Now you can push all of your Linkedin status updates to Twitter, and send all your Twitter posts to Linkedin. But the question is, should you? Linkedin is a business tool for solving business challenges. Linkedin suggests that you connect with people you know and trust. The Status Update feature was created to let you share with your direct connections what you are working on, what’s going on with your work, or something about your business that you want to share. It is a tool for providing your recent business updates to the business people you know and trust.

It may be relevant to update once a week–maybe even once a day– but not every time you Tweet, which could be an overwhelming number of updates all day. Just think how strange it would make you seem if you met someone in the hall at work or at the local coffee shop and you asked them what they were working on and they answered, “A penny saved is a penny earned!.” Or if you asked them a question like “What are you working on Judy? and Judy answered, “You’re welcome @JayJones! @tommeypinto, Just the best.” You would certainly think there was something wrong with these people. Yet this can be the effect created for Linkedin users when their trusted connections push every Twitter post to the business status update in Linkedin.

This is similar to the person that auto pushes info out to all their social media connections and tells me that they “know they are getting out there, but haven’t had much response.” The reply to that is “Do you talk to pictures on the wall or advertisements in public places? Of course not! If you are not present, why should they respond?” The same principle applies for Linkedin.

The correct use of Linkedin Status is for you to provide useful updates to share with your trusted business contacts. You would not walk into a business associate’s office and say, “Here are all my comments to people all day, out of context and thought,” dropping the packet on their desk and leaving. What would you think about a person who did that to you? That they don’t value your attention or time. Quality networking is not done through the rapid distribution and interruption of large numbers of people… we call that SPAM!

As someone who has been teaching people about Linkedin since 2006, I was concerned when they said you can send all your Twitter updates to Linkedin without a warning notice! The ability to selectively send Twitter updates (with thought) to your Linkedin profile, or the other way around, is a wonderful feature. Just stop and ask is this relevant for both communities. My concern is that good people with good intentions may not realize how they are annoying their own valuable circle of business people or just forcing them to find the “hide” button so they stop seeing anything they have to say. Remember Linkedin displays only a small number of updates unlike Twitter so if you just push all you Tweets over and have a lot it just dominates the field and would be like talking all the time at a meeting where everyone wants a turn to speak about that they are doing in their business.

Just to check this out, I posted a question in Linkedin asking people’s impressions of the auto push of Twitter posts to Linkedin for Linkedin users, and here is a sample of the responses: http://www.linkedin.com/answers/using-linkedIn/ULI/657379-548650 and here is a Poll I posted on Linkedin: http://polls.linkedin.com/p/87361/jwbsz

Martin Brossman on Twiter at http://www.twitter.com/martinbrossman
and Linkedin at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/martinbrossman

See an informal video I made on the topic:

How to Hide someone’s in the Status area if they don’t respond to you explain how their auto-pushing all Twitter to Linkedin fill up their feed.

I am especally honored that after mentioning this issues to Chris Brogan he wrote a blog post about it. See that post at:
http://www.toddrjordan.com/thebroadbrush/2010/05/diluting-linkedin-with-twitter/

Martin Brossman – Success Coach / Trainer / Author
www.ProNetworkingOnLine.com – (919) 847 4757

Did you leave something?

5 Ways Sales Professionals Leave Money on the Table by Not Using Linkedin by Martin Brossman

For years I have been coaching sales professionals, discovering that they used to pay for similar information with less quality than the data that Linkedin is providing now at the free level. More importantly, all sales professionals that I have personally coached have gained clear value and closed more sales when they began using Linkedin correctly. However, I realize that there are many sales executives who are obviously not using Linkedin effectively, i.e., potentially leaving money on the table. I hope this list of 5 Linkedin omissions gets the attention of all honest hardworking sales pros and spurs you into action.

1. Their profile is so poorly filled out that when I ask them if they would buy from or trust “this person” (looking at their own profile) they say, “I really need to spend some time and clean up my profile.” Which translates to “no, I wouldn’t trust this person.” Some examples of items that might need clean-up are: outdated information, no business phone number, inappropriate photo for what they do, and using terms understandable to their peers and competition but not their customer. Their profile is not optimized for their customer to find them. Some don’t even have a picture and don’t realize how important it is for their professional presence.

2. They don’t even look up prospects and their company before meeting. In coaching sessions I will take several key current prospects that a client is pursuing and look them up, using the correct search tools. I will say, “Would it have been useful to know X,Y and Z about your client before you called?” The reply is, “I didn’t know X,Y or Z about their X,Y or Z. Of course that would have been of value.”

3. Their recommendations are none to poor. Often they just give buddies recommendations to get reciprocal ones, which are usually so transparent they could hurt their reputation. One company with 9 employees had everyone in the company give each other recommendations; there were no other recommendations, with the exception of one employee who had one additional valid recommendation.. That was over a year ago, and the one employee with the real recommendation is the only one who still works for thecompany −all others were laid off. Of course not just because of that, but I can tell you from my experience that this individual was the most productive, competent and loyal employee of all of the staff.

