As appeared in the Presence Pointers column of the June 2008 issue of “Business Watch” magazine.
The Web has opened up a whole new world for individuals and businesses alike. Today, anyone can have a Web presence, can access information, can make purchases, and can interact with others online. This last bit is particularly exciting though.
Who would have ever guessed that the Web, a tool that allows us to do all these things without ever having to leave our homes or offices or come face to face with another individual, would become a major social arena? Yet the “social media” sector is growing in leaps and bounds, connecting people of all ages and interests.
Social media stretches across many different areas and is nearly endless, with new venues appearing every day. For now, let’s focus on one that could be very important for strengthening and furthering your career or business. There isn’t enough space here to do much more than scratch the surface, so let’s just touch on three key aspects anyone can use to take advantage of LinkedIn.com, a free online networking site for professionals.
Connect & Reconnect
LinkedIn is all about relationships. The foundation that LinkedIn is built upon is in connecting with people you know and meet, and reconnecting with others from your past work and educational experiences. Once signed up, you can search for names of people you know, search by employer, college or university, groups and associations, or even upload your contacts to cross-reference against LinkedIn’s member database.
If you are the type that has a hard time networking, even though you know you should, this could be just what you are looking for. What’s powerful is that once you are connected with someone, you can see who else they are connected with. LinkedIn provides an unprecedented view into the direct and indirect connections we have with others. Whether you are looking for someone to connect with for a new job or a company to partner with, LinkedIn can help illuminate a path that might be more powerful and easier than trying to get through the front door.
Be Seen
LinkedIn gives members’ a lot of control over their information. Members can elect what information to provide, and determine whether that information is public or just visible to those they have connected with. While everyone needs to determine this for themselves, the more information provided and made public, the more valuable LinkedIn will be as a tool. The more public information there is, the greater the chances that your profile may show up in searches, increasing the chances of making a valuable connection with someone else.
Reach Out
Like all social media venues, participating and interacting with others is an important element to LinkedIn. The easiest way is through the Answers section, which allows members to ask and answer questions. This interaction may lead to new connections and also serve as a way to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise.
If you are just getting your feet wet in the social media arena, then LinkedIn is an excellent place to begin. Its professional focus makes it beneficial to individuals and companies alike. There is so much more to LinkedIn that just couldn’t even be touched on here, so I encourage everyone to visit the site to learn more. Once you start using LinkedIn, you may find it so useful and important that you’ll want to add the URL to your page to your business card! See you on LinkedIn, www.linkedin.com/in/brianrbrown.
Maximize your LinkedIn experience
- Add as much of your work history and education as you feel comfortable.
- Make as much of your information publicly available as you feel comfortable.
- Participate in the different areas of LinkedIn and be sure to revisit the site at least once a week to see what is happening within your network.
- Be sure to add links back to your own website and blog if you have them. And select “Other” when adding them which will allow you to change the default “My website/company/blog” text to the name of your company or whatever you would like.
- Be sure to customize your “public page” URL with your name or other text that others may search for you with. Not only does it make it easier to tell to others, it may further help your page to show up in search results.
- Checkout the “Profile Views” to get an idea on who may have been checking out your profile.