WEEK 1: Introduction to LinkedIn

[Michele Martin]

LinkedIn is primarily a professional network, designed to facilitate linkages between people who are wanting to connect for work-related purposes. It is more “buttoned-down” than Facebook with a more formal culture of relationships and connections. It is also the network of choice for most professionals.

Because LinkedIn is designed for professional networking, there’s a greater emphasis on building a reputation and connecting to employment and business opportunities. LinkedIn Questions and Answers is a way for people to ask questions and receive expert advice. Answers can be rated and people who do this well can improve their LinkedIn reputation. There are also employment listings and an ability to receive recommendations from your connections that then become part of your profile. You can also create and join groups.

To learn more about how LinkedIn works and how you can create a LinkedIn profile and start networking, check out the posts in this HowStuffWorks series on LinkedIn. Also see what other learning professionals are saying about LinkedIn. And consider these tips on using LinkedIn from Ray Sims and 10 Ways to Use LinkedIn from Guy Kawasaki. Also check out "I'm on LinkedIn, Now What?"

Also check out the LinkedIn Tips and Tricks Forum--We were losing some great ideas in this Introductory forum, so I'm moving those tips over to this forum where they're easier to find.

Tips on Writing Your LinkedIn Profile from Chris Brogan
**Make Your LinkedIn Profile Work for You
**Write Your LinkedIn Profile for Your Future

Tony Karrer has also created a quick screencast on how to use LinkedIn to find an expert. You can read another post on Searching for expertise (with another screencast) here.

ACTIVITIES

Spectator--Read the resources on LinkedIn posted here and any comments people make on this Forum thread.

Joiner/Collector--Read the resources and Forum comments. If you haven't done so already, join LinkedIn and start connecting. Invite people to join your network. Flesh out your profile by asking for recommendations or write a recommendation for someone in your network. (Be sure to check out Lodi's ideas on developing your profile). Join the LinkedIn Group we've started for this course, as well as the eLearning Guild's LinkedIn group. You may also want to comment or ask questions in this Forum. Or add your favorite LinkedIn Tips and Tricks to this forum.

You can also add your LinkedIn badge to this forum and/or to your Ning profile page by going to your profile page on LinkedIn and looking for the "Promote my Profile" link. Click on it and it will take you to a page where you can find the code to copy and paste. You can also add your badge to your blog, as Paul did. (For more detailed instructions on how to find/add your badge, check out Kate's post).

Creator-If you have any resources on LinkedIn or want to go looking for some to share, add them to this Forum. Go on LinkedIn and ask a question or try to find an expert, then share your experiences in a blog post or in the forum. Find a LinkedIn group to join and then participate in the conversation. Answer some questions that others have asked and see if you can get someone to rate your answer the best one (this will improve your reputation within the network). Consider creating a screencast or other job aide showing people how they can use LinkedIn.

PREVIOUS TOPIC--Introduction to Social Networking

NEXT TOPIC--Introduction to Facebook

[Harold Jarche]

[Chris Stott]

Just tentatively exploring LinkedIn. I guess there could be fellow explorers with enough common ground to want to add as contacts...so here's my attempt at pasting the html badge:



Harold Jarche said:

[paul lowe]

I signed up to the free version of linkedin a while ago, but havent really started building a network as i wasnt sure it was owrht th emembership fee to get it going
however a lot of colleagues and friends from both the education worlds and the media world are on it, so i feel its time to take the plunge and see if it is worth the effort and money!

still, its interesting to see who knows who if nothing elese!!

as a way of researching someone you dont know as a potential contact it could be useful too

how do i get the badge??

[Michele Martin]

Hi Paul--to get the code for your badge, go to your profile page and scroll down to see "Promote your profile." Click on the link and you'll get a variety of code options based on size, look, etc. You can then copy and paste into a reply here, as well as onto your profile page in this Ning network.

[paul lowe]

[paul lowe]

thanks Michele

great thing about this workshop is having people online to help set things up, and get us up to speed so fast on things by sharing your experience

[paul lowe]

and i just added the badge to my blog, which is way better than having to write everything in to my 'about' page

[Michele Martin]

Glad to see that you were able to get your badge up and running, Paul. And you're right that one of the great things about a social network is having access to people who can help get things set up. :-)

paul lowe said:

thanks Michele

great thing about this workshop is having people online to help set things up, and get us up to speed so fast on things by sharing your experience

[paul lowe]

do people think that something like linkedin acts a as a kind of 'badge of honour', ie if you are savvy enough to join it then you are likely to be equally savvy in other areas?

IOW is it like a kind of 'i get web 2.)' badge like you used to get in the boy scouts??

Michele Martin said:

Glad to see that you were able to get your badge up and running, Paul. And you're right that one of the great things about a social network is having access to people who can help get things set up. :-)
paul lowe said:

thanks Michele

great thing about this workshop is having people online to help set things up, and get us up to speed so fast on things by sharing your experience

[Tony Karrer]

Here's my badge:



One thought here - if you are new to LinkedIn - have you ever:

1. Explored Answers and what kinds of questions you might ask?
2. Explored asking someone for help on a particular question?

I find that these have become a primary resource for outside expertise. If folks are interested, I can try to figure out how to show a bit more about how to do these things.

[paul lowe]

Linkedin seems pretty spooky in the way it makes recommendations for people to link to - it just invited me to link with my brother in law - and i had no idea he was even on it or what the connection inside linkedin is!!
I guess we must know someone in common, but not sure who

[paul lowe]

that seems like a very useful tool, a primer on how to do it would be useful

i'm realy interested in how to use it to network, rather than to get a job as such - like if i want to find an academic in a particualr speciality, how do i find them?

just search for their name i guess?




Tony Karrer said:

Here's my badge:



One thought here - if you are new to LinkedIn - have you ever:

1. Explored Answers and what kinds of questions you might ask?
2. Explored asking someone for help on a particular question?

I find that these have become a primary resource for outside expertise. If folks are interested, I can try to figure out how to show a bit more about how to do these things.