4. They don’t realize how bad they look to Google. They don’t know that their profile can be fully visible to Google, and that it just looks poor, as though they have little experience and qualifications. Sometimes they spend a lot of time on their profile, but do not even have their public profile set up so they can be found outside ofLinkedin. This creates a bad reflection on them and their company. They don’t understand how, with Google, sites like Linkedin are becoming as important, if not more than, their company web site for building a positive image and reputation.

5. They are not building a network that is relevant to the contacts they need. They don’t understand that the more relevant and trusted allies they connect to, the greater their reach in Linkedin. They haven’t figured out that people they know and trust are often connected to more people who could help them than they realize. By being onLinkedin you can discover who your contacts are connected to and how you can help each other. For example, there are referral groups who meet every single week whose members are not connected onLinkedin. They are missing out on the hundreds of connections that may already exist which could be accessed through the Linkedin network.

If you find yourself in any of the 5 points, stop and either do something yourself or get help to get this handled. Better yet, call me! If you find this useful, pass it on to someone in Sales that you care about.

Martin Brossman – 919 847-4757 – www.ProNetworkingOnline.com Martin@CoachingSupport.com

See Linking Into Sales :  www.linkingintosales.com with Martin Brossman and Greg Hyer

This is a new electronic business card that stays up-to-date and includes Social Media links as well as your picture. In the old days we traded business cards that were often hard to read, when we got back to the office we had to type or scan into our computer and used paper from trees (NOT Green).

Today instead of the business card we use the  Poken which costs from $20 to $35  (much less then a bunch of quality business cards) .  You meet someone, touch your Pokens together, and that, with short range wireless, transmits a code to each Poken. You plug your Poken in to your computer back at the office using a standard USB port and all their info shows up on the screen including web address, social media sites, videos and their picture. You can export this data electronically to any other system you want.  If they change a website, a phone number, a job, or their picture you get updated with the change automatically! It also shows you where you met them in time.

The Poken is much, much more than just an electronic business card sharing device. It is a fun way to share your social media and contact information with someone you meet who also has a Poken. It can include your photo, all your social media sites, your websites, phone, address..whatever you want to add. Links are active hyper links AND they don’t have to type your contact info into their computer. You can have it on you keychain and when you find someone you meet that also has one and you would like to share information with them, you just touch your Pokens together. They glow and that means the transfer of the ID’s occurred. Next time you are at your computer you plug your Poken into the USB slot and it transfers all your contacts to the web based Poken contact page. It is a new product by a new company that is already turning a profit. I believe this or something like this will be used more and more in the future over just a business card.

There are two models of the Poken and the Hub:

* PokenSPARK: Cost less (~$20.00 + shipping ), are the the little things with the big hand, has no extra memory.
http://www.poken.com/spark

* PokenPULSE: Cost a bit more (~$35.00 + shipping), looks like a USB memory stick and had 2Gig of re-usable memory as well as the Poken electronics and storage for the Poken data. To see the PULSE:
http://www.poken.com/pulse

* PokenHUB: This is the website you use to maintain and keep all your contact data. Since it is web based you can be a different computer and both view and update it. To see more about the HUB:
http://www.poken.com/website

Benefits of the Poken:

* Don’t have to type in their contact information or re-check check scanned in information like a business card.
* If they change their connections or content information your information on them is automatically updated.
* It includes the time / date when you met them on a time-line.
* Their photo is included.
* You can easily export the data to other electronic devices.

What is required to make this work for you:

* You both have to have a Poken.
* You both have to have internet access.
* You need to carry it with you.
* Every 4 to 8 months you will have to open the little case and change the battery that you can find at Radio Shack.

Click here to lean more about Poken in the Raleigh area.

Some other resource to lean more about the Poken

What is a Poken – Comprehensive video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z51JUot_yUY

Connecting your Poken to your computer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-JFOqeULU0

A videos about the Poken:
http://vimeo.com/6985456
More about it: http://vimeo.com/6955476

More about the Networking concept related to Poken:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61jYzrR5MN4

What the Poken looks like inside:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js2R6E4Q82k

Text explanation of the Poken including the manufacture and technology from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poken

Blog post comparing the Poken to other Digital Business cards:
http://technology.inc.com/hardware/articles/200906/businesscard.html

To get questions and answers about the Poken and community support:

http://getsatisfaction.com/poken

Place to buy your Poken!:
http://www.pokenzoo.com

Also you can get them from a link on inSide919.com
At FindaPoken

And I am often carrying around a few that I will sell at $19.95 for the PokenSPARK and the PokenPULSE for $34.99 (you don’t pay shipping).
Call me for info (919) 847-4757

Now that you own a Poken, how to connect it to your computer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-JFOqeULU0

Hope this was informative and please post your additions and comments. If you have a Poken let us know! I have a new list on Twitter called Poken Owners of RTP, if you are one and want to be on this list send me a tweet! Here is the link to the list: http://twitter.com/martinbrossman/poken-owners-of-rtp
Post a note here or to my Twitter account: http://www.twitter.com/martinbrossman

