Is the new Google+ format a Facebook killer?

For some months many of us have been wondering why a large empty space has been positioned on the right hand side of the Google+ stream. Now we know.

The Google+ stream has now become a multi-column affair. Which adjusts between one, two or three columns depending on the device being used.  I for one, think it works really well.

It's now possible to quickly scan through numerous updates. With a wide range of picture sizes now being used, it's also a visually appealing experience.

The other major benefit that Google+ has maintained is that YOU decide what to read. Either by perusing the stream which shows updates from all your "connections". Or by allocating connections to specific "circles" and viewing the stream for each specific circle. 

Compared to Facebook which heavily filters the updates you see, Google+ now gives you a better visual experience with content that is under your control. The updates displayed on the LinkedIn home page are certainly not as visually impressive as those on Google+, with the rendering of pictures often being far from perfect. Neither service offers the level of personalisation which you can achieve using Google+ circles.

Savvy business people will be able to use Google+ as a very effective information source. Don't be surprised to see a another major increase in the usage of Google+ over the coming months.

Other new Google+ enhancements include:

Hashtags - When these are clicked, they now "flip" the current item and allow you to browse a range of related information, right from within the Google+ stream.

Hangouts - The group video application has been enhanced to operate across desktops, Android and iPhone devices.

Photos - Improved photo editing features have been made available, including an auto-enhance feature.

Now's the time to establish yourself on Google+. It's really starting to take off, which is the best time to grow your network on any social media service.

To see the new Google+ stream in action go to: http://googleplusproject.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/new-google-stream-hangouts-and-photos.html

How To Get Introduced To New Contacts On LinkedIn

Asking an existing contact to make an introduction is a great way to build your business network. LinkedIn provides an easy way to facilitate these introductions and increases the likelihood of success.


Here are the key steps:

1) Go to the LinkedIn profile of an existing contact on LinkedIn. Preferably, a contact with whom you have a close relationship. Scroll down to the "Connections" section on their profile (see below). 

2) Peruse their existing connections using the "next" button or by using the search box. You can search by name or another term.

3) If you conduct a search it will also offer you the opportunity to access the advanced search options.

4) The advanced search options (e.g. company, location etc.) then appear on the left hand side of the initial search results.

5) When you find somebody you wish to be introduced too, go to their profile by clicking on their name. 

6) Select "Get introduced" from the drop down menu in the header section of their profile.

7) The following box will appear. Select the LinkedIn contact you wish to make the introduction on your behalf. There may be multiple options available from amongst your LinkedIn connections.

8) Enter an explanation of why you wish to connect with the person concerned. Then press "Send Request". The request will go to your selected connection, who can then pass on your request accordingly.

Note: It is also possible to access the "Introduction Request" box by going to the "How You're Connected" section on the right hand side of any LinkedIn profile.

Being in the Top 1% on LinkedIn provides amazing publicity.

I was delighted to be notified recently that my profile was among the top 1% of viewed profiles on LinkedIn in 2012.  

Now that LinkedIn has over 200 million business people as members - with over 3 million of them in Australia alone - this level of visibility is simply amazing publicity for my business. 

Do you want the same visibility for your business? I can make it happen for you.

Contact me to find out how.

Are You Taking Advantage Of These LinkedIn Profile Changes?

With over 3 billion searches being carried out on LinkedIn every month, your profile is probably being viewed a lot more often than you think. But is it creating the right image? Or are you losing potential clients without even knowing it.

The past 12 months have seen a raft of innovations at LinkedIn. One of the major changes is the introduction of a new style of personal profile. If you implement some of the new features available, it really does provide you with a much enhanced online presence.

HOWEVER...some of the changes implemented may have disrupted the entries already included in your profile. As most LinkedIn accounts now seem to have been migrated to the new profile format, it's time to check how the following changes have affected the presentation of your own profile.

New Headline Section

Headline Section - Your profile picture is now displayed in a larger format, along with your "Headline" being more prominently positioned. Make sure your photo still presents a good quality image. And there's even more reason to have a descriptive headline (not just a job title).

