LinkedIn is a professional business networking site. It’s a powerful tool for storing your resume, getting recommendations, and finding jobs or business prospects. LinkedIn can also help you find people you worked with or went to school with at some time and then maintain connection with them. I’ve found LinkedIn to be very valuable…and it will only gain more value over time as my personal network grows. It’s a great way to advertise your services and expertise at no cost to select groups of people.
Recommendations on the LinkedIn network truly have value. They are more reliable than a marketing resume you could put together because you do not have the ability to edit other people’s comments about you. You can only approve/disapproved them to be visible on your profile.
As your network grows, it’s fun to see people you connect to that may already know one of your contacts. Like Facebook, it can be a practical example of the small world phenomenon. The more information you enter about previous jobs and education the more likely you will connect with people you know.
Ideas for LinkedIn use:
* Use LinkedIn to connect to people you truly trust and have confidence in their work quality. On occasions I will connect with someone that has many similar interests or would be good from a networking standpoint, but it is the exception rather than the rule.
* Choosing when to connect with people is important. I only do so after working with them for some time or after having a good personal conversation where I feel I can trust them. If this is the case, I contact people on the same day I talk to them and include a short personal message about how I met them or why I’m interested in connecting with them.
I believe one key with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn is authenticity. If you do not care about the person on the other end of the electronic communication or you’re not adding value to their lives, then they most likely will not want to connect with you. People don’t want to be advertised at, but they do want good information. Sales guru, Jeffrey Gitomer says it this way “People don’t like to be sold, but they love to buy!” I believe you need to be providing value at no cost. With an established relationship, you will gain clients. Your LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter accounts are not for sales unless you’re paying for ads which is a different beast altogether.
LinkedIn is another really valuable tool in your toolbox for finding people/jobs, connecting with other people that may have similar interests, sharing your knowledge in discussion groups, building relationships, etc. Guy Kawasaki had some ideas for 10 uses of LinkedIn.
It’s important to build your network now and keep at it slowly over time. You never know when you’ll need it and it’s more difficult to build quickly.
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