Martin Brossman
ProNetworkingOnLine.com
Raleigh NC

BNI Morning Show - N. Raleigh

Enhancing the Value of Your BNI Referral Group with Social Media by Martin Brossman

I was privileged to speak at The BNI Morning Show, a popular BNI group in North Raleigh, about business use of Social Media and on-line reputation management. To share the highlights with you, here are a few of my short tips for profoundly enhancing the value of your BNI referral group using Social Media and reputation sites.
- You can update LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook status about the meeting with something unique to that day, and the name of the group. Example someone posted: Looking forward to hearing Martin Brossman about Social Media w/business at our BNI Morning Show

- When having a one-on-one with someone, you may want to say something about the meeting and reference the person on any of your micro-blogs or status updates such as Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn .

- Give recommendations to members on LinkedIn after you have worked with them enough to give a specific and valid recommendation.

- Use on-line press releases to announce significant changes or advancements to the group.

- Include a member /reference the group in a blog post.

- Using Facebook “Pages” for business allows a posting to be picked up by Google vs. your personal profile that is basically seen by only the people you have let in as friends. .

- Have a short URL for a Web page or Facebook business page for members to use when posting on micro-blogs and status updates such as bit.ly .

- Post honest and positive comments in on-line sites like MerchantCircle.com or LocalAdLink.com This can also include posting on the person’s “wall” on sites like Facebook.com, LinkingRaleighNC.com  and inside919.com. (LinkingRaleighNC.com  and inside919.com are in the RTP NC area, www.insideareacodes.com to find the one in your local area code. )

- Make sure you have your LinkedIn profile optimized for your target customer, and consider connecting with the people on your BNI team.

The BNI Morning Show is one of the BNI Chapters in RTP, to learn more about them go to: http://trianglebni.net

Martin Brossman is a Business Coach, Trainer and Author who integrates Social Media training and Success Coaching. He offers training for Referral group on using Social Media for Business.  He is the co-founder of Professional Networking on the Web at the Cardinal Club in Raleigh. Find more info and links to Martin’s Social Media universe at www.ProNetworkingOnLine.com and find his new book “Brossman’s Social Media and Online Resource Directory for Business”. A great resource to find out more about Social Media for Business . Martin can be reach at US EST: (919) 847-4757 or Martin@CoachingSupport.com .

Free info you can use

I have been coaching high-quota Sales Professionals for many years and believe LinkedIn is one of the most important free sales tools available today.

Remember, LinkedIn is a professional tool for solving tasks.  It is not a cold calling list or directory of your target clients.  It IS a first place to check for current and future contacts and business, due to the high quality of the data when it is present. Since each profile is about an individual, automatic self-interest is generated for being well-represented on the web.

If you look at a person’s profile, you will get all the information they choose to make available, and also you can get a sense of how much they use LinkedIn.  For example, you can note whether their Public Profile consists of their name vs. the pre-assigned random numbers and letters.  If they have personalized it they are likely using LinkedIn frequently.  Next, notice how many recommendations they have, how many connections they have, if they have a picture, and whether they filled out their profile. These factors all point to how comfortable they are with using LinkedIn, and possibly how receptive they will be in accepting your introduction.
Know your target clients and businesses and observe how close you are to them through LinkedIn connections.   Who do you your ideal clients trust and how well connected are they to you?  You want to keep building your connections closer to your clients and that is done by relating to them and building their trust, not just by sending them an invite to connect.   Are there a few people that seem to be more connected to your ideal clients than others?  If so, these people need to be a higher priority for building and maintaining relationships.

It’s important to understand that this is a dynamic process which still involves building trust and connections, just like traditional networking has all along–which means investing in quality people who are on the path to where you want to be.
If you are a sales professional, LinkedIn is not only a big asset to your own career but also to the company you work for.  If you set up your web link back to the company web site (using the Other option) and use the right keywords in your profile that your customers use, you will enhance the web presence of your company and yourself. A true win-win.  This also makes it easier for your contacts to refer YOU to other members of their company by just referring people to your public profile.
That last tip I want to share today about your LinkedIn profile is: make sure to clearly have your contact information easy to find, especially your phone number. Make sure to first include it in the Contact Settings area at the bottom of your profile, but if you are in sales I would also add it at the top in your Summary area.

