I spend a lot of time in LinkedIn groups and have learned a bit about maximizing their potential as conversation-starters. The best way to provoke discussion on LinkedIn is to ask questions. For example, instead of posting a headline and a link to an article about cloud security, formulate it into a question: “This article on Cloud Computing Path makes the case that the recent Dropbox security breach proves that the cloud is not yet secure enough for the enterprise. LinkedIn is the only major social network that doesn’t permit brands to interact as members. MORE >>

Indisputably the largest business-oriented social network, LinkedIn has emerged as a crucial site for professional networking, B2B marketing, hiring and job seeking. LinkedIn now boasts more than 200 million members across 200 countries, and adds two new members every second; what’s more, 35% of LinkedIn members use the site daily. Furthermore, due to its multiple sharing options including buttons, apps, personal updates, company updates, and industry-focused group discussions, LinkedIn is often among the top three or four traffic sources for B2B blogs. MORE >>

Businesses always ask for examples of either your work in social media or others. When they ask for examples it tells you they haven’t been paying attention to the market nor do they have any familiarity with the market. Yet they always want something to point to or examples of what you have done as a reference to credibility. When you respond they have no reference point to put other examples or your own experience into context with their needs. Examples Of Process Or Knowledge? What is your example of using knowledge? You are the example. MORE >>

LinkedIn is the social network for business professionals and networking. While we hear a lot about Facebook and Twitter for lead generation, LinkedIn can be just as good, if not better, if you spend a little bit of time optimizing your profile. Here is the ultimate cheat sheet for creating your LinkedIn profile: 1. Search engines crawl your LinkedIn profile. For example, if you’re an attorney, don’t write “lawyer” Try and write something a bit more interesting focused on your practice area and what you specialize in. MORE >>

LinkedIn can be another form of rationalization. LinkedIn allows you to accomplish that with minimal effort. Here are 3 simple actions that you can take that will allow you to use LinkedIn for its intended purpose – planting seeds for new business opportunities. Whenever I accept a new connection on LinkedIn I always send a message that acknowledges their effort in connecting. LinkedIn gives you the freedom to create up to 200 tags for organizing your connections. My guess is they would prefer you to use LinkedIn exclusively to manage your connections. MORE >>