<p>Now… we get into the fun stuff. <a href="ive-joined-linked-in-now-what">Part One</a> talked about setting up a good profile; this gets into the meat of Linked In, and why it's so fun to use.</p>
<p>One of the best features of Linked In is "asking for referrals" – what a great way to showcase your talents to work in conjunction with your website. When business associates post their recommendations of you and your work, there's an added value of credibility. When someone provides a recommendation for you, you're given the option to reciprocate. This is a great way to keep us practicing asking for what we want. And, you know what? People are HAPPY to provide a recommendation, and you get to hone in on your writing skills when they ask you for one. They get their names and businesses out there, you get the referral. It's all good.</p>
<p>Other features of Linked In I love:</p>
<ul>
<li>You can see who's viewed your profile – while it may not give specifics, it does give a general idea of who may (or has been) interested in your services by listing company name or region. Now you can research, reach out and contact them.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The "Answer Questions" Section - check out the stuff people want to know about, and then write an answer to the question. More exposure. Just at a glance when I checked to see what questions were posted, they ranged in topics as diverse as, "I'm looking for a certified food service program in Central Florida," to "what does one do when they lose their passion and drive for a career" to "personal branding at the workplace" to "Student exchange in France". Do you have something to say to answer to any of these? You can see the questions are vast, just one more opportunity to let your expertise shine.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Search for companies in your specialty areas. There you will find others who do what you do, or who may need your services. Again, a great way to reach out, connect, and gain exposure and interest.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Search for a specific job or for work. There are many networks out there to help you find a job or look for work – monster.com, guru.com, freelance.com. Linked In provides just one more forum of how you can connect within your network.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The contact manager! This tool is great; it lists your contacts, what they do, shows a picture. When you want to email that person, you can do it with ease. You can invite or contact multiple people at a time.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Statistics – Linked In shows some stats about what you do, and topics /people / places you might find of interest. When someone makes a recommendation it's posted off to the side. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>This is a great article about what not to do for social networking: <a href="http://tiny.cc/kQHno">http://tiny.cc/kQHno</a>. Give it a read and let me know what you think.</li>
</ul>
<p>Do you have favorite ways that you use Linked In, or tips to make a feature easier? Maybe you have a different platform you use. I'd like to know!</p>
<p> </p>
2009-09-24T23:03:44Z
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ive-just-joined-linked-in-now-what-part-ii
0
2009-10-01T08:49:17Z
2009-10-01T15:49:34Z
Are you ready to get into the fun stuff about Linked In? Part II talks about: referrals and recommendations -- how to ask for and get them; using Q&A to your advantage; specialty niches and more!
I've Just Joined Linked In - Now What? Part II
1
2009-10-01T15:50:39Z