Last, when should you upgrade your LinkedIn profile to the paid version? When you keep running up against the notice that says you need to upgrade to get the information you need.  LinkedIn is very generous in giving a lot for the free service, so use all of it.
Since LinkedIn does such a great organic job of enhancing the brand of a business by having all their key people correctly listed on LinkedIn, you could add more value to your customers by offering resources for them to be on LinkedIn. That may be you or someone who provides LinkedIn training.
Martin Brossman can be reached at Martin@CoachingSupport.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (919) 847-4757 – ProNetworkingOnLine.com and see his LinkedIn resources http://usinglinkedin.wordpress.com/ or on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Usinglinkedin

Reprinted from www.LinkingRaleighNC.com – Greg Hyer

Look up your next contact on Linkedin

Last week I convinced my friend Bob of the value of using Linkedin for sales. It happened right after I saw him having lunch with John, another friend of mine. When Bob called me later to let me know that he was doing well in his new position and to make an appointment with me for continued sales coaching, I mentioned that I knew John well. I asked him if he had used Linkedin before he talked to John. Bob said no, he hadn’t. I was sitting at my computer at the time. I asked, “Did you talk about the fact that you are both big Hurricanes fans? “No, I didn’t know that,” Bob replied. Then I asked him, “Did you discuss that you both did your undergraduate work at North Carolina State University?” Again, Bob said no.”Did you tell Bob he knows your best customer, Richard Jones? Bob replied, “No, that would have been great to know, but it didn’t come up–how did you know this?” I told him I knew it because I had looked at John’s LinkedIn profile. “If you had just taken a moment before you met John to look up his Linkedin profile,” I explained to Bob, “you would know all this information and more. Also, since John posted his profile on Linkedin, it is information that he is clearly comfortable having others know, so it’s okay to mention. You could have said, ‘I looked you up on Linkedin and noticed that you are a Hurricanes Fan, or that we both went to NC State.”"Now, on the other hand,” I continued, “if he looked you up on Linkedin, he would see that you had 15 connections, that your profile says you still work at the company you left two years ago, and that you don’t have a single recommendation.” “Bob,” I said, “you’ve done your best to always sell top-quality products with a personal commitment to give the best quality support to your customers. Would you want an easy way for potential customers to see your years of experience and be able to check you out before you meet? I know you have a large number of customers that would be pleased to give you a recommendation on Linkedin if you simply asked. Bob replied, “Can we include some Linkedin training along with regular sales coaching-as soon as possible?I told him to start immediately by making sure his Linkedin profile was fully filled out and to start looking up customers before meeting them. And I noted that there’s also a large amount of information available by looking up the company that many people aren’t even using, which gives info which would have traditionally cost money or a lot of research. Several key things for a sales professional about Linkedin: Start looking up companies you are involved with, including your own. Before you meet with someone see if they are on Linkedin and review their profile. Make sure that when your future customers look you up on Linkedin, current information is there that enhances understanding and trust of you. Linkedin is a valuable tool for a successful Sales Professional and offers a great deal at the free service level.

—Martin Brossman: Success Coaching & Trainer offering Social Media, Personal Branding and Linkedin training since 2006. www.ProNetworkingOnLine.com -Martin@CoachingSupport.com (919) 847-4757 (Article re-printed from www.LinkingRaleighNC.com )

How are you using LinkedIn?

The Top 10 Reasons to Spend Time Using LinkedIn for Career and Business
By Martin Brossman and Greg Hyer

LinkedIn is a free resource that lets you build and maintain a global and local network–a powerful tool in a world where higher transparency is required for trust. LinkedIn allows you to keep in touch with not only what people are doing but who they are connecting with. It is a social medium that is professional and businesslike. If you have not spent time with it and you care about your career and your clients’ trust, it’s time to start allotting some hours to it.

Here are just a few reasons to invest time in LinkedIn.com:

1. More than 30 Million people you can search.
LinkedIn lets you research 30 million professional people with almost 100% accuracy and gives YOU permission to know the information posted on the profile. For example, if you met someone for the first time and mentioned you saw in their LinkedIn profile that they went to the same school you went to, that would build rapport. If you gained this information from a private paid database, that might make them feel uncomfortable.

2. Free quality consulting advice.
Use the Answers area of LinkedIn to obtain valuable free information as you need it—it’s often comparable to thousands of dollars of consulting advice. One way people are motivated to give you quality answers is because they have a chance of you voting their answer to you as the most useful answer increasing their status as an expert.

3. Establishing yourself as an expert.
Receiving authentic recommendations from past or present associates and co-workers which appear in your LinkedIn profile can help position you as an expert. Of course recommendations have to be earned by quality work, generally building over time to enrich your LinkedIn presence, and are often inspired by your giving sincere recommendation to others. At the same time, answering questions offers you a further opportunity to be seen as an expert by responding to questions posed in your field. When your answer reveals your expertise, you have the possibility of being voted “expert answer.”

4. Enhancing your brand and presence on the web.
LinkedIn is a site that builds more credibility than your own website. It is well-indexed by Google. When people see a recommendation given to you on LinkedIn, they can choose to see the full profile of the person that gave the recommendation, giving it more credibility.

5. Direct introductions to a large number of quality people.
Through LinkedIn you can be directly introduced to and have access to people who may not take your call directly. By properly using LinkedIn’s direct introduction system, you can get introduced to people that you are connected to as well as people that your contacts are connected to. You can also learn who your contacts are connected to, and how they are connected. Important note: When you make the reach to contact them, always have a reason in their best interest.

6. Allowing people to prescreen YOU to build faster trust.
With higher demands for greater transparency, LinkedIn offers a credible way for your customers to prescreen you by seeing recommendations without having to bother people. This also applies for people looking for a job. People can see recommendations to you without your having to repeatedly bother your references to pre-screen you.

