Open or Lock Your LinkedIn Group!!

LinkedIn has added a new feature to its Groups! Actually, I was surprised to see a Lock next to my Group in LinkedIn.

Curiosity had me digging deeper into the matter. And here is a summary of my findings.

Earlier, there was absolutely no limit to the number of LinkedIn groups you could join, and there was no search functionality available for LinkedIn Groups (yeah!! looks weird to new members, right?). So the only way you could find out about Groups was by literally looking at group logos on other people’s profiles. And even then, you never knew how many members were actually in each group unless you joined them and did a search within the group (and, of course, the search results were limited to 500;so you never knew the exact membership of any group with more than 500 members).

But now things are different! One can choose a group, analyze it and then decide whether to join it or not.
And yet another reform by/in LinkedIn does not allow any person to have membership in more than 50 groups. For most people who are on LinkedIn, this is not a big problem. However, there are others who find this a humongous issue. Also, to prevent abuse of the system, users may have up to 10 pending group requests at a time.

So now what? With the new open group feature, one can get into an open group, and see and join discussions without actually becoming a member of the group. And now it is up to the group owner to decide whether to open or lock the group.

Your searches should be easier now, with Google Instant

Google, being the world’s foremost search engine, is renowned for its user friendly searches. It comes with a lot of new options and better ways to search. Google really understands the real people search and tries to make it real in a real world situation where people actually operate.

This is possible only when a company understands what people do online and Google is possibly the best in this.

Google is testing a new search method that displays live and updated search results as users type in their search query. The difference is that, here, no "enter" or "return" is required.

Isn’t that unique? Check the video…



So what about the people using Google ads? Are they into trouble?

No way! Since ads are a major revenue for Google, these ads are updated live along with search results!!!

Here is a video from google's official youtube channel,

"Now you can think less about how to search and more about what you find"



Some facts from Google on Google Instant:

* Before Google Instant, the typical searcher took more than 9 seconds to enter a search term, and we saw many examples of searches that took 30-90 seconds to type.
* Using Google Instant can save 2-5 seconds per search.
* If everyone uses Google Instant globally, we estimate this will save more than 3.5 billion seconds a day. That’s 11 hours saved every second.
* 15 new technologies contribute to Google Instant functionality.

Any time your LinkedIn account can be suspended, if you are not aware of these...

Do you have a LinkedIn account? Do you use it for networking and business development?

Just think if one fine day LinkedIn suspends your account, what will happen to your business contacts, all the marketing activities you initiated for your company, your groups?
I can’t even think of such a situation. You know what?? it is possible!!LinkedIn can do that.

This blog is to help you to avoid such a situation.

Based on several reports and queries I have come across on restricted accounts and suspended accounts from my networks and friends, I have formulated a list of things LinkedIn considers to suspend an account, I am not telling this is a complete list if you know more you can share.



1. I don’t knows popularly known as IDK’s
As we all know LinkedIn is a professional network, and LinkedIn is very strict on invites sent to unknown people. If 3 people claim they don’t know you from invitations you send out, you will earn a warning and if 7 people claim IDK then you earn restricted account and if you get more IDK’s then suspended account. For more on restricted account check this..

2. Spam or Abuse
If you are accused of spamming or abuse – LinkedIn will instantly restrict your account regardless of its validity, until you email them requesting verification of the reason why (in this case, it’s guilty until proven innocent!)
Another interesting fact is LinkedIn have a customer support, they do not have a phone number to call them, email is the only way to get answers. For spamming inside LinkedIn groups check this..


3. Page Views
If you’re visiting many profiles per day, LinkedIn will suspend your account because they think you are “Phishing” or downloading personal information from the site


4. Profile photos that are not professional
Yes, as I mentioned before LinkedIn is for professional network, make sure your profile photo is professional. Something inappropriate, or even a business logo as your picture will lead to suspended accounts.


5. Your name – This is latest
Ensure you have only your name as the title and nothing else, any special characters or email ID next to your name straight away takes you for suspension, for example if your name is David Rooney it cannot be David Ronney (Toplinked/Lion/5000+/email Id).

Once again I am not telling this is a complete list if you know more you can share.

Do you have more than 250 friends in Facebook? If yes, you should know this.

