Here’s how to easily put your Facebook pics on your Google+ profile.

StartGooglePlus has step-by-step instructions to ensure all your precious snapshots get to their new home without breaking.

Transfer pictures at StartGooglePlus.

Facebook Friend Exporter, now a BANNED Chrome extension, allowed more than 43,000 people to export details of their Facebook friends, including their names, email addresses, phone numbers, websites, addresses and birthdays. This information could be imported directly into Gmail address book or could be saved as a CSV file.

According to Facebook Friend Exporter

Get *your* data contact out of Facebook, whether they want you to or not. You gave them your friends and allowed them to store that data, and you have right to take it back out! Facebook doesn’t own my friends.

Facebook is making every effort to stop users from using Google+, one feature on which they are stressing a lot is exporting facebook friends to Google+. They have not only banned Facebook Friend Exporter and other similar extensions but have also started to remove email addresses from profiles in an attempt to keep users away from Google+. Despite their best efforts its Facebook partnership with Yahoo that has proven to be a life saver or in this face friend saver.

How to Import Facebook Contacts to Google+

By following  the simple steps below you will be able  to export all your facebook contacts to Google+

Step 1: Sign up into your Yahoo mail account -> Contacts tab -> Import contacts.

Step 2: Click Facebook logo, and allow the application to share contacts.

Step 3: Select all your facebook contacts by clicking the check box as shown in the image below.

Step 4: Go to Tools and select Export.

Step5: Download the file in CSV format as explained in the image.

Step 6: Go to gmail, Contacts tab and create a group named Facebook for your new contacts to land into.

Step 7: After step 6 go into more actions tab and press import and select the Yahoo CSV file that you made in step 5.

Step 8: Go to Google+ and Circles tab, then Add and Invite and they’re all there!

Congratulations!!! you have successfully exported all your facebook friends to Google Plus via Yahoo.

Would you like an invite to Google+?

Let me know via Twitter @Lavalilly

Here are a couple of easy change you can make right now to improve your LinkedIn profile.

Fix that URL

First things first – and most people completely miss this important step. Log in to LinkedIn. Click on “Edit Profile”. The last item in the light blue box says “Public Profile”.

What does it say? Probably something like Mr. Trump’s. Now, he may not need to improve his reach in search engine results, but most of us do. So, let’s fix that right now. Click on the “Edit” tab next to your confusing URL. Now just type a better URL in the white box. Remember URL’s do not allow spaces between words. The best choice for your new URL is your first and last name. http://www.linkedin.com/in/angierobinson If it is not available, choose a URL that will allow people to find you and remains professional.

Sell Yourself Before I Even Meet You

Who are You? Are you a good fit for my company? Would I like to do business with you? Would I like to know you? Your LinkedIn profile can share more than your resume.

Recommendations – get them. Co-workers, clients, employers, even friends. Every profile should have at least 5 recommendations. Nothing you say about yourself will ever mean as much as what others say about you.

Summary / Specialties – Take some time to review these sections. Are they up to date? Easy to read quickly?

Additional Information – What do your interests look like? All work and no play makes you look like a dull person.

Groups & Associations – Find at least two. LinkedIn has hundreds of groups – join a few.

Applications – “The Amazon Reading List” application is an often overlooked little gold nugget. Do you read? Do you keep up with your industry? Tell me! Show me that engaged brain.

Bottom Line

Your online appearance is important. Over 80% of all companies look for YOU on LinkedIn. What does your LinkedIn profile say about you?

As always, if you need tips or assistance, just get in touch with me. I truly enjoy helping folks understand how to use social media to create and improve their Brand!

Contact Us Today

Or maybe not…

With over 145 million registered users, this 4 year old social network cannot be ignored. I agree that Twitter isn’t right for every business. But the truth is: it’s good for most.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

When clients ask me how to use Twitter, this is the first thing I say. “Listen.”  Twitter is the ultimate “word of mouth”.

You know the saying “If a customer is happy, he tells a friend but if he’s unhappy, he tells 10.” Try 10,000. He may only have 400 friends, but his post about your lousy service or you product that didn’t deliver? That post gets re-tweeted by his friends, and their friends, and their friends. But imagine if you saw that tweet the moment it hit the Twitterverse? Imagine that you respond instantly via Twitter and everyone sees you “make it right”. Now the “buzz” on Twitter is about how great you are, how responsive. If you listen to your customers on Twitter, you can more effectively manage your Brand and your reputation. How cool is that?