7. Professional groups that let you connect with a common interest.
Connect with people that share a common interest by joining a group and participating in group discussions on the group’s discussion board. There is a group for everyone, such as local networking groups like Linking Raleigh, NC, school and corporate alumni groups, or groups related to an industry or profession.

8. Providing valuable changing resources to attract multiple visits to your information.
Use the LinkedIn applications to do things like display your Wordpress or TypePad blog in your profile so that visitors can learn more about you. Add the Amazon book app so you can share with others what you are reading and recommend they read. Promote your events or find an event through the events app. Make a presentation by uploading a PowerPoint slide show about your business or even yourself.

9. The ability to recognize good people that the world can see.
LinkedIn lets you give recommendations to people throughout your entire life, and that can be a better use of your time then the usual mode of interrupting people to ask for a job or a sale. LinkedIn not only allows you to build trust and credibility with local people but people all over the world. Since you can search in your vicinity or anywhere, you can have local contacts and global ones very easily. By providing deeper information, LinkedIn can enhance existing relationships and deepen new ones. Spending some of your time appreciating good people in your life is the avenue to fostering friends and associates who care about YOU.

10. Keeping track of your direct and indirect network.
Use LinkedIn as an easy way to keep track of your contacts, their contacts, and changes in status. For example, if someone you know got promoted or received an award, this could by a way to acknowledge them for their accomplishment. You may find that a good friend wanting to help you just connected with an important person you want to meet.

Like anything in life, you do have to spend some time with LinkedIn to gain value from it. The time you spend building your profile will reap its return when you put yourself out there to expand your professional network and build your reputation through this rapidly expanding social media tool. Simply by sending and receiving recommendations, using apps, answering and asking questions, and helping others along the way, you can be remembered and made memorable by using LinkedIn. Take full advantage of what LinkedIn has provided for free and bring yourself to the forefront of a crowded room.

About Martin & Greg:

-Hello, I am Martin Brossman. As a success coach, I believe almost everyone should be on LinkedIn since it has given so much value to myself and to my coaching clients when they spend the right amount of time with it. If you Google my name in quotes, you will see the second item listed is my LinkedIn profile–all possible with the free LinkedIn service. I currently use their paid service, but that evolved after I gained value from the basic free service. (Our post above refers to all that is possible with the free service.) I have been offering group LinkedIn training in the Triangle since 2006, and in response to requests, I now offer customized LinkedIn training for individuals and small groups. My LinkedIn profile: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/martinbrossman

-Hello I am Greg Hyer. As a local networking advocate, I feel strongly that LinkedIn is the ideal tool and service to use to enhance your professional brand and manage your professional relationships. The benefits to using LinkedIn are significant, yet it does not require that you devote that much time to it. As a founder of a LinkedIn Group and corresponding website, LinkingRaleighNC.com, I help local professionals build a quality network and provide some resources to improve their chances of finding the connection for the next opportunity. My LinkedIn profile: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/greghyer

Short URL for this post: http://tinyurl.com/10LinkedIn

Keep Employment - Use Linkedin!

The following are comments from members of the Linkedin community:

Note: When the commenters use the abbreviation LI, they mean Linkedin.com. The order of the comments is based on the sequence that people answered the question in the Linkedin Answers area. To see the original question in Linkedin go to: http://www.linkedin.com/answers/using-linkedIn/ULI/392100-548650

From Daniel Jatovsky – http://www.linkedin.com/in/danieljatovsky
The average person will spend 7 years at one job. If you want you want your next job to be better than your present job, shouldn’t you spend time meeting people who might offer you opportunities in the future? If you do, then when the time comes to move on (whether voluntarily or not), you will have people to call, rather than starting from square one.
Anyone who thinks they have a “stable job” is kidding themselves. There’s no such thing.

But even if all you want to do on LI is increase your value as an employee, networking is a great way to do it. If you are in any sales-related field, obviously you need to prospect. But even if you aren’t, meeting new people in the same field as you offers chances to improve your skills, find new ideas, and learn about new developments in your field.
Asking why you should spend time with LinkedIn is kind of like asking why you should bother spending time with people if it’s not work-related.

From Graham McKay – http://www.linkedin.com/in/grahammckay
Business is about people and this is a great place to interact with other people… some of this may be about future job opportunities but there is much more than that (sharing experience with fellow professionals, networking with past colleagues etc).

From Laura Ward – http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicvision
If you only used LinkedIn during the times you *think* it is benefical to you, such as when you are job hunting, then you are not networking to your fullest potential. You never know what will change in both your personal and professional at any given time – keep connected.

From Scott Diamond – http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdiamond
Was listening to the radio this morning and the business correspondent was talking about how many people who have lost their jobs recently were philosophical about it by saying they really felt trapped in that job. I’m sure there are lots of people that have stayed in their current jobs because of fears of the economy. But a site like LinkedIn can open doors that they might not have even known about and one of them could lead to a dream job.
If that’s not enough, its always nice to reconnect with people from your past.

