LinkedIn: the professionals’ social network
by Natalie Cooke
Linkedin is often referred to as the business equivalent to Facebook but through the power of web 2.0 technology Linkedin makes it easier for users to do much more than just catch up with old colleagues! The power of this social networking site can often be underestimated. Linkedin has created an online network of more than 8.5 million experienced professionals from around the world representing 130 industries.
You may have seen the requests arrive in your outlook inbox, along the lines of “Bob Smith wants to add you to his network on LinkedIn” , you recognise Bob, you once worked with him and so you click “accept “and without realising it you have a profile space on Linkedin.
So now what…
Building your profile
The Linkedin site uses lots of interactive Web 2.0 tools to make it easier for users to make job connections, develop professional relationships, and network with potential clients. None of this is possible without investing some vital time in building your 
LinkedIn profile, much like a profile on facebook or MySpace your profile is your online face and personality. You wouldn’t turn up for a meeting with no prior preparation or turn up to a job interview wearing pyjamas – it’s vital that you complete your profile with as much information as possible. By adding connections, you increase the likelihood that people will see your profile first when they’re searching for someone to hire or do business with. This will also help your profile to appear at the top of search results. Your profile can be a great tool for your company too. In addition to your name, you can also promote your blog or website to search engines like Google and Yahoo through your profile! Your LinkedIn profile allows you to publicize websites and links to blogs too.
Keeping in touch
With millions of people now using LinkedIn there is a chance that your old colleagues will all already be Linkedin members which would allow you to get back in touch with them very easily. Be wary though, you should only add people who you know and similarly only request the friendship of those people you know too. If you invite people to connect with you on LinkedIn and they say that they don’t know you then after several occasions LinkedIn can suspend your messages and stop you from inviting further people to connect with you. There are some people who invest a lot of time in LinkedIn and who call themselves LIONs, for “LinkedIn Open Networkers.” They have a 
somewhat confusing practice of accepting any and all connections. LIONs can be a pain especially in groups where they can try to flood members with requests.
Recruitment tool
One of the real benefits of being on LinkedIn can be for recruitment. You can both find jobs and list jobs on the LinkedIn network. You may only have added a handful of connections to your LinkedIn profile but through their connections your network can look more like 55,000. What’s even better is that if you join an industry related group on Linkedin then you can instantly connect with all the group members too.
Research your customers
You can also ask and answer questions which is a great way to demonstrate your expertise. When you answer questions, people will regard you as an expert in your field. Since the network is filled with experts in business you can get some great advice from a highly qualified audience. Not only this but with so many industry specific groups of professionals LinkedIn can be the perfect place to do some free industry research through the polls application. This application allows you to ask questions to all group members and then maps them on a chart for you.
Applications
The applications feature on Linkedin is a relatively new feature. The site rolled out its first nine applications in late October, 2008 
in an attempt to better capitalize on the success of such social networking giants as Facebook. For anyone who doesn’t know, applications are programs hosted on the internet that allow users of the site to share information in new ways. Of the nine that were included in the initial rollout of Linked in all are completely free to use and include slideshare for sharing presentations and wordpress for linking to your blog.
With so many professionals under one roof LinkedIn is definitely the most targeted business networking site you could join. You can also subscribe to premium memberships that give you more options to further your networking. Facebook and MySpace are more popular social networking websites, but LinkedIn’s business focus makes it the place to be if you want to build business relationships.
You can check out our company profile at www.linkedin.com/in/redcmarketing.
Tags: Business Networking, Business Research, Direct Marketing Agency, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing Recruitment, MySpace, Social Network Marketing, Social Networking, Social Networks, Twitter, Web 2.0 Marketing