That’s just ONE way you can use Twitter to improve your business. If you’re interested in more, give me a shout. Let’s talk about what Twitter can do for you.

There’s an implicit pressure on social media enthusiasts to be connected in more than one way. It’s not enough to have a Facebook page, you need a Twitter account as well. What do you mean you’re not on LinkedIn? Well, at least you have a blog on WordPress or Tumblr right?

There is no requirement to spread your digital self thin, but many of us are still juggling more than one online profile (I’m currently balancing at least five). Each of these profiles offers us a chance to connect with new communities in different ways, but each network needs to be managed and updated. With so many online profiles, questions are bound to arise. Is your bio page the same across all platforms? Should it be?

There are few hard and fast rules when navigating social media; a lot comes down to preference. For those starting out or just looking to make sense of their profiles, we’ve culled advice from five social media experts in a range of backgrounds. Mashable’s given you ways to create your brand, face the challenges, track your reputation, and corral your profiles on the social web. Now, here are five ways to manage, consolidate, and clean up your online identity.

1. Keep it Consistent

One of the best things you can do is to make sure your profiles are consistent. This includes your bio page, your profile pic, and your tone of voice. “Consistency is important,” said Dan Schawbel, managing partner of Millennial Branding, “If you’re “Matt” on one site, you better be “Matt” on every other site.” That similarity can help viewers keep track of you across different platforms. Start by scooping up vanity URLs on sites like Facebook (facebook.com/ClarkKent) and Twitter (twitter.com/ClarkKent), and buying your domain name (www.ClarkKent.com). Similar fonts and font sizes can also help create a congruous online identity.

But what about your updates — how do you keep those consistent? “Using the same tone of voice will help keep the cohesion,” said Amber Naslund, Director of Community at Radian6. “It doesn’t have to be verbatim but there needs to be a certain level of consistency,” Naslund said. “You’re assuming that [one particular social site] might be the only place they get that [information].”

Keep in mind that consistency doesn’t mean repetition. Customize your profiles and updates to align with the values and uses of each social platform, but maintain a common theme throughout.

2. Find Your Brand

Put some forethought into what your want your digital reputation to be and build towards that. Joshua Benton, Director of Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab, highlights the importance of viewership. “You don’t want to have carbon copies because you’re talking to different audiences. Your paragraph bio on LinkedIn isn’t going to make sense on your Twitter page and neither of those is going to make sense on your Facebook page.” Benton recommends making a basic bio that can be tailored for each network. “Think about how the image you want to present sits in with the audience.”

Different networks are better for different things — it helps to cater your posts based on the audience. “Part of that is baked into the form,” Benton said. “It’s sort of hard to have a wild and crazy LinkedIn profile, whereas you can on something like MySpace ().”

Whether you want to be known by your real name (recommended) or a cute buzzword, it’s important to come up with something memorable and representative of you. This advice applies to people and brands. “When you type Digsby, we are the first result,” said Steve Shapiro, CEO of Digsby (). “It is important to pick a unique product name but also one that people can spell when they hear it, or they’ll never find you on Google ().”

Once you’ve decided your online name and brand, try to stick with it. It’s hard to build a reputation if you keep changing. “The problem with changing your specialty every six months is that people can see what you did six month’s prior,” explained Barry Hurd, CEO and founder of 123SocialMedia. That kind of indecision can make it difficult for your audience to get a grasp on your identity.

3. Own Your Name

One of the best ways to track your progress is a simple Google search. “I’m conscious that I’m writing about the things I’d liked to be found for,” Naslund said. “If I’m going to post a tweet about a drunken bender with my sister from last night, it might pop up on Google.” Make sure you’re updating your social networks on news and events that you want to be known for. Part of managing your online identity is understanding your professional profiles (like LinkedIn) can very well get mixed up with personal profiles (like Facebook). “You can’t keep the peas from touching the mashed potatoes,” Naslund added. “The Internet doesn’t distinguish between profiles. That’s a human distinction, not a technical one. It all gets lumped into the same basket.”

An easy, free way to manage your name’s SEO is by getting onto popular social media sites. “Twitter accounts often pop up on the first page even if you’ve only posted three tweets,” Benton explained. “Chances are you’d rather have that and a link to your bio page than something you don’t have control over. Get on networks with good page rankings.”