I thought of doing a research and study more on how Facebook’s News Feed works i.e. ‘top news’ and ‘most recent’.  Result is pretty interesting!!
Do you know Facebook has already chosen which of your friends will be displayed in these feeds and which will be hidden?  How to fix this?

Top news: It tells about the list of newsfeed that is prominently discussed among your friends in your network.
Most recent: It tells about the recent news and updates.

Adding Friends Back into the News feed
The friends and updates that are displayed in your Live Feed can be displayed independently of your News Feed.
To unhide them and to choose for yourself who is displayed... Scroll to the bottom of the
News Feed screen and click on Edit Options,

Facebook has already determined which of your friends will appear in your News Feed.. but you can change that so you can choose which friends to display.

hat is interesting is, I really don’t understand on how Facebook can determine and select my friends news feed on my behalf. And as you go down you can find the number 250, it is a predetermined number by Facebook if you want to see more news updates increase the number. Even you can hide friends, from getting their news feeds.

Towards the bottom you can see “View recommended friends”

The ones displayed in light-blue are those friends that Facebook thinks you want displayed in your Live Feed. The ones displayed in white are those friends that Facebook thinks you don’t want displayed in your Live Feed. So to choose who you want displayed in your Live Feed.. just click on those friends.. and they will turn dark-blue,

Then click “Back to settings”

And then save.

So there you have it.. All your friends activities and status updates will appear in your News Feed.
And not just the ones that Facebook thinks you should have!

Tips to Download your Facebook Friend’s email address

Facebook is now acting as an excellent platform for making new friends and building a good network, only difficulty that was there in Facebook is in downloading your friend’s email address. Just think when you have people who know you, your business and who are like minded, it is very much necessary to include them in your email data base and keep posting your news and updates.

So now there is a solution to generate your facebook friend’s email address, you can export this to your email client like Gmail, yahoo, outlook etc... And it is quick and perfectly legal.

Check the steps: (Note: try doing this in Microsoft explorer browser)

 The only prerequisite you need is a Yahoo! Mail account... if you don’t have one sign up for your free account now.

If you have one, login to your Yahoo! Mail account then go to address.yahoo.com and click on the Facebook icon,
 

The link takes you to facebook secure login. Allow yahoo to access your facebook account; it will take some time to extract your facebook contacts email address.

Your Facebook contacts have successfully been imported to your Yahoo!Mail account
 

Here are the steps to follow on how to extract your contacts:
 

Get into contacts and click tools, you will find a link export.

 Select an export option... I would recommend CSV as this format can easily be imported into your email address book,

Yes you are almost through, Enter the CAPTCHA code then click on ,

Save the file

Done!!!

Check out 8 To-Do list for marketers in LinkedIn

1. Create a LinkedIn Poll: The Polls application is a market research tool that allows you to collect actionable data from your connections and the professional audience on LinkedIn. A detailed report can be generated on the performance and response of the poll. LinkedIn provides this platform for free having said that it can be shared with fellow connections. If you want to do an industry specific poll you have to pay.

2. Change your status frequently:  This is a unique way to attract people towards your profile. Keep updating and share your status at regular interval

3. Give LinkedIn Recommendations regularly: I come across many invites for recommendation who are not in my contact list and whom I never know, don’t send recommendation to people who you don’t know. Recommend people in your network, by doing so you’re putting your profile link in another profile. Another important thing doesn’t ever exchange recommendations, one can see whom you have recommended and from whom you got recommendation.   

4. Start your own Group:  When members join the Group they typically leave your image (logo) on their LinkedIn Profile – this image usually points back to your website. And ensure you create interest and select a proper keyword rich title, so that people can find your group during search in LinkedIn.


5. Find other Groups and post regularly (discussions and news): Join specific groups that interest your business and participate in the discussion and initiate discussion, share the group you created with other group members and invite them to join.


6. Set up a slideshare application with one or two PowerPoint presentations:  Put your company’s value prop as I have done, so that people who surf through your profile can see. I have got lot of hits and download by this, and even you will get to know who downloaded it and that leads you to connect with them.

7. Search Companies and harvest contact information: Companies is awesome – the best part is they show you who the players in a company might be. Go find your prospects!

8. Create Signature: Respond to EVERYONE who communicates with you, with your secret weapon. Every invitation, every introduction, every answer in LinkedIn Answers… your 3 – 5 line email signature becomes your micro-profile, with your branding and messaging.

