Use LinkedIn? What is your experience?

I'm on several - including LinkedIn, FaceBook, and several that are specifically design related. All bring traffic to the Internet presences of my business and have resulted in clients.

I find the navigation of LinkedIn to be kind of "clunky" and really don't spend much time using it as a network tool. FaceBook is easy to use and much more enjoyable.

Though i joined LinkedIn longback but somehow couldn't use it effectively the way i would have liked to until i found Biznik. LinkedIn to me always appeared to be a heavy duty stuff...

Hello. I am new to business networking in this fashion -- I come from the beauty industry, where face to face is the only way. I joined LinkedIn last week, and I cant seem to find a good way to use it. I have put it aside for now, as Biznik seems so much more user friendly. I would love to be able to use all the tools available to me, so if you have any helpful hints as to how to navigate LinkedIn, please let me know! els

It really depends on your business. I've spent most of my career at big companies and corporate recruiters use LinkedIn extensively. It also shows up on popular search engines. A definite plus for me. http://www.linkedin.com/in/joehage24

It is good to hear some positive! I will search for you on it and see if I can navigate better. Do you mind if I hit you up with some Q's about it as I go? els

I have used Linkedin to connect with old high school and college friends. Growing up on the east coast, going to university in the midwest and now living in the Pac. Northwest, I have met people from all over the globe and Linkedin is the new popular way to track people down. I just recently found a friend from college who lives and works in Singapore. I find Linkedin's site to be confusing and very sterile. Is it supposed to be that way? Does it seem more business like that way?

I have not been on or in or to any of these other networking environments. You could spend your whole life networking and miss your whole life if you did. I like Biznik. It gives me what I need and what I want in networking.

Oh yeah....LinkedIn is great for maintaining your industry connections. Lots of people that I worked with in the past and lost touch with have found me on LinkedIn. ( http://www.linkedin.com/in/johndallen )

I have used LinkedIn to stay in contact with someone I was in Army ROTC with at the University of Iowa and went to high school with, a close friend who relocated to the Bay area, and some business colleagues.

I have also used Tribe, FaceBook, and a host of other sites. I think LinkedIn is more useful if you sell or offer B2B applications or services.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/keithgormezano

Viv,

I use both Linkedin and Facebook. I've found new and old friends through both networks. I use both sites as a online reference of my experience and work history. When I meet a new client, I always invite them to visit my profile page on either site. That way, they can get to know more about me at their own time.

Since I signed up with biznik, I've been sending clients here as well. I really like the visual design of this site! I also tried Myspace but didn't really enjoy working with it because the graphics are so distracting. I would recommend that you experiment with a few to see which sites appeal to you. Good Luck!

http://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyebright http://profile.to/anthonyebright/

Viv,

In my personal experience, by far LinkedIn has been the most effective business networking tool outside of a smile and a handshake. I try to be somewhat active in the Q&A section and responsive about forwarding qualified forward requests. I've used it very successfully to research and get my foot in the door to target customers. it's also been helpful in meeting people in global datacenter markets while exploring partnership opportunities.

I'm very selective about my network, even if it is pretty large. I'll only make a connection with someone who I have directly done business with as a client, vendor, colleague, employee, or manager. Speaking of which, you and I have done business together, connect to me: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mhalligan

The rest of the other social networking site (BizNik excluded) really just exist for every type of social networking except for Business social networking. But, my target customer is likely to be far different from yours, so your mileage will vary.

Michael

The value of linkedin, facebook and all the others is really only based on what you put into it.

With Linkedin, I have used it to research companies, get contacts to find out more, learn from and educate myself on what is really going on. Great to find and open dialogue.

Facebook works much different for me, that is really about extending the brand of me, since my company is about the people we want people to show their true selves. Clients love it really, it allows them to see us for who we really are.

I find that value only comes from what you put into it, not what you try and get out of it.

