7 Ways to Use Linkedin

Of the social media sites, the one I use almost exclusively is LinkedIn. It makes it easy to connect with other professionals for professional news, discussions and more. Recently a colleague asked me about how LinkedIn functions and while I'm no way near an expert, here are 7 ways I've used LinkedIn to nurture and extend my network and cultivate my online professional brand.

1. Open the weekly updates that come your way. This is a great way to see what people in your network are doing and to Nurture Your Network. It's a simple click away to send someone an email about the promotion or new job they updated, events they posted or even if they're coming to a city near you.
   
2. Post a network update...and if you're on Twitter your update will automatically post to Twitter (for us busy women, this is multitasking at its best) - thanks LinkedIn for the partnership.
   
3. Post an event - if you're going to or hosting an event, let the world know. It's a great way to invite people in your network - or to set up a "meet".
4. Visit your home page - recently I saw a friend's name and realized that I haven't been in touch with her since she went to Afghanistan on an assignment. Emailing her after this blog post.
5. Respond to discussions - if you've joined a group, take the time to selectively choose discussions to engage in. It's a good way to build your online professional presence. This is especially important for women who have a reputation of being invisible (and if my observations are correct) initiate and respond to discussions at about 25% the rate of men.
6. Spread the word about a job - I often get emails about job openings. Since I can, I now post them through the Leading Women group. It's a great way to help a colleague (or yourself) spread the word and increase the candidate pool.
7. Recommend a book - great reads that enhance your professional brand and will help people in your network learn and grow are always welcome.

Now, I can't say I do all of the above religiously, but I have done all of them with great benefits. So, try one you haven't yet done...and please comment below to share the creative ways you've use LinkedIn to extend your network, nurture your network and enhance your virtual brand. Finally, you're invited to join the Leading Women group at LinkedIN.

With Thanksgiving behind us and the winter holidays on the way, I want to take this moment to thank all of you who have been reading my blog (the stats show you're there even if you don't comment) and to wish you a prosperous and joyous new year.

Network ON!

Susan

Susan Colantuono is the CEO and Founder of Leading Women and author of No Ceiling, No Walls: What women haven't been told about leadership from career-start to the corporate boardroom.

Susan also blogs about women's successes (and challenges) at the Leading Women Blog. Follow her on Twitter. Join the Leading Women group at LinkedIN.