17 ways you can get best of LinkedIn

Number of users in Facebook is increasing day by day,

Is your LinkedIn account mostly sitting idle? You can do so much more with it.. Here are some tips I found that can be very useful for "not so active" LinkedIn users.

And for those, who are yet to have one LinkedIn account its high time to have one.

1. Fill out your profile completely, make it 100% (off-course its your profile it should be 100%)this gives more credibility and earns trust.

2. Customize your Linkedin URL to your name(helps in Google search)

3. On all your marketing collateral publish your LinkedIn URL (e mail signature, business card, website etc.)

4. Build network by joining industry specific and alumni groups (join groups that have more members) related to your business.

5. Answer questions in Question & Answers, this is not self promotion, its your expertise!

6. Integrate blog entries and twitter stream into your profile (use LinkedIn application)

7. Mention your recent activities by updating your status

8. Link your status updates with your other social media accounts. (you have an option to share the same with your twitter followers through LinkedIn)

9. Search feature in LinkedIn is simply amazing try the search feature to find people by company, industry, and geographical area.

10. Start a group and manage it focusing on your services, product and your business.

11. Before meeting or contacting prospects do a research about them.

12. Share useful articles and resources that will be useful for connections and group members

13. Write honest and valuable and recommendations for your contacts and don't ever exchange recommendations (one can view people you have recommended and recommendation that you got)

14. Post your business presentation in your profile using Google presentation or slide share application from LinkedIn.

15. Ask your first level contacts for introduction to their first level contacts.

16. Interact with Linkedin on a regular basis to reach those who may not see you on other social media sites.

17. Activate the set up to receive Linkedin messages in your in-box so you can respond right away.

Phew.. exhausted will tell more in my next blog..

Experts that’s what they say !!

“Social media experts” where exactly all these so-called social media experts are coming from? When one is active in twitter or Facebook claims to be social media strategist. And that is not the truth and it is more than that. Understanding the core subject and environmental factors is much required when we claim to be a social media strategist. For example following English Premier League and playing football with folks at free time does not make one a football expert.

·   What are the factors to be considered? Social media is not a static platform, and it is evolving based on the usage and user experience daily we can feel changes in LinkedIn, Facebook…one good example how Facebook changed its look and feel of its homepage. And when we use social media for marketing, we have to be more careful since everything is live; it only takes one misguided posting by a client’s employee to undo a year’s worth of social marketing so proper monitoring is required. Getting the clients requirement, thorough research, formulating strategies and identifying and positioning is important.

·   Role of content – for any social media campaign the role of Content is inevitable, one has to educate and make customers smart customers. Proper monitoring of content is necessary and one should ensure it passes through the proper channel.

·   Develop and execute content and delivery strategies that align to the client’s overall marketing and sales goals. Simply posting photos to Flickr does not count.

·   Integrate content with social media and with other digital vehicles such as email, search, PR etc..

·   In-depth understanding of the underlying technologies behind social platforms as we know we can get API’s of all these platforms and customize it specifically to fit the client’s needs and integrate with their website.

      ·   Provide usage guidelines to client as I mentioned before it only takes one misguided posting by a client’s employee to undo a year’s worth of social marketing.

So it is more than an expert…

Tip to use facebook chat without opening Facebook.com

Facebook includes an excellent chat feature similar to gtalk or any other IM software that lets you start conversations with your facebook folks, but the only small issue is you have to open your Facebook account to perform this feature.

If you find this a bit inconvenient, here are some good workarounds that will let you chat on Facebook from anywhere without even having to open the Facebook site in your browser.Facebook Chat Inside the Web Browser

If you have Google Chrome or Prism for Firefox, you can open this address in your browser address bar and then create an application shortcut to Facebook chat on your desktop.

So for firefox users this is how it goes just right click the "address" in above paragraph and click "bookmark this link"

To run the Facebook chat messenger from Firefox sidebar, press Ctrl+Shift+B to open the Bookmarks Organizer.
Now go to Organize -> New Bookmark and type the following address in location tab:
http://www.facebook.com/presence/popout.php

Also tick the check-box the says "Load this bookmark in the sidebar". You may save this under "Bookmarks Toolbar" so you can open Facebook chat window in a single click.
Now you can chat through facebook without opening your facebook account.