LinkedIn Celebrates 200 Million Members

January 13, 2013 at 9:01 pm (social media)
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LinkedIn InfographicAre you on LinkedIn?

If you’re not, then you may be missing out. LinkedIn announced that it has reached 200 million members and noted that about two members per second join LinkedIn.

It also put together a cool infographic about who has the most LinkedIn members (United States) and the fastest growing countries on LinkedIn (Turkey).

The most followed on LinkedIn are Richard Branson, Barack Obama, Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins and Jeff Weiner.

I’m not on the site each day the way I am with Facebook. I do get on at least weekly, and more so when I’m recruiting to fill a position. I also appreciate updates from those in my network. I want to know who has a new job or who recommends a book or article to read.

How are you using LinkedIn?

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Social Media Tidbits

March 11, 2012 at 4:39 am (social media)
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The social media platform continues to evolve. In the past few weeks, I’ve read several good articles and found some helpful apps. I’ve collected several of them in this blog to share with you.

Linkedin Follow Company Buttons

Companies will be adding this button to their websites, making it easier for any consumer on the web to begin following companies of interest, on LinkedIn. Whether you are looking to stay up-to-date on company news, career opportunities or industry trends, following companies on LinkedIn is a great and easy way to gain insights and stay connected.

Copyright Issues and Pinterest

I love Pinterest. It’s fun to get inspiration. For the most part I’ve been pinning photos I’ve taken, but I’ve repinned photos of others that I liked. I don’t always know the copyright of those photos, and I suspect you don’t either. And that’s a problem. Pinterest’s Terms Of Use itself requires that “you either are the sole and exclusive owner of all Member Content that you make available through the Site, Application and Services or you have all rights, licenses, consents and releases that are necessary to grant to Cold Brew Labs the rights in such Member Content as contemplated under these Terms.” Megan O’Neill wrote a clear piece on the problem for Social Times.

Telling a Story Using Video

I started my career as a print reporter. A photographer was assigned to capture an appropriate image to accompany the story. When I moved into PR, I took my own photos for newsletters. I had studied photography so it wasn’t too much of a stretch, although I would have preferred a professional photographer on staff. Today, I have to think about videos to go on my company’s blog, Facebook page and website. I do the same for my personal blog. If you want to learn more about how to tell a story through video, Poynter has an article with 9 helpful steps.

Favorite Apps

Trello organizes all of your projects and tasks.

Trello organizes all of your projects and tasks and who is assigned to them in an easy-to-view format. Even better, the mobile and web versions contain the same features.

Now that the weather is getting nice, my trainer is encouraging me to get outside and run. I want to know my distance so MapMyRun is my go-to app.

I’m always finding articles to read. Sometimes I go down scary rabbit holes and forget what I started off searching for. Now I use InstaPaper, an app that lets me bookmark interesting web pages for later reference. The best part is I can read it on my phone when I’m waiting for an appointment or stuck in line.

What have you read lately that’s worth sharing?

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3 Ways to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile

February 1, 2012 at 6:59 am (social media)
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The other evening I was approving members for the NFPW group on LinkedIn and deleting some individuals who are not members of NFPW. The NFPW LinkedIn group is a closed group, meaning it is open only to members of NFPW.

For a communications group that seems a bit odd, but we had to do it because we were receiving so many solicitations. Many of the conversations had nothing to do with communications and the mission of NFPW.

I realized as I was checking names that it would be helpful if members included a profile picture. I may not have had conversations with everyone I come in contact with at national conferences, but I do have a good memory for faces. Also, because it’s a professional site, I’m left wondering why a person doesn’t want their photo included.

That led me to think what else you can do to improve your profile.

Post at least once a month. Speaking of conversation, I often hear, “I don’t have time to be on LinkedIn every day. It’s hard enough being on Facebook.” No one is saying you have to update every day on LinkedIn. Providing an update every few weeks is good because when you update your profile, an update is shared with everyone in your network. It’s a good way to get yourself noticed. If you blog or tweet, use a widget to automatically pull in your posts or tweets so others can see what you are saying.

Explain what you do. When you share your career highlights, provide more than your job title. As with any resume, you want to describe your role and explain how you helped your organization. This will help set you apart with all the other members who have the job title of “reporter” or “communications specialist,” for example.

Grow your connections. Each time someone hands you a business card, update your LinkedIn connections by adding that person. It’s an easy way to keep up with your contacts. Once you have several connections, join LinkedIn groups, including NFPW. It’s a simple way to meet other relevant contacts.

Who are you going to link with today?

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How to Help a Student

November 9, 2011 at 7:35 pm (Communications)
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I had breakfast this morning with a student from VCU. I was introduced to him by email through a colleague who had spoken with him. James wanted to know more about PR and, specifically, about PR work in nonprofits.

Early in my career I had good mentors and met with individuals who were willing to share their experiences and advice so I’ve always tried to do the same. I have one rule, though, if we’re going to meet in person, it has to be breakfast. That way I can tell how committed they are.

James was committed. He arrived by bike through thick fog and had lots of questions. He shared his experiences, too, and he’s on the right track. I suggested some articles for him to read and websites to review. I also encouraged him to get on LinkedIn because most college students aren’t, but most recruiters are. I encouraged him to connect with me. I’m perusing my list of contacts for some additional introductions for him.

So why take the time out of my schedule to meet with students? I enjoy helping them. And I love recalling my college days and the anticipation of what was ahead of me. The students always remind me of why I do what I do and of some of the basics that may have slipped.

It’s a win for both of us.

I hope it was worth the bike ride, the fog and the early morning breakfast. I think his tweet means it was.

Have you thought of offering your wisdom to a college student? If you’re already doing it, what other advice would you offer?

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Maximizing Your LinkedIn Profile

February 15, 2011 at 10:35 am (Communications, social media)
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Often described as the social networking site for professionals, LinkedIn is a great way to connect with others in your profession.

On Feb. 13 I wrote about how to get started on LinkedIn. Now that you have established your profile, what else can you do?

The first thing is to join groups related to topics of interest to you and to network with others in your field. NFPW has a group, and if you haven’t already connected to us, we encourage you to join.  Membership is only open to those who have paid their dues. We’ve had to limit it to avoid marketing pushes by those who aren’t members.

To find other groups, visit LinkedIn Groups Directory.

Participating in a group by asking questions or responding to a question also helps build your reputation and provides you with valuable information. Also, if you have a job opening, share it with relevant groups. You’ll reach your target audience. The best part is it’s free.

What else can you do on LinkedIn?

  • Reading List by Amazon. According to the site, you can, “extend your professional profile by sharing the books you’re reading with other LinkedIn members. Find out what you should be reading by following updates from your connections, people in your field, or other LinkedIn members of professional interest to you.

 

  • Company Buzz lets you know what people are saying about your company. It shows you the twitter activity associated with your company.

 

  • My Travel by Tripit is a great way to know when those in your LinkedIn network are traveling and when you will be in the same city as your colleagues. I’ve learned about colleagues being in a nearby city and have been able to connect for dinner and a bit of networking. Just be aware that it also lets others know when you aren’t at home. 

 

  • SlideShare Presentation allows you to upload and display your own presentations and check out presentations from your colleagues. Lynn Hazan, who presented at the NFPW conference in Chicago shared her presentation using SlideShare.

How are you maximizing your LinkedIn profile?

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