Another tip for optimizing SEO is by proactively setting up inbound links between your profiles. Include links to your social profiles, such as Foursquare (), Twitter, LinkedIn and Quora, on your blog. On your Twitter profile, include a link to your blog. And on Foursquare, make sure you include your Twitter profile link. If you already use multiple networks, this practice is an easy way to increase the amount of inbound links for each site. It’s a circle of links that will help optimize your Google search rankings.

The ultimate goal is to optimize your SEO so that someone should be able to search for your name and get a good idea within the first 10 results of who you are or who you’d like to be.

4. Get a Little Help

The good news is that you don’t have to monitor all these sites by yourself. There are a bunch of web tools that can help you track or update your entire online presence. Try using a multi-platform dashboards like Ping.fm (), Tweetdeck (), or Hootsuite () to update your social media identity all from a central hub.

As a secondary step, if you’re interested in seeing which sites are benefiting you the most from a PR point of view, set up Google Alerts on each of your profiles. Alerts will help you keep a pulse on buzz around your name. To see which sites are most referenced, try adding small marks to your profile pics for manual tracking. Hurd suggested adding a small Facebook logo to your Facebook profile pic, for example, so you can see when your Facebook profile (along with a pic) is linked to.

5. Human Afterall

Out of all these tips, perhaps the most important lesson is to just be yourself. It may sound simple, but ultimately people are connecting with you because of who you are. “How people perceive you is through those interactions with your audience, not just a neat and tidy persona,” Naslund said. “People want to see the person behind the persona.”

Schawbel recommended being selective with your networks and genuinely connecting: “If your Twitter handle or Facebook page is your name, it has to come from you.”

That same sense of honesty can also be a great way to find customers. “These platforms are a huge opportunity to interact with users one-on-one,” Shapiro said. Connecting in an honest way can bring in new supporters for your product or brand.

Final Words of Advice

We asked our experts for a golden rule to managing your online identity. While there may not be one ruling maxim, here are some choice words of wisdom for cleaning up your social identity.

• “Commitment is really the key word,” Schawbel said. “Everyone keeps talking about passion, but commitment takes [it] into account. If you’re committed to this, you’ll succeed. Or, at least you’ll get something out of it.”
• “Be consistent with the tone and approach for all those social networks,” Naslund said. “Through all those profiles, it will feel like you. And that’s what people use social media for, to connect with a real person. Develop an identity you’re not only proud of, but can stand behind.”
• “I think you have to go into these sort of things acknowledging that compartmentalization is impossible. [It's] the same way in real life. We act one way around our parents, and one way around our boss, and one way around our friends, even if we’re still the same person,” Benton said. “Think about the image you want to present… and don’t be afraid to be human.”

Zachary Sniderman joined Mashable in 2010 as an Assistant Features Editor. An arts and culture writer, Zack previously wrote for Greenshoelace.com, Maclean’s Magazine, and a ton of Columbia websites. Zack graduated with an M.S. from the Columbia School of Journalism and his B.A. from Harvard University. He now lives in New York City and misses pond hockey.

You know your business can’t just wing it on Twitter (Twitter), you need a strategy. But how do you get there? A lot of social media advice revolves around confusing, high-concept buzzwords: There are only so many times you can be told to “listen” and “engage.” Concrete advice can be hard to come by, and while this guide won’t tell you what you need to tweet, it will provide you with the real questions you need to ask in order to craft a Twitter strategy for your business.

1. Choose Your Audience

Who do you want to reach on Twitter? Be specific and limit your scope to the demographic you really need; trying to reach everyone isn’t a great strategy. If you’re a B2B company, for example, you’ll probably want to reach other businesses and the people that represent them.

Here is a quick example: Look up at least 10 of your customers on Twitter (a quick name search on Google (Google) can turned up their Twitter profiles). Once you’ve found some, look at who they’re following and who they talk to. These people could also become part of your audience. Look at how they describe themselves and what terms they talk about. Use those keywords and terms to find like-minded people.

The goal here is not to find everyone you’d like to interact with (that would probably be next to impossible), but to find people who might fit into your audience. Try to pay attention to who has influence in your audience. For example: who are people talking to, about or retweeting? Who do they seem to ask for advice? Once you have a decent group, move on to step two.

2. Understand How They Speak

It might sound like I’m giving you clichéd advice to “listen,” but clichés exist for a reason. You need to understand how your audience talks, what they like, and what they share. Below are some solid steps to get you started.