From Flyn Penoyer – http://www.linkedin.com/in/flynpenoyer
The socializer and casual user should be welcome on LI, but LI is a gold mine of opportunities and the person who has a job may have any number of reasons to be here — but the one obvious one would be so that they could get themselves in a position where they didn’t need the job and were completely independent.
As to what someone should do on LI one must start with some purpose.
If one comes to LI without the goal of improving one’s own situation there is not much to do beyond socializing. If one is looking for opportunities of just about any kind there are probably people here who can help to forward those objectives in any number of ways.
Networking is valuable for any intended growth, and makes little or no sense for those who are or wish to stay static.

From Mary Jo Demski, PHR – http://www.linkedin.com/in/mjdemski
I enjoy the social interaction (re-connections with old friends and establishment of new ones) as well as the opportunity to learn from my peers. Also, I don’t have a crystal ball: right now I am gainfully and happily employed, but what if (2 of the most dreaded words!) something changes down the road? At least I will have a solid network to utilize as a potential source of new employment!

From Marcelo Rahal Coutinho – http://www.linkedin.com/in/rahal
Basically because you/we never know what is going to happen “tomorrow”. LI is my default page when I open my browser. We MUST be tuned in the market movements like who is working where, etc. We never know when those people can help/ add value to us (in our carriers, recommendations, customers, etc.) And the most important thing is that we cannot use LI only when we looking for o job. In Portuguese we say “We only exist if we are remembered by people”.

From Gianluigi Cuccureddu – http://www.linkedin.com/in/gianluigicuccureddu
Networking should be part of daily life. When being stuck without a job and not having networked, someone is obviously too late.
You don’t create valuable relationships and a network overnight.

From: Mark Wayman – http://www.linkedin.com/in/markwaymanlv
Because life is about family, friends and relationships…not material possessions.
I place $100,000+ executives. Average “C” level job tenure? Two years. Over 80% of these executives find their new job via personal and professional networks.
With the current economic state, I am the most popular person in Las Vegas. Plenty of calls from people I have not heard from in two or three years asking for jobs. No thank you.
Dig the well before you need a drink. Build the bridge before you need to cross the river. The best time to plant an oak tree was 25 years ago. The second best time is today.

From: John M. O’Connor- http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmartinoconnor
Why should someone with a job spend time with Linkedin?
As a Career Coach and Consultant, I must say that nearly everyone should view their current position as if it is in transition. In fact, most jobs and careers truly are in transition whether you know it or not.
Additionally I must say that not everyone who has job should “spend time” with Linkedin. As much as I am a proponent of Linkedin some careers and career paths may not be conducive to this network. But let’s focus on most people in a career or job.
Let me make five quick points here on this subject:
1. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS. You will benefit from building relationships with key contacts throughout your career.
2. PRACTICE GIVING. The give value first before you expect to get value seems to be heavily promoted and a part of the Linkedin culture. That principle should guide all of your networking communications.
3. BUILD USING BUILDING BLOCKS. Linkedin can literally provide contacts, then relationships then solutions to problems you are trying to solve at work or while you are working. Why not take advantage of consistent networking and relationship building?
4. INVEST NOW – FOCUS YOUR TIME. Just spending time with Linkedin Martin simply is not enough. If you are going to utilize the features then utilize the features you need to reach your specific career goals. If you gain permission and acceptance of this device when you have a job then you don’t have to panic use it if you are ever let go.
5. GET SPECIFIC. Answer the question – What has Linkedin done to help me with my career or what could it do? Find a coach, hire a professional and think about this question. Find out and apply all positive answers.

From Greg Hyer – http://www.linkedin.com/in/greghyer
This is a great question because not many people want to think about what to do when they have to start a new job search. LinkedIn can serve several purposes for someone who is looking for a job or is not but might have to by force. In the case of the person not expecting a merger to happen or cut backs to include his or her position LinkedIn is where you belong. That person can use LinkedIn to network with co-workers and keep in touch with them after they are no longer working together. Networking with co-workers is like a “gateway drug.” After that this LinkedIn user will start to expand their network beyond co-workers and join groups that meet their interests. Now this person has established their network and has it “on paper” so when it comes time to move on the transition is much easier.
On a personal note, I was told about LinkedIn by a co-worker who new I was transitioning to North Carolina. He insisted that I use this as a way to ask friends for help. He was right to suggest it and LinkedIn helped me find my current position through a connection.

