lawyers 101

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 …

read more

Are LinkedIn Recommendations for Real?

Are LinkedIn Recommendations for Real?

I just got asked this from an old friend from elementary school (!), who I have been able to keep in better touch with thanks to Social Media, Facebook in particular.  He, like many others, wonders what the real value in LinkedIn Recommendations are when there are a lot of  ”if your rub my back, I’ll rub yours,” recommendations on LinkedIn, which, in my friend’s words, “somewhat limits the credibility of the action”. Another way of looking at LinkedIn Recommendations is what my old boss once told me.  ”You know when someone is looking for a new job when they …

read more

Windmills Marketing, 14271 Jeffrey Rd., Suite 177, Irvine, CA 92620 | (888) 541-3429 | neal@windmillnetworking.com