* Look up what people are saying about your company. Are they saying good things or bad things? Are they asking for advice about what product or company to choose? Are they giving feedback about their experiences after the fact?
* Do the same for your competitors. Note if your competitors are jumping in or influencing any of these conversations.
* Notice the way your audience talks. Are they generally formal or informal? This will be very different depending on the companies you are tracking and the people you attract. It’s always good to match the tone of your audience.
* Look at what your audience shares and retweets. What kinds of links and articles do they like? What kinds of terms and ideas get them excited or annoyed?
* Note any hashtags or other ways your audience connects. Look up those hashtags to see if they have any real traction (if they’re all spam or if people are really using them to connect).

3. How Much is a Twitter Lead Worth?

This is a bit more theoretical but it’s an important step that many companies forget. The reason you’re involved with Twitter isn’t just to say you’re there, it’s because you’re looking for a good return on investment. So what is it that you’re after? It might be as concrete as sign-ups and sales or as ephemeral as buzz and brand awareness.

Depending on your goal, try to figure out how much each person is “worth.” This almost certainly won’t be an exact number, but you should get a general idea. For example, if you’re doing B2B sales and a sale is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, you’re going to have a very different strategy than a company with millions of users that makes its money from advertising.

4. Set A Goal and Track It

Setting a goal is just the start of your strategy, you also need to track it with metrics. Choosing metrics does not just mean tracking your follower count because the count isn’t always a totally accurate measure of how many people are paying attention to your account.

There are obviously different approaches depending on the size of your fan base. If you have a large audience, you might not be able to put a lot of time into each lead. Your overall goal will likely be about brand awareness and creating buzz for your company. You should consider metrics that capture overall influence such as retweets, blog posts and clicks.

If you have a targeted audience, each lead probably carries more value. You overall goal will likely be to generate new leads. You should consider metrics like sales, email sign-ups, @messages, direct messages and clicks.

5. Define Your Approach

The language you use to tweet and what you choose to share should be targeted towards your audience. This means you should be thoughtful and accurate, not false and calculating. For example, if you’re trying to reach knitting mothers, you’re going to using a very different style of language than if you’re trying to reach hip hop aficionados. Below are a few main questions to consider:

* How formal or informal do you want to be?
* Should you include buzzwords or hashtags?
* How much effort should you put into reaching out to specific followers or finding new ones?
* What kind of links and content should you share?
* Can you do any special offers or campaigns on your account?
* What’s the style of your company? You have know your company’s message and define its personality. Your followers will appreciate the authenticity.

Any Twitter strategy is a perpetual work in progress. Just deciding that you need a strategy is an important first step that will have you thinking about what and why you tweet. The key is to keep experimenting: Twitter is ever-changing and to succeed on it you need to be flexible, but you also need to know where you’re headed.

Megan Berry is Marketing Manager for Klout, the standard for online influence. She also blogs at The Huffington Post and Brazen Careerist. You can follow her on Twitter at @meganberry.

I can find anything online, and this is a beautiful thing. Anyone can find anything online, and this is a troubling thing. You want to share and connect with your friends and family. You don’t want to supply endless personal data to marketers, spammers or individuals who may harm you.

Would you post a billboard downtown with your name, address, phone number, email address, who you’re dating or married to,  the names and ages of your children, where you went to high school and college, your political views, and a slew of pictures of you and the one you care about?

But we ALL happily post all of this information online for the entire planet.

So, let’s look at YOUR Facebook profile, shall we?

Log on to your Facebook account.
Click on “Account” (upper right hand corner) and click on “Privacy settings” in the drop-down menu.

1. Click on “Personal Information and Posts”

• You will notice “Photos” says “Edit Settings” – let’s get back to that one.
• Every other setting on this page should read “Friends Only”.
• You are also asked if you would like friends to be able to post on your wall. I say yes, but this is up to you.
• Now, let’s look at “Photos”. Click on “Edit Settings” and set every album to “Friends Only”. Now, go back to “Privacy Settings” again (upper left).

2. Click on “Contact Information

• Every setting EXCEPT “Add Me As a Friend” should read “Friends Only”.
• “Add Me as a Friend” should read “Everyone”, allowing all potential contacts to request you as a friend. Now, go back to “Privacy Settings” again (upper left).

3.  Click on “Friends, Tags and Connections”

• Every setting should read “Friends Only”. Now, go back to “Privacy Settings” again (upper left).

4. Click on “Search”

• “Facebook Search Results” should read “Everyone”
• “Public Search Results” is up to you. I allow search engines, such as Google, to show my profile in search results. Now, go back to “Privacy Settings” again (upper left).