From Emily Nichols – http://www.linkedin.com/in/enichols
Call me naively optimistic, but now that I’ve got a LinkedIn profile fully completed, I feel much more confident in my ability to locate a job. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some incredible people, like Martin Brossman, Greg Hyer, Christopher Durham, and Chuck Hester–all people I may have never met without joining LinkedIn and the groups they participate in.
I think, especially in this economical climate, you would be crazy NOT to have as many career resources at your fingertips. They say you should always keep an eye and ear open to potential jobs because even if you love your job, you may find one that will lead you in a new and even better direction. Life and work are about the moments that lead us to our next great adventure–LinkedIn can guide you.
Not only is LinkedIn useful in a job hunt or meeting new business contacts, but it’s also keeping me on top of new trends. Members post bulletins about interesting marketing ideas, trends in social media, and links to informative videos and articles on the web. In reality, my LinkedIn is an educational resource.
I’ve recommended all my friends get on LinkedIn and even made it part of a branding initiative for my consulting job. I’m currently looking for a job in Raleigh so I can relocate from Boston and I feel that I’m much more well-informed on what’s out there for jobs.

From Chuck Hester – http://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckhester
The old adage “dig your well before your thirsty” sums it up for me. Making sure you have a network to turn to if you need them is very important, and LinkedIn is the best tool available to build that network.
As a Pay it Forward advocate, the ability to help others is also important, and again LinkedIn is amazing for making that happen.
Thanks to people like Greg Hyer and of course Martin Brossman, I enjoy a solid, deep network of professionals that I know I can turn to if I needed help.
It’s a different world than it was in 2001 during the last dotcom bubble burst and 9/11. We are all in this together and it’s important to maintain relationships in good times – and bad.
My book talks a lot about this very subject. Links: http://www.thepayitforwardchronicles.blogspot.com

From Paige Dumoulin – http://www.linkedin.com/in/paigedumoulinmedica
You already know the answer to this question. For a lot of people it’s a matter of “you don’t know what you don’t know”. They don’t see the value in it because they were too busy working. I personally do based on having been unemployed and everyone told me to “NETWORK”. YIKES!! I had no clue.
Thankfully I found this site, started utilizing the “Answer” section and made several fantastic connections….I even gained employment thru a LinkedIn Group. But the friendships I’ve made go far beyond the job search. Now I just enjoy sharing ideas and learning from others!

From Nikhil Bhatnagar – http://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilbhatnagar
In my opinion it does not matter if you are with or with out job and are into networking like linkedin or any other. It is a platform where you can easily advertise yourself and your work. and according to me and my experience advertising does not means sales! it is generating interest and product awareness it could be you or your work.
For example : if throw a stone in water you can see the circular rings and how fast it moves and vanish the heavier the stone-> big circles and fast movements like epicentre” i was trying to explain the concept” ..

From Jeff Knight – http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffknightnc
Connecting with new sales prospects, locating help on difficult problems, maintaining a “pulse” on your industry, and of course, establishing a support network well before you need it.
Another subtle value provided by Linkedin is the convenience and accessibility of the network information. As an executive of our company, I have spent the last 5 years turning around problem profit centers. Managing the projects, recruiting, marketing, and the systems development takes its toll on time, personal and otherwise. Many of my peers, working in similar situations, have made the same observation. We are all running hard to innovate and deploy, immersing ourselves in our businesses. Attending national seminars, trade shows, and other traditional networking events can become impossible for long periods.
Linkedin has provided a means of relief from the silo that the competitive business climate can create. It provides quick and easy access to a wealth of knowledge, packaged in very informative “personal profiles” and groups. I have had the benefit of making some great connections, obtaining real help, and most importantly being able to offer help to others. Access to Linkedin, from the hotel or wherever, can greatly expand your reach and widen your personal area of influence.
I was introduced to Linkedin by John O’Conner with Career Pro of Raleigh, NC. John has become a great resource to me and our corporation. I would also highly recommend “Networlding” by Melissa Giovagnoli and Jocelyn Carter-Miller. It provides great instruction on defining goals and developing plans, while leveraging social media, to yield personal success.

From Amanda Normine – http://www.linkedin.com/in/amandanormine
You may have a good job now, but having connections in the right places could bring you a better one down the line!!!
Many recruiters, like myself, only target people who are currently in the workforce… so you never know when that opportunity would knock on your door, should your door be visible!

From Joy Montgomery – http://www.linkedin.com/in/joymontgomery
Do you know an easier way to keep your network alive and well?

From Laurie Meisel – http://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriemeisel
I believe there is much to be learned just by looking at other people’s profiles!
Let’s say person “A” has been in their current position for 8 years and now person “B” comes along a recent grad who had the opportunity to prepare for the same field. While person “A” has the time on the job will s/he have the same range of skills?
Let’s say a lot of new tech has been introduced into the field if person “A’s company is not yet there, person “B” could be coming out of school with all of the latest skills ready to swoop in. Person “A” is no longer on the same playing field to make a career move (if they haven’t kept up on their own.) AND that person might not even know it, unless they LOOK and see what skills someone of the same position elsewhere is carrying. It can be quite eye opening!
So, why would YOU say that someone with a job should spend time with Linkedin? Or what did you learn from this post? If you find it useful share it with a friend!