Contact Information - These details are now hidden (but available as a drop down menu under the headline section). It's still very worthwhile having these completed and including links to appropriate web resources. Be sure to name your web links, don't just leave them with the default labels.

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Activity - Your recent activity on LinkedIn is now also more prominently shown, directly under the above Headline section. This makes it even more important to issue well composed updates on a regular basis.

Summary Section - The summary and specialities sections have been combined but you can only use a limited amount of characters in the combined section. Make sure your entry looks OK within the new format. Edit the section if required. If you've not done a summary section as yet, it's time to get cracking. The summary section may be the only thing visitors to your profile read and it's also an important factor in search results.

Applications (Apps) - There's bad news, if you used any of the LinkedIn profile apps to display additional information (e.g. blog posts, articles, pictures etc.)  - THEY'RE GONE! However, there is in new feature within the Experience section (see below) which may be even better for you.

Recommendations & Web Links in the Experience Section

Experience Section - Two major enhancements in this section. Recommendations are now displayed under each role. This looks really good but there is no longer an overall recommendation count shown anywhere on the profile. Secondly, you can now insert links to images, documents, videos and presentations related to each of your roles. THIS IS A REALLY GREAT WAY OF ENHANCING YOUR PROFILE. Just make sure any links you insert provide appropriate and good quality images.

The new link insertion feature is also available under the Summary and Eduction sections.

Web Link Insertion Symbol

Note: Even if you have been migrated to the new profile format, the ability to insert links may not yet be available to you. Look out for the symbol shown on the right. When it starts appearing on your profile the feature has been activated.

Company Logo for Business Connection Resources

Company Logos - These are now displayed alongside entries in the Experience section. To enable this facility, however, you need to have your company logo loaded onto the LinkedIn Company Page for the related business. It does enhance the look of individual profiles and is good exposure for the company concerned. So make sure this has been done.

Endorsements as they now appear in the Skills & Expertise Section

Skills & Expertise Section - You're probably already aware of this feature, as LinkedIn have been actively promoting it for some months. It allows you to endorse the skills or expertise of your connections with a single click of the mouse. Make sure you've included the skills categories that are important to you within this section. Having skills endorsed seems almost certain to become increasingly important for search results within LinkedIn (and maybe with the major search engines themselves).

Move Profile Section Button

Moving Profile Sections - It's now easier to move sections around within your profile. For instance, as your endorsements grow, you may wish to move the Skills & Expertise section to a more prominent location.

Additional Information - Some Personal Information entries have now been transferred into an Additional Information section with a somewhat different structure. Make sure your original information is now appropriately displayed. It's now also possible to add additional details on the organisations with which you're associated.

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Groups - LinkedIn groups are now more predominantly displayed with their logos. Unfortunately they appear on your profile in alphabetical order. There is also a drop down menu if you are a member of more than eight. Make sure you're happy with the groups that are being displayed. If not, you can hide individual groups via the Groups, Companies & Applications section in your LinkedIn settings.

New Section Options

Other New Sections - Information on Projects, Languages, Publications, Courses, Patents, Certifications and Volunteering can now all be provided within their own discrete sections. When you're in the process of editing your profile, the option to add these sections is displayed on the right hand side of your profile.

Nowadays, like it or not, you're expected to have professional, well crafted profiles on social media sites. If you don't, you will certainly miss out on business opportunities.


You can find my LinkedIn profile at:  http://au.linkedin.com/in/businessconnections                         

Be sure to let me know if you would like to connect on LinkedIn.


What do you think of the new LinkedIn profile set-up? Are there any other features you've found particularly useful?

New LinkedIn Profile Format Coming Soon!

LinkedIn have announced the introduction of a new format for individual profiles.

The new format seems to provide a cleaner, more modern looking display. With a larger profile photo (so make sure you've uploaded a good one!).

There will be a graphical display of your network in the right hand column. More interesting and useful statistics are promised.

Profile photos from a selection of your connections are to be shown at the bottom of the new format. Which according to LinkedIn will also make it easier to connect and build relationships.