Aaron

I use LinkedIn daily. The best way to utilize it - for me - is to frequent the Answers section, as Michael said, and I try to answer as many questions as I can where I can give a solid opinion or response. This helps to get your name out there and position yourself as an expert in your field. I've made some connections that way, and while I have yet to translate that into revenue I still consider it valuable. That section is also good for educating yourself, finding experts, and the site as a whole can help with researching industries, companies, and people.

I'll probably get into Facebook eventually.

BTW, there are questions very similar to this on LinkedIn. :)

Does anyone have an idea as to how we can keep track of all of these social networking sites? I love them and find them very useful, Viv. Yet, to keep track of each one seems tough.

Jennifer, that's funny! :P

The way I keep track of those "useful" sites is by checking my website statistics to see where my traffic is coming from.

Oddly enough... the only useful site that comes up in my traffic statistics is... Biznik!

I guess that means Biznik dominates all business networking services!

-Andrey

Viv, I have used Linked In for awhile now. I like the format. It is very useful like Aaron pointed out with researching people,companies and references,should you be in a sitatuation where you have to check someone's references for a job.And it has given me alot of professional networking opportunities. However I am also on MSN Communites and a few other sites just to gain more exposure and meet new folks. I cant say that these others have the same kind of traffic I am already seeing here on Biznik, however it is the ability to get acquainted and promote my business that lead me to the others in the first place,even if I do not get a direct hit. I check my website stats to see who is visiting and who is not.And of course, monitor how much e-mail I get. Sadly to say, alot of times I am not getting as much as I would like and not sure if it's the website or the positioning. As far as keeping track of all the sites---well I have developed a spreadsheet for all of mine because there are just too many passwords,content, information amongst them all. It also helps me by reminding me to check in with them all because it is posted on my wall right by my pc so I cant miss it. Then I also have set up reminders in Outlook to remind me to visit the websites! Sounds basic but that is how i do it and it keeps me current. Hope this helps,

Pamela

I like Linkedin, and find it very business-y.
Organization - I have a folder with all my "sites" in it and just open the entire folder at once, creating tabs across the viewport, then just visit each tab. (FireFox is really good at remembering passwords, and will even show you your user name and password.) But it's a matter of creating a routine, really. You can't let a blog go stale, and the same goes for your networking.

I use LinkedIn several times per week. One of my National Networker co-writers has written a book called, I'm On LinkedIn.... Now What? His name is Jason Alba, and it is a great read.

Lori

Hi Viv,

My two cents is that it can't hurt. I joined LinkedIn not too long ago and really have not found it to be very useful. However, it does provide yet another site to be linked to and from which is great for being recognized by search engines. Even if it just sits in virtual space untouched, it is a passive marketing tool that you do not have to pay for.

Biznik is my active networking site that I truly benefit from. All others are simply to keep my name out there and accessible.

Cheers!

Erin

I'm also a LinkedIn member and... for me... it's as if they doesn't exist. It didn't do anything good for me or anything bad for me... only nothing. =/

I think many would agree.

-Andrey

I am also on LinkedIn I have found it to be a soso resource for finding answered to questions. It seems to be the most use to recruiters, this doesn't help me much being an entrepreneur and not too interested in employment.

I have been thinking of ways to increase my blog traffic through the answers section. I bet if I made regular posts and answers, I could stir up a little more traffic for my Seattle real estate blog. But am I really interested in non-Seattle traffic?

Jonathan, You're going to LOVE the new feature we'll be launching soon -- an article and business tip publishing tool that will be part of Biznik. You'll be able to write articles that will build your reputation locally, and members will rate articles for their helpfulness. The most helpful article writers, as rated by the community, will get "expert" badges on their profile. Needless to say, experts will enjoy a lot of additional visbility on the site, and traffic to their own site will certainly go way up as a result.

Sounds Great, I can't wait.

Dan.. Thank you for that new addition idea. All the things you keep doing is why I think Biznik is so great. That is another reason I have never really gone beyond just joining LinkedIn and those 'other' networks. Biznik is the only one worth participating in. I consider all the other's just a place to post a static listing.

BTW: Happy Thanksgiving .... Howard