5. Click on “Applications and Websites”

• Click on “What your friends can share about you “.  This is the most important application setting. By default, nothing can be shared except your name, sex, and profile photo — plus any information that fell under the Everyone option in the other privacy categories. Be certain all boxes unchecked. Now go back to “Applications and Websites” (upper left).
  
• Click on “Ignore Application Invites from Friends”. If you have certain friends who are always playing games, such as Farmville and seem to always be inviting you to join in the fun, just enter the friend’s name(s) here and you will still be connected to your friend in every way EXCEPT, no more annoying invites to participate in applications they consider to be fun. Now go back to “Applications and Websites” (upper left).
• IF you play games on Facebook, click on “Activity on Application and Games Dashboard. Be certain “Friends Only” is checked.  I highly recommend “Customize”, then click on “Only Me”. Now go back to “Applications and Websites” (upper left).
• Click on “Instant Personalization Pilot Program”. Be SURE the box at the bottom of the page is NOT checked. Recently, Facebook opened up Instant Personalization, another way for strangers and outsiders to view your personal information. Currently, there is a setting at the bottom of the Applications and Websites page called Instant Personalization Pilot Program. If you opt into this service, selected Facebook partner Web sites can instantly personalize their applications, based on your personal information.

You’re finished.

Please note the above suggestions are based on setting the highest privacy level possible. You may change ANY setting to offer less privacy, but I believe you should begin with the strictest settings and then decide where you want to relax your control.

As always, if you have any questions, just E-Mail Me.
..

Sometimes we want to catch up on Facebook News, but just don’t have time to “visit”.

It’s simple to take yourself “offline” while surfing Facebook.

From your “HomePage” (not your “Profile” page)…  click on “Chat”

Then click on “Options” and “Go Offline”

Notes:

1. Return to “online (visible) status by clicking on “Chat” again. You are automatically back online.
2. You remain Offline until you make that change – even if you log-off and log-in again.

build brand awareness…engage your customer…join the conversation

…utilize the power of community…create buzz…

You have no doubt heard these terms and are aware of or have visited sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. But how do you, the small business owner, utilize Social Media to improve your bottom line?

I’d have to write a book or two to cover that one! In the meantime, here’s one tangible way you can use social media to connect with your customer and increase traffic to your business. “Push Pull Marketing, Twitter-Style”.

A “push” promotional strategy usually makes use of a company’s sales force and trade promotion activities to create consumer demand for a product.

A “pull” selling strategy is one that usually requires high spending on advertising and consumer promotion to build up consumer demand for a product.

The beauty of social media marketing is there is little or no monetary cost for most of your campaigns. Time is your primary investment. Take the time to learn how to utilize social media (such as reading this post); then take action. Yes, there is a learning curve, but once you start using Twitter, you realize how easy it is!

1. Sign up for an account at Twitter. Be sure to use the real name of your business and the town and state you are located in. You want people to find you easily in a search. Fill out your profile and post a picture. You must post a picture if you don’t want to look like a creeper.

2. Next, search your e-mail address book for people you know who are already using Twitter.  Then use one or more of these great third party tools to find potential customers to follow as well as list your business. TwitterLocal, Twellow,TwitterPacks, Just Tweet It, WeFollow, Who Should I Follow

3. Push, Twitter-style by scheduling a promotional tweet through EasyTweets. This is “push marketing. You are “pushing” your message out through Twitter, making people aware of a particular offer, such as “free wine with dinner tonight, just mention Twitter!”

4. Pull, Twitter-style by utilizing engagement tweets! This takes a little more time, but is just as important as push marketing.  Look for people who need help with an issue, or have had an issue with your company and you need to resolve it. Engagement is the soul of social media marketing (SMM). You help someone with their issue, you share your expertise, you reach out and empower someone and suddenly you are sought after. Helping people and showing genuine concern creates loyalty. How do you find people to help? Read your tweets each day, people you follow may tweet something that you can assist with. You can also use the search box on your Twitter homepage, type in a subject you believe you have expertise in – such as #webdesign and read the tweets on that subject.

Basic Twitter Help ~

WHEN sharing a link, use a service like TinyURL to shorten your link, allowing you more space to write your message.
WHEN addressing someone on Twitter or mentioning them in a tweet always use this format: @personsusername (@joesmith).
WHEN you read a tweet you like, share the love! Pass it on by retweeting: RT @joesmith (then copy and paste his post here).
WHEN posting on a subject you want people to know you mentioned, use a hashtag: #websitedesign or #livestrong. Then others who are interested in this subject will see your tweet grouped with all tweets regarding the same subject.

