Learn About LinkedIn, by Michelle Cullison
May 22, 2008
Welcome to SucceedingWomen.com!
My name is Michelle Cullison and this is my first post on the Succeeding Women.com blog. I will be your host on this site for all things web 2.0 and social media. I invite you to post comments requesting information on the social media/web 2.0 topics that interest you. I will present information on how web technology tools like blogging, podcasting, web video, RSS and social networking sites can be used to promote your company and yourself on the path to success in a web 2.0 world.
Today, I want to talk about LinkedIn.com(Est. 2003), the fastest growing social networking site for business professionals that now serves more than 19 million members. It is free to join and create a personal profile. (There are premium memberships available with added benefits for a fee.) On LinkedIn, the profile is professional in nature and can be compared to a dynamic resume. It may include a picture, educational experience, professional experience, honors and awards, and interests. With this profile, you are able to build a personal network of connections by inviting colleagues, partners, clients or others that you know and trust to connect with you on LinkedIn. Traditional networking, trading business cards with strangers or acquaintances, has value over time, but LinkedIn allows you to connect NOW with people you already know and trust.
Many people are asking the question, What are the benefits of joining Linked In?
Many professionals are using it to:
- Locate prospects or employees
- Build rapport with current clients and peers
- Find qualified (and recommended) service providers or employees
- Connect with experts to get questions answered
- Establish yourself as an expert
- Give and get recommendations
- Uncover professional opportunities (jobs or partnerships)
In order to provide content that you want on future blog posts, I’d like to hear from you:
What would you MOST like to get out of LinkedIn and Why? (Pick from the list above.)
—Post Your answer in the comment section below—
Because LinkedIn has grown from 10 million users in April 2007 to approximately 19 million users, business professionals have “millions” of reasons to get connected and benefit from professional social networking. I look forward to learning of your social networking experiences and sharing mine with you.
Michelle
New Media Strategist
MichelleCullison.com
Comments
3 Responses to “Learn About LinkedIn, by Michelle Cullison”
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I am not truly familiar with social networking sites, so this is new territory for me as to what benefit that they can have. I would say that the thing that I think would be of most value to me would be to
uncover professional opportunities. As I look to my future goals, I am not sure what direction I would like to explore, and I think that might be of benefit.
Thank you for this information; it’s reminding me to explore Linked In. I’ve been invited to participate but haven’t really taken the time to check out what it can do for my business. I’d like to explore how it can help me find leads and check out the market.
Michelle,
It helps to know that LinkedIn has a solid customer base. One of the hardest things about being technologically challenged, is not knowing when a company is a fad or here to stay. That information helps me to know where I want to invest my time in getting familiar with a system.
My desire would be to find a network for contacts and connecting with like-minded entrepreneurs. We have so much to learn from each other!