From Jocelyn Oakman – http://www.linkedin.com/in/jocelynoakman
LinkedIn is like my “Poker Hand”. I don’t want to bet on my career with only 1 Ace (My current Position). LinkedIn is like the card dealer, and the connections I make are the deck of cards. Any one of, or combination of, my connections could win me my next big career success. That success could be in the form of increased business from referrals and advertising through my connections in my current career path, or it could mean landing a brand new career.
It has been proven over and over again that “Who You Know” can have a greater impact on your career than simply “What You Know”. LinkedIn helps maintain your visibility to your connections as you grow in “What You Know”, while at the same time updating you on how they are growing in their career success. This viral forum for an interchange of knowledge about business and opportunities is what makes LinkedIn such a powerful resource for all business professionals.

From Todd Thigpen – http://www.linkedin.com/in/toddthigpen
I believe networking to create constructive relationships is beneficial, whether employed or unemployed. For those unemployed without any strong network or experience being unemployment, one common attribute of networking I’ve observed is a sense of urgency or anxiousness that effects the conversation. The need for employment seems to bias the conversation. For those happily employed, this need doesn’t exist. I believe effective networking is about giving rather than receiving. Someone employed is in a better position to give. Hence, they can build constructive relationships that may benefit them in the future. LinkedIn provides a great forum for effective networking. Employed people should utilize LinkedIn.

From Martin Brossman – http://www.linkedin.com/in/martinbrossman
If you have a job and you are not taking some time to invest in good people outside your job you are just not taking care of your family or yourself. Why should people help you if you have made no effort to invest in them. Linkedin is one of the best free business resources to spend a little time each week to do this without having to spend a lot of money. I keep meeting people laid off who never thought it would happen to them an see the scared look in their eyes because they did noting to network until they were laid off. They are trying to network now and the need still exist but the effort required is many times greater. If you work with a good job placement person or career counselor you will still get better help if you bring a network with you. What have you done today to network with good people?

Why would YOU say that someone with a job should spend time with Linkedin? Or what did you learn from this post? If you find it useful share it with a friend!

Short URL to this post http://tinyurl.com/linkedin4job

NBC17 interview with Martin Brossman about Linkedin and Jobs

An Interview with Martin Brossman on Using Linkedin as a Job Hunting tool. Also see other resources below.

Here is the two links to the shows:

1st the spot that was shown on the nightly news:
http://news.mync.com/site/news/video/2951/Linked%20In%20pkg/

2nd more of the interview:
http://news.mync.com/site/news/video/2944/Martin_Brossman_interview/

I want to thank all who recommended me for this show including Greg Hyer with the great RTP Linkedin resource: www.linkingraleighnc.com, Wayne Sutton and Chuck Hester (Linkedin Live, find Chuck at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckhester). I know their were others that recommend me as well but did not get the names.

Other resources: Professional Networking On-Line (Article on MyNC.com) :
http://wake.mync.com/site/wake/Community/story/11074

Martin Brossman - Success Coach / Trainer

About Martin Brossman

Martin, a success coach, speaker, trainer and author, has been mastering the art of networking in the Triangle since 1982 ( www.coachingsupport.com ). He has originated numerous successful in-person and on-line networking groups which have facilitated meaningful business connections among members. Martin’s computer skills have powered his keen ability to create and teach crucial new Internet communications, such as blogging, podcasting and on-line networking. His own podcast show can be heard at www.InquireOnLine.info . He offers consulting on how to generate profitable alliances by maximizing face-to-face and on-line presence and managing “the conversation of you” on the Web. Also see: www.ProNetworkingOnLine.com .

For more information, contact Martin Brossman at (919) 847-4757 or Martin@CoachingSupport.com
For TinyURL to share this page using: http://tinyurl.com/5lqyyl

Here is the two links to the shows:
1st the spot that was shown on the nightly news:
http://news.mync.com/site/news/video/2951/Linked%20In%20pkg/

2nd more of the interview:
http://news.mync.com/site/news/video/2944/Martin_Brossman_interview/

I want to thank all who recommended me for this show including Greg Hyer with the great RTP Linkedin resource: www.linkingraleighnc.com, Wayne Sutton and Chuck Hester ( Linkedin Life, find Chuck at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckhester ). I know their were others that recommend me as well but did not get the names.

Other resoruces: Professional Networking On-Line ( Article on MyNC.com ) :
http://wake.mync.com/site/wake/Community/story/11074

Martin Brossman – Success Coach / Trainer

About Martin Brossman
Martin, a success coach, speaker, trainer and author, has been mastering the art of networking in the Triangle since 1982 ( www.coachingsupport.com ). He has originated numerous successful in-person and on-line networking groups which have facilitated meaningful business connections among members. Martin’s computer skills have powered his keen ability to create and teach crucial new Internet communications, such as blogging, podcasting and on-line networking. His own podcast show can be heard at www.InquireOnLine.info . He offers consulting on how to generate profitable alliances by maximizing face-to-face and on-line presence and managing “the conversation of you” on the Web – www.ProNetworkingOnLine.com .

For more information, contact Martin Brossman at (919) 847-4757 or Martin@CoachingSupport.com
For TinyURL to share this page using: http://tinyurl.com/5lqyyl