So, now you have one way to “join the conversation” right now. There are so many ways to use Twitter and numerous “shortcuts” and useful applications. A great place to find info on “all things Twitter” is mashable.com, supplying a plethera of social media information.

So, go create some buzz about your biz.  Your customers are waiting!

Most of my clients come to me once they have built various profiles and wonder why their online efforts don’t seem to be achieving expected results. This post will deal with LinkedIn and how you can start using this very powerful networking tool.

LinkedIn is designed to connect you with other professionals, allowing them to see your “best professional representation”.

1. Be sure your profile is clean, easy to read.

You may understand the termonology and industry jargon associated with your profession, but does everyone reading your profile? Don’t miss a connection because someone doesn’t really understand what you do. Also, write your profile in a word document and use spell check! Nothing makes quite the same impression as poor grammar and misspelled words! When choosing a picture, find a warm smiling picture and crop to a headshot. These do not have to be “professional”, in fact, I personally prefer a more relaxed and fun representation of myself. Your profile speaks to your experience, you picture can be casual IF your profession allows.

2. Make sure your profile is complete and relevant.

LinkedIn has a little measurement bar on the right side of your profile letting you know how “complete” it is. Ignore this. Yes, ignore this. LinkedIn is a business, collecting data. So, what really defines complete? You have to ask yourself, “why am I here?” To find a job? To maintain relationships in your field? In your physical community? To advertise your skills? Once you know WHY you are on LinkedIn, you can tailor your profile to meet your expectations. What do you want to share with your audience? Complete those sections of your profile. Use relevant keywords to describe yourself and what you do, making it easier to find you.

Newsflash…Your “Experience” is not your resume. Don’t list all your jobs, just the ones that make you look like a rock star in your field. Showcase things you have done, companies you have helped, places where you have made a difference, etc.

Don’t overlook listing your certifications and licenses under “Education” and your achievements and awards under “Honors and Awards”.

“Interests” should include professional motivators (why do you love what you do) as well as hobbies and activities which you enjoy. The more I “know” you, the more likely I am to want to connect with you!

3. Creating a more 3-D image.

There are two additional inclusions I highly recommend to my clients. One, join groups. Click on “groups” (top left corner of your home screen) and find affinity groups to join. This shows me that you are engaged in your profession and/or continue to be active in a sport or hobby. Two, use the Amazon Application and compile a reading list. Books you have read, are reading and want to read. This shows me that you are continuing to grow your mind and professional skills. A profile can be “flat” and read like a printed resume. Use these tools and make your profile “pop”.

4. What’s in a Name?

When you create your profile you are assigned a URL similar to this: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jane-doe/14/4b7/233. Click on “profile” (left sidebar).  Click on “Public Profile” (middle of page) and enter just your first and last names.  Your URL now reads: http://www.linkedin/in/janedoe. It is easier to share with others and serves you best in search engine results.

5. It’s All About Who You Know.

Once you complete your profile, use the search box (upper right corner) to find connections. Believe me, every client tells me, “I won’t know anyone on LinkedIn” and my average client finds 40 people within the first week. Get started by typing in your city. You will find people you know right here. And DON’T be discouraged when you don’t receive an immediate response from someone. Some people have an email alert sent as soon as you request to connect, some find your request the next time they login to LinkedIn.

6. Recommend and be Recommended.

Nothing we say about ourselves will carry the weight of what others say about us. Once you have a few connections, ask people to write a testimonial (recommendation). Also take the time to look at your connections and see who you could recommend. You should try to get 5 recommendations as soon as you can and continue to build these on a regular basis. I suggest soliciting at least one recommendation a month AND giving one recommendation a month. Seems like a lot? Remember, this is WHY you are here – to utilize social media, the most powerful word-of-mouth advertising available today.

7. Have something to say.

Contribute by updating your “What are you doing now?” Be relevant to your industry, but don’t get too detailed. Obviously you wouldn’t say “Working on John Jones first mortgage” – but you could say “helping a great couple finance their first home!” Updating what you are doing shows me you are “active” in your career or your pursuit of one!

Strut your stuff. In the top menu bar there is a tab labeled “Answers”. Click here, view the list in the right sidebar and choose the topic of your expertise.
Share your knowledge and make some new connections.

These are just a few brief ideas on how to get started utilizing LinkedIn. For more information, give me a shout. There’s so much more!