News

• An insight into LinkedIn's mobile strategy
• JP Morgan's global Head of Technology has sent out a memo advising staff to make their profiles sparse of information to prevent Recruiters from finding them on LinkedIn.

Commentary

• WHo has the keys to your profile? Add multiple email addresses to your LinkedIn account to prevent your employer from hijacking your account when you leave.
• Two ways to post updates with links and images;
  • Post from a company page where status updates have not changed and like or comment on it from your own account.
  • Paste the link into the normal update box but make sure that there is no gap between it and the previous word, then attach your image.
  • Subscribe to my FREE email updates service to be kept up to speed with changes like this.

Questions

I am in the top 5% of profile views in my network. Is this important?

ANS = Yes, profile views are a form of engagement and engagement will help to get your updates seen by more people.

Show notes

News

LinkedIn pay a measly $1 compensation to users who had their password stolen.

Company pages get a new feature - notifications.

A bank is accused of asking it's employees to limit the information in their profiles so that they won't get headhunted.

Company sue former sales employee for taking LinkedIn contacts with them and lose because the contact list was “easily discoverable through public sources” and did not involve a lot of effort to compile, it would therefore not be considered a trade secret. Quite right to! This article can be found here but warning - its a subscription site (with a free trial).

Sex offender nearly gets into trouble for using LinkedIn.

Commentary

Follow up to my piece about LinkedIn ads last week. Carl sent in this funny screenshot which shows how the algorithm picks up words and feeds 'relevant' ad's to you!

Could LinkedIn be considering 'retiring' groups - My prediction is that groups could be gone by the end of this year.

The new homepage design hints that status updates (with links) are something that LinkedIn also wants to get rid of. The pattern LinkedIn normally demonstrates is to make a popular feature less useful/easy to use before 'retiring' it.

Questions

Where can I see how many views my updates have been getting?

ANS = You can't! The new homepage design has removed this feature. Sometimes you can see the stats for your last update. This is in the top section of your homepage but only occasionally shows and can't be manually found - you just have to wait for it to appear!

Show notes

News

LinkedIn deliver impressive results for Q4 2014 as detailed here in their official announcement. They have grown membership to 347 million users and revenue for Q4 was $643m, a 44% increase on the same period last year and a total turnover exceeding $2.2b for 2014. Some of the more detailed commentary about these figures can be read here.

LinkedIn launches the volunteer marketplace in the UK.

LinkedIn further restrict their api making it almost impossible for anyone to develop apps that allow us to use LinkedIn in new and innovative ways.

Commentary

I finally got the new home page today and I totally hate it! The major issues seem to be;

You can't post a link into the text with an image status update (the workaround is to use the comments section)

You no longer see the performance of your previous updates, only the most recent.

There is no easy way to see how many connections you have.

On the plus side.............oh, nothing! 

Have you considered using a showcase page for search optimisation purposes? When the basic search is used the algorithm sorts results into categories including one for showcase pages.

How long should a podcast be? Is 30 mins about right or do you think you would prefer a shorter one (15 minutes). Let me know at mark@linkedinformed.com

Questions

Should I put the letter MBA after my name in my LinkedIn profile?

ANS = Yes, if that is what feels right for you. It is not against the rules and it may ensure you feature in recruiters search results. It is against the rules to put any other keywords in your name field although many people do it and the search algorithm does seem to like finding words in the name field.

Thank you so much for listening, I really value your support and interest.

As always I would welcome your feedback and questions. If you want to be on the show you can leave a comment by voicemail (right hand side of this page) or email me at mark@linkedinformed.com.

Help me to promote the podcast

It can be difficult to get noticed in iTunes and one thing that can really make a difference is reviews. If you enjoy the show please take a minute to write an honest review in iTunes, it would be most appreciated.

Until next time.... 

Show notes

News

• The LinkedIn Connected app comes to Android
• LinkedIn have started suggesting downgrades to premium account holders - very odd!
• Princes Trust uses a fake homeless person profile to highlight homeless teenagers to potential employers. What are LinkedIn going to do about fake profiles?
• Creddle is a new CV / Resume maker from your LinkedIn profile
• View Art Flater's profile - go on, I dare you!
• Strong Q4 results expected from LinkedIn which are likely to boost other social media stocks. As mentioned I recorded this episode earlier in the week than normal. Since this the Q4 results have been published so I will cover those in more depth in the next episode.

Commentary

• Blogging for the masses - the effect of LinkedIn publisher. With 1 million posts and more and more users starting to publish posts could LinkedIn publishing be the tool that makes blogging mainstream? In my opinion there are approaches to publishing depending on your objectives;
  1. Objective is to build your personal brand within your market / community. LinkedIn publishing is ideally suited to this.
  2. Objective is to guide people towards your website in order to build and monetize your following (online business). In this case the best tactic is to use a published post as a teaser with an incomplete post that includes a link to the complete article on your site. A good example is this post from Will Broome (the CEO of London launch who I am featuring in my new Winbusinessin serial podcast)

Questions

With linkedin asking us to post more, two questions:
a) Where do we get cheap/free non copyright photos, or does everyone turn a blind eye? I think not!
b) What is the etiquette on quoting sources? I have seen so many posts ( not yours) just quote/cut and paste chunks of others work with it looking like their own.
A guide to posting without getting sued for plagiarism or copyright infringements! 

• ANS = Using images is critical if you want your updates or posts to get noticed but using sites like Google images does not ensure that you are not breaking a copyright. The image depositories that I use are as follows;
  • 99c - Low cost, royalty free images (such as the one used in this post)
  • Canva - A design creation site that also includes a good selection of images. Images cost $1 with many of the designs free.
  • Photodune. A much bigger selection of images but more expensive ($3-5 on average).
  • Depositphotos. Similar to above but can be cheaper if you are prepared to buy a bundle of credits.
• The etiquette on using sources is that if you quote directly from an article you should include a link to that article, if your piece has been inspired by reading another I think it is less important but still an option. Blatant plagiarism is obviously wrong but it does happen. I personally don't waste any time worrying about it though.

Please feel free to let us have your views on this subject.

Show notes

News

• NY Times offer 16 weeks free online access to LinkedIn premium members. Is this is sign of things to come?
• Condoms designer gets a breakthrough via LinkedIn
• LinkedIn's job search app comes to the UK.
• Another new rival to LinkedIn, this one is French and called Amplement.
• Belgium TV network 'stalks' people on LinkedIn to publicise its new TV series.
• Top San Francisco venture capitalist backs LinkedIn saying "Its not a human resources company, it's a data company". Quite right too!
• New YouWorth app uses LinkedIn skills to estimate your worth in the job market 

Commentary

• What new LinkedIn app would you like to see? We have a listener who could make it happen. Leave a voicemail (link on the right of this page) or email me at mark@linkedinformed.com
• Recruitment company does tracks clients new connections and triggers a sales lead alert.
• LinkedIn may be introducing new Temp/contract features to profiles.
• New website launched for LinkedIn users who want to grow their business.

Question

• When is it appropriate to hide your connections?
• ANS = Rarely in my opinion! Just because you are connected to someone doesn't indicate that you are doing business with them, most sales people would aim to connect with prospects not just customers. So why hide them? The one exception to this is Recruitment companies because of the confidential nature of their role.

Thank you so much for listening, I really value your support and interest.

As always I would welcome your feedback and questions. If you want to be on the show you can leave a comment by voicemail (right hand side of this page) or email me at mark@linkedinformed.com.

Help me to promote the podcast

It can be difficult to get noticed in iTunes and one thing that can really make a difference is reviews. If you enjoy the show please take a minute to write an honest review in iTunes, it would be most appreciated.

Until next time.... 

show notes

News

• LinkedIn for blue collar? I think this is great news and fits with my idea of 'LinkedIn Local'.

• Shapr. A new rival to LinkedIn? I don't think so but it does look interesting and solves the issue of keeping in touch with your closest contacts.

• 6 lessons we can take from the best company pages of 2014.

• Its that time of year and when the dreaded 'Top profile buzzwords' article comes out. Journalist's love it...I think its tosh!

Commentary

• Anonymous viewers. Universally unpopular but does it really matter?
• Why I advise against reciprocal recommendations.

Questions

• Showcase pages vs affiliate company pages: what are best practices? Is it worth investing time and effort or will they end up going away like product pages?
  • ANS = An affiliated page is a company page that can be affiliated to a parent page. This can work for subsidiaries or acquired company's and might be useful when a division/subsidiary wants to have its own unique set of Showcase pages. Showcase pages are designed to create follower communities that are separate from the overall company followers, this works well when you wish to build a community around a brand or product type. 

Thank you so much for listening, I really value your support and interest.

As always I would welcome your feedback and questions. If you want to be on the show you can leave a comment by voicemail (right hand side of this page) or email me at mark@linkedinformed.com.

Help me to promote the podcast

It can be difficult to get noticed in iTunes and one thing that can really make a difference is reviews. If you enjoy the show please take a minute to write an honest review in iTunes, it would be most appreciated.

Until next time.... 

News

• Facebook is still the top social network. This survey reported that only 13% of LinkedIn users visit the site daily in comparison to 70% of Facebook users.
• Scammers are using LinkedIn as a way of bypassing corporate spam filters.
• LinkedIn will be launching new intra-company communication tools. Is this a move to counter Facebook at work?
• Beware of phishing emails purporting to be from LinkedIn that are designed to steal your username and password. Always use unique passwords, I use 1Password to help me manage this.

Update

• The new LinkedIn search restrictions and how to get around them. This is mainly an issue for recruiters because the commercial use restriction appears to be 40-60 searches a month. Two viable alternatives to upgrading your account could be;
  • 1 premium account per office (that everyone uses when needed)
  • Google X-ray searching
• Premium accounts seem to have reverted to the previous options for some (including me!)
• How do you listen to the podcast? If you haven't already why not subscribe on iTunes? That way you will get each episode downloaded onto your phone/device automatically each week.

Commentary

• LinkedIn Recommendations - don't be such a cynic!

Questions

• Help, I'm stuck in profile edit mode!
  • ANS = No you're not! This listener is referring to the new 'permanent edit' mode that LinkedIn recently introduced. You can view your profile as others would see it by clicking on the blue box at the top as seen below;

show notes

News

• The top 25 skills that got people hired in 2014.
• Bryan Mills (aka Liam Neeson) will endorse your skills if you win a contest! Interesting to see a major film studio using LinkedIn to promote its latest movie release (Taken 3) and even more interesting to that LinkedIn are completely fine with this!
• Could Viadeo be a viable acquisition target for LinkedIn?
• Tax inspectors in Turkey use LinkedIn to catch tax evaders

Commentary

• Do you want to find your 'future self' on LinkedIn? When you think about it you could and LinkedIn could make it even easier if they released tools to make it easier to predict your future based on real data from other profiles.
• Where is Jeff Weiner taking LinkedIn? I love this article and agree with the three areas that they believe LinkedIn is focussing its future on.

Thanks to my two wonderful kids James & Anna for 'volunteering' to be interviewed for this show!

Finally may I wish you a very merry and happy Christmas.

2015 is going to be a great year for LinkedIn and I look forward to sharing every moment of it with you.

Thank you so much for listening, I really value your support and interest.

As always I would welcome your feedback and questions. If you want to be on the show you can leave a comment by voicemail (right hand side of this page) or email me at mark@linkedinformed.com.

Help me to promote the podcast

It can be difficult to get noticed in iTunes and one thing that can really make a difference is reviews. If you enjoy the show please take a minute to write an honest review in iTunes, it would be most appreciated.

Show notes

News

• LinkedIn have changed how we edit our profiles. I have produced a very short video (30 secs) to demonstrate the changes
• It would appear that LinkedIn are testing a new way to invite from someone's profile (desktop app), this means that clicking 'connect' will just send a standard message. In order to customise the message you now have to hover over the disclosure triangle and select 'personalise invitation' as below

This has only been seen by a few users so far so is obviously in the early stages of testing.

• Nominate your best LinkedIn company Page of 2014
• 40% of LinkedIn users earn over $100k per year according to Comscore. This fact and many other come from this fantastic and well researched article on DigiDay.com. The article is about Dan Roth the Executive Editor of LinkedIn. I would recommend you read it.

Commentary

• A trip down memory lane. In the Digiday article they include an amazing link to a short piece about the start of LinkedIn posted on 7th May 2003 (2 days after LinkedIn's launch). The comments are fascinating and well worth a read.

• The ingredients of a Great LinkedIn Sales Message. Inspired by the research and analysis I covered in last week's show I thought I would have another crack at publishing a post on LinkedIn. My aim is to get into the Sales channel in pulse. In this piece I cover the 9 ingredients required in great sales messages on LinkedIn.

Question

• Thanks to Carl Whalley for this one; What value do group members see in these "read my blog" posts in groups? Since we don't always have the time to go into each and every one, generally a quick glance to see if it's on topic means it's likely to get approved. But do group members see them differently? ANS= I think if the 'discussion merely says "read my blog" then it isn't a great contribution but if someone makes a point and starts an interesting discussion about their (linked) blog piece then it is just as good as any other discussion. What do you think?

show notes

News

Apparently Microsoft attempted to buy LinkedIn for $500m prior to their IPO in 2011 but decided the price was too high. LinkedIn would cost them closer to $35 billion today!

Sony have collaborated with LinkedIn to produce a business card reading app that synchronises with LinkedIn in the way that CardMunch used to. Does anyone know of any other apps that do the same?

LinkedIn have announced their 3rd quarter results.

332 millions users

90 million unique visitors

28 billion page views

45% growth in revenue

Analysts impressed with the results but not the outlook!

Commentary

LinkedIn have really been pushing skills again with this article being just one of many over the last few weeks.

I have been very impressed with Conspire, a new FREE service that allows you to manage your contacts by analysing your email activity.

You can now add attachments to LinkedIn messages. If you want to be notified of such changes by email you can subscribe here

Publishing on LinkedIn. Is it really worth it? As more people obtain publishing rights on LinkedIn, the number of views per post seems to be dropping for everyone and this makes me question whether they are still worth doing?

 screenshot2014-10-31_11-07-39_pm.png

Chris Gaborit is just a normal, regular LinkedIn user who started publishing in May and achieved an amazing result with over 300,000 views of the above post (click on it to read the full post) but over the last couple of months he has seen his posts viewed less and less...this seems to be a consistent story for most people.

His average number of views per post has been the following since starting in May;

May 2014 - 54,911

June 2014 - 28,260

July 2014 - 6115

September - 418

October - 2696

Maybe we are better off blogging on our own websites and promoting these articles via status updates?

Your views are welcome.

Question

Why are LinkedIn persisting with Skills & endorsements when everyone knows they are a joke?

This question really got me thinking and my conclusion is that the big data that skills give them is something they intend to monetise. Endorsements are merely a red herring designed to encourage us to add more skills to our profiles!

show notes

You can view Darrel's LinkedIn profile here

Darrel's Story

25 years in sales, mainly in the UK. Wine trade, screen printing and signage.

Moved to Perth, Western Australia in July 2012 - knew no-one!

Business Development Manager role for a signage contractor

Threw himself into LinkedIn

Annual target exceeded within 4 months!

50% of sales came via LinkedIn

Decided to aim to become Perth's social selling 'go to' guy

Launched Social4Sales - already fully booked until mid December!

Other links

Gary Vaynerchuck

Gary Vaynerchuck's books (my favourite is Crush it)

Gary's blog

Darrel's next door neighbour...as featured in the podcast!

Thank you so much for listening, I really value your support and interest.

As always I would welcome your feedback and questions. If you want to be on the show you can leave a comment by voicemail (right hand side of this page) or email me at mark@linkedinformed.com.

Help me to promote the podcast

It can be difficult to get noticed in iTunes and one thing that can really make a difference is reviews. If you enjoy the show please take a minute to write an honest review in iTunes, it would be most appreciated.

Until next time.....

show notes

No interviews this week but plenty to catch up with following my vacation, I even managed to connect with Santa Claus this week...a very proud moment!

News

Another lawsuit is filed against LinkedIn and this one is just plain ridiculous! Apparently the ability to read someone's background and perform a few checks on LinkedIn when considering recruiting them violates a US law. Read the full story here. Has the world gone mad?!

LinkedIn plans to expand its publishing team. Its becoming increasing clear that publishing is a core focus for LinkedIn as demonstrated by their plans to open a major new office in San Francisco in 2016.

Jeff Weiner interview with Bloomberg

LinkedIn hits back and asks judge to dismiss the lawsuit regarding the email reminders sent to those who do not respond when an invitation to join LinkedIn message is sent to them. As opposed to the other lawsuit, I can't see how LinkedIn can defend this.

It looks like premium accounts may be about to re-vamped, effectively making them more expensive. The Spotlight premium account had a very short life - below is a reply from the help center on this matter.

Lets hope the 'test' fails then!

Lets hope the 'test' fails then!

Tips & Features

You can now see personalised invitation messages in the quick menu by clicking on 'see all' (see below)

'Groups' has now disappeared in the reasons for inviting menu (see below). LinkedIn help center are claiming that this is a fault but I'm not convinced, lets hope so. In the meantime there are a few workarounds. Firstly there is the method using LinkedIn Contacts (2nd tier only) which is my favoured method - see here for a detailed guide on how to do this.  Or you can now customise invitations using a mobile app (not tablet) - scroll down to check out the show notes for episode 32 for instructions on how to do that.

Apparently a fault.....lets see!

Apparently a fault.....lets see!

New 'Actions' feature in the 'Who's viewed your profile' section. I have only just got this feature so have not really been able to understand its benefits but it seems like a good idea. Jo Saunders has published a more detailed post about it.

And finally the best article I read this week about LinkedIn was Data and the Power it Bestows by Raven Jiang. I'm not one of those people that worries about big data and security / privacy but I must admit that Raven puts a very interesting argument that the information we are providing to LinkedIn could be abused and they clearly 'hold the key' to its future access.

Thank you so much for listening, I really value your support and interest.

As always I would welcome your feedback and questions. If you want to be on the show you can leave a comment by voicemail (right hand side of this page) or email me at mark@linkedinformed.com.

Help me to promote the podcast

It can be difficult to get noticed in iTunes and one thing that can really make a difference is reviews. If you enjoy the show please take a minute to write an honest review in iTunes, it would be most appreciated.

Until next time.....

show notes

News

BeLinked. The new dating app that allows its users to find suitable dates via LinkedIn profiles. This makes perfect sense for BeLinked but is this a good idea for LinkedIn?

LinkedIn Partners With Kaplan On 'Career Journey' Programme

Irish judge allows papers to be served via LinkedIn account.

Tips

Status updates gets 3x more views and comments when you post a picture as opposed to allowing a picture to show from a weblink. (see below)

The top update with an attached picture was posted at 8.45am on a Tuesday morning. The 2nd one with a link (containing the same picture) was posted at 8.45am the day before.

The top update with an attached picture was posted at 8.45am on a Tuesday morning. The 2nd one with a link (containing the same picture) was posted at 8.45am the day before.

Here are the view numbers for the Monday update (the one with a link, the bottom of the above two);

And here are the stat's for the one posted on the Tuesday with a picture attached;

As you can see there is a significant difference when an update has a picture attached, this must be down to the increased size and therefore it is more likely to get peoples attention.

You can now change a group name by as much as 20 times. You just need to ask LinkedIn customer services.

SWAM or MAG (Moderation across all groups) is currently running at 7 days so if you find yourself moderated you won't have to wait long for it to be lifted.

Questions

I have a quiz for you this week. How many different ways can you find advertised jobs on LinkedIn? Write to me at mark@linkedinformed.com or leave a voicemail with your answer

Listener question. Why won't LinkedIn allow me to invite my (3rd tier) ex colleagues to connect? Answer = If you search for them by name you will be able to connect. LinkedIn is trying to prevent you from connecting with people you don't know and have found by keyword or company employee searching.

Thank you so much for listening, I really value your support and interest.

As always I would welcome your feedback and questions. If you want to be on the show you can leave a comment by voicemail (right hand side of this page) or email me at mark@linkedinformed.com.

Help me to promote the podcast

It can be difficult to get noticed in iTunes and one thing that can really make a difference is reviews. If you enjoy the show please take a minute to write an honest review in iTunes, it would be most appreciated.

Until next time.....

Show Notes

Topics and links (in blue) for this week;

News

LinkedIn Settles Password Hacking Class Action Lawsuit for $1.25M The settlement terms provide that LinkedIn's paid users can submit a claim, but only if they declare that they read the privacy policy and were influenced by the company's statements about security. Between 2007 and 2012, LinkedIn garnered around 800,000 premium subscribers, who paid at least $19.95 a month for membership, according to court papers. But lawyers estimate that only 20,000 to 50,000 subscribers will be able to qualify for payments from the settlement fund. The US District court will hold a hearing in January to decide whether to grant the settlement preliminary approval.

Who's viewed your profile ranking adds a new 'professionals like you' section but the algorithm is far from accurate (see below)

• Public profiles get an update
• If you want to keep up to date with LinkedIn's constant changes, sign up here to receive an email notifying you of every relevant update.
• LinkedIn get us excited by releasing a new mobile app with the following in the update notes;

I mentioned several other podcasts during the show, here are the links to those shows;

• Smart Passive Income - Pat Flynn
• UK Podcasters - Mike Russell
• The Online learning podcast - John Colley
• Changeability - Kathryn Bryant
• Magician Business - Ken Kelly

Please review the show on iTunes

iTunes haven't made this as easy as it should be so I made these 2 short videos to show how it is done on the iTunes site and via their mobile app;

You can buy LinkedIn connections, shocking but true! here is the article I was referring to. What do you think?

Did you know that you can contact pretty much anyone on LinkedIn for FREE without having to upgrade your account? Click here to download a FREE cheatsheet with step by step instructions.

As always, thank you so much for listening and please get in touch with any questions or comments by leaving a voicemail (see the mic symbol on the right edge of this page) or drop me an email at mark@linkedinformed.com

Show Notes

• The UKPod14 conference was a great success and the keynote speaker was Jason Van Orden from Internet Business Mastery.
• This podcast is unlikely to be found on iTunes until we receive more 5 star reviews. If you enjoy the show please help out by submitting a review. This video explains how it is done.
• You can now subscribe to this show on TuneIn. Click here
• News
  • Deep Nishar resigns, read his announcement here
  • Published posts get a makeover, see this example
  • New free LinkedIn feature alerts service launched. Register
• What are you doing when you listen to the show? Darrel Griffin is doing his ironing!
• Tune in next week to hear the full story of the LinkedIn sex pest!
• Question: Why do people view profiles anonymously?

News

Could this the beginning of the end of personalised invitations? Watch the video below to see what happened when inviting from a newly created profile

Introductions. It is long longer possible to send introductions to 3rd tier connections. This was spotted by Andy Lopata and covered in this post

LinkedIn acquire Bizo - See official announcement here

This article takes a look at what the Bizo acquisition might mean to us.

Here is the Business Insider article showing the (alleged) leaked memo from Linkedin

Groups

Groups all too often come in for a bad press. In reality there are plenty of fantastic groups that offer an amazing opportunity to engage with and gain invaluable information from your prospects.

Here is a link to Carl Whalley's Google Android Group

Have your say. I would really value your contribution to the podcast. Please click on the voicemail link on the right edge of this page to leave your questions or comments or ping me an email at mark@linkedinformed.com

Thanks for listening

Mark

PS An iTunes review wouldn't go a miss! ;-)

News

Not much happened this week other than LinkedIn getting stung for $6m for a labour violation regarding unpaid wages. The BBC article is here

Pay it Forward

Wikipedia definition

Question

How can I save Pulse articles to read later?

My solution is to use Evernote and their amazing web clipper but you can also use Pocket

Other links

New course for job seekers coming out soon on Udemy

If you have any suggestions for people I could interview or topics you want me to cover then please feel free to leave a voicemail at the link on the right or drop me an email to mark@linkedinformed.com

Thanks for listening.

Show Notes

• LinkedIn delivers encouraging Q2 financial results
  • 313 million members
  • 84m unique visitors
  • 25bn page views (down 1bn from 1st qtr)
  • $534m revenue - 47% year on year increase
    • Talent Solutions makes up $322m of this - 49% increase
    • Marketing $106m - 44% increase
    • Premium Accounts - $105m - 44% increase
  • See  full report here
• LinkedIn acquires Newsle 
• The new look LinkedIn mobile app
• Updates of previous news items
  • Zapier has delivered some useful results but is a little complicated to set up
  • New Galene search seems to have settled down and is now delivering very similar results to before
• Tip of the week. Be aware of 3rd party apps that undertake actions on your account that are outside of the LinkedIn User Agreement. Take responsibility for your own actions on LinkedIn, it's you that will get suspended!
• Question. What do I have to do to get my profile from 'expert' strength to 'All Star'. Answer = Get more connections. You need a minimum of 50 (aim for min 100) and have had at least 2 previous positions in your employment section. The bigger question is: Does it matter? Answer = Not really! The difference between 'Expert' and 'All Star' in search results appears to be minimal.
• LinkedIn Contacts Now Integrate With Your Inbox. Read my post here  

Show Notes

News - Custom profile backgrounds are now being rolled out to non premium users

Andy's LinkedIn profile

Andy on Twitter

Andy's Google Plus profile

If you have any comments or questions please write to me directly at mark@linkedinformed.com or leave a voicemail at the link at the right hand edge of this page.

LinkedIn update their Contacts app and rename it Connected, the blog announcing this can be read here (screenshots at LinkedInformed.com)

Why not give one of these a try and let me know how you get on by leaving a message on the voicemail (see the black mic on the right edge of this page). You can also ask me a question by voicemail or by email to mark@linkedinformed.com.

News

• CRM providers experience a 'freeze out' from the LinkedIn API - read more here
• Advertising partners and content partners get preferred API access - article
• Photosharing now available on iPhone app - article

Optimisation

Does it really matter? Its almost impossible to keep on top of profile optimisation but everyone should ensure that important keywords are found in the following sections;

• Headline
• Job title
• Company name (edit display name)
• Skills

Most importantly you should build a strong network so that most people that might search for you are at least a 2nd tier connection.

Tip

Find old school or college mates by searching the Alumni section

Question

What is a 'view' of an update on LinkedIn

News

• False alarm over a change to LinkedIn Contacts - phew!
• 'In The News' feature. Inspired by this article

My Week

This was a very busy week involving running webinars and workshops together with being asked to speak at a networking event attended mainly by small business owners.

The 3 Day Start programme at 3daystart.in - register your interest prior to launch

Questions

• How do I advertise a job opening without a paid account?
• How do I reflect a promotion in my profile, even though the tasks are primarily the same?

According to the worlds leading expert on podcasting, 90% of podcasts don't make it past 7 episodes.....so I'm treading very carefully between now and the next episode!

Covered this week (links in black);

News

• Seeing your own updates just got harder
• LinkedIn reaches 15 million members in the UK
• Quotes I gave to the Washington post and the Metro

Main Topic

Status updating can be effective.

Links;

• Jab, jab, jab right hook by Gary Vaynerchuck
• Mr Reader iPad app
• Pocket
• Buffer

Questions

• Can I hide (open) groups posts from my 1st tier connections? 
• Activity broadcast setting.
• IDJC concept from Lars Raae

As from this episode the show will now be broadcast weekly.

Topics covered and relevant links as follows;

News

3rd tier connections can no longer be saved to LinkedIn contacts.

The Blazek Scandal. Link to the CNN article as well as an article I wrote for The Drum.com about this story.

Feature

Status Updating Effectively. Links to Feedly, Pulse and Buffer

Questions

How do I connect with someone I don't know?

How do you connect with a 3rd tier connection?

LinkedInformed e-book (free download)

Please send me your comments and questions to mark@linkedinformed.com

This week I chatted with Sam about network building strategies

News

• Member Blocking - Help center link
• The new 'Who's viewed your profile' - watch my short video here
• LinkedInformed book - Download for FREE here

Network Building

Links:

• Sam's profile
• Sam on Twitter
• Sam's new book GIVE
• Samrathling.com

As always I would really appreciate your feedback and questions, just drop me an email to mark@linkedinformed.com

I'm really excited about 2014 and look forward to producing many more episodes, in this first one of the new year I cover the following topics (black font indicates a link) ;

• LinkedIn sues spammers
• Activity feed is disabled (LinkedIn's official announcement)
• Could group messaging be the next to go?
• LinkedIn Tip - How to prevent your competitors from appearing on your profile
• Clearing your browsers cache & cookies. Instructions on all the 4 main browsers for windows and Mac can be found here.
• Preview of next episode. What is your connection strategy? Let us know your thoughts and experiences before the next episode when this subject will be discussed in depth.

In this episode we cover the following;

• Review of feedback from the first episode
• Questions
  1. Should I announce that I am looking for a job in my profile?
  2.  Should I reveal who I am connected to? Tutorial
• Interview with Robin Hills
  • Robin's LinkedIn profile
  • Robin on Twitter
  • Resilient Mindset Group
  • Experts in Emotional Intelligence Group
  • DiSC® Personality Assessment
• News
  • LinkedIn Pulse App

  • The Inquirer article about Pulse

  • Showcase Pages

  • LinkedInformed Showcase Page