You can see the new format at: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/about. At present you need to submit a request to have your account upgraded to the new profile format.

What do you think of the new format?

New LinkedIn Update Format!

I spotted this new format for sending Linkedin updates on a client's account this morning (see photo). Key changes seem to be:

● You now have a drop-down menu which allows you to select options about where the update is published: LinkedIn + Twitter; LinkedIn; Connections

● You enter website links in the "Share an update" area and a display of the link is automatically generated underneath (rather like Facebook status updates).

Has anybody else seen this new LinkedIn update format yet? Or noticed any other features that it provides?

New LinkedIn Endorsement Feature

LinkedIn have just added a new Endorsement feature for profiles. This feature allows you to endorse the specific skills (or expertise) of your connections with a single click of the mouse.

How can you utilise this new feature?

There are three options:

A) When you go to a connection's LinkedIn profile, you may be prompted to make an endorsement through a new section which is displayed at the top of that profile. It will be similar to this one:

You can delete any skills you're not in a position to endorse. Or even type in a skill you would like to add to the selection shown. (My experience so far is that this section does not always display the most appropriate skills for the person concerned.)

Just click the “Endorse” button to confirm your endorsement.

B) Once you have made an endorsement as described in A) above, you are often also offered the chance to make additional endorsements, to other LinkedIn connections, through a panel like this:

Just click the appropriate “Endorse” button to confirm endorsements. (Once again, the most appropriate skills do not always appear to be displayed in this section and you can only endorse the single skill displayed.)

C) In my opinion, the most effective way to make endorsements is to scroll down a profile to the actual “Skills & Expertise” section. Then select the specific skills you would like to endorse. This section now looks like this (with or without the prompt from LinkedIn):

Simply click on the cross adjacent to the skills you wish to endorse.

Once you have endorsed a skill, your picture is shown on that person's profile, alongside the endorsed skill.

What do you need to do to take advantage of this new feature?

Make sure you have added the “Skills & Expertise” section to your LinkedIn profile. If not, you can add this section via the “Add sections” tab available when you select the “Edit Profile” option.

Also, ensure that your most pertinent skills are listed first in the “Skills & Expertise” section. So that they are easy for people to select. Although from what I have seen so far, it appears that LinkedIn is automatically re-ordering the “Skills & Expertise” section to reflect the number of endorsements received.

How significant will this new feature become?

It's hard to tell how widely accepted the LinkedIn Endorsements feature will become at this stage. But it is certainly a nice way to acknowledge the business capabilities of those with whom you work most closely.

LinkedIn - Your Company's New Best Marketing Resource

LinkedIn have just introduced the ability to post updates directly from your Company Page*. Overnight, this has transformed LinkedIn in to an important, highly focussed and free marketing resource for organisations.

You really want to be working on developing this company updates facility into a powerful marketing tool for your business. There are, however, TWO tricks involved.

TRICK ONE

Firstly you have to select "Designated users only" as the option for Company Page Admins. Sounds complicated but it's really not to hard. And it will be worth the effort.

Go to your Company Page via search or the Companies tab. Then enter edit mode via the blue Admin tools tab. Next you select the "Designated users only" button and find your designated users via the "Start typing a name box". (For some reason, finding your designated user or users seems to work much more smoothly if you type in surnames.)

You should end up seeing something similar to the image below (but not with me as your designated user!).

Click the blue "Publish" button and it will take you back to your Company Page. It will now include a "Share an update" box similar to the one shown below. And you can start sending updates in the same way you do from your personal LinkedIn profile.

TRICK TWO

The updates from your Company Page only go to people who are followers of your company. You've probably not worried much about this before, but you had better now start encouraging people to follow your company.

As a minimum, make sure all company employees are followers. Then encourage them to "like" company updates, which will help to propagate the updates throughout their network of connections.

You may also wish to start promoting your LinkedIn Company Page on your website, Facebook page, Twitter account and other marketing collateral.


* Don't yet have a Company Page on LinkedIn? Then log-in to your