by Jim Sutton

Created on: February 13, 2009   Last Updated: March 08, 2009

Powerful, simple, about 30 million strong: Linkedin.com is an effective professional networking superstore. Just as you would use a hammer for some tasks and a screwdriver for others, Linkedin is one tool. It is most effective for professional online networking. For Linkedin to be effective you need to be on the site every other day to maximize the results, but a minimum of once a week. You have to take care of your network or it will die. Do you enjoy asynchronous communication using a keyboard? No. Stop right here. Use a networking method that you enjoy.

So, you are a professional (defined loosely), your networking goals are at least regional and you enjoy computer-based asynchronous communication then we have a match. If not, however there is still a vast amount of good information in the questions and groups that you can use.

Linkedin allows you to develop your professional brand effectively. A profile on Linkedin serves as a online resume similar to a yellow pages add, that you can edit daily if you choose. It does require a minimum time investment of at least 2-3 hours each week.

Rolodex power. Tom Peters says in his book The Pursuit of Wow!, "Your power is almost directly proportional to the thickness of your Rolodex, and the time you spend maintaining it." Linkedin connections works like a big, interactive, self-updating, shared rolodex. Wow. People shift jobs and positions more than in the past and Linkedin helps you stay connected with people. It gets better: you can see who your connection's connections are. Pull a card from your rolodex and picture it being that person's rolodex. In Linkedin you can even search on a zip code, industry, company, title, school or groups and in the results see mutual connections and groups. Powerful. Spammers noticed the power also and that is Linkedin's main reason for the "I Don't Know this Person" (IDK) button. Linkedin counts the number of IDK's you get. Six and your are forced to obtain the other person's email address as part of the invitation. It slows spam.

Linkedin allows connections to write recommendations for you, a powerful brand building tool. A solid networking fundamental principle is to give before getting. So, if you don't recommend others then recommendations will not magically appear on your Linkedin profile. Writing a recommendation for another connection is the most obvious way to start, but you could write a letter or recommendation outside Linkedin. View Linkedin as one tool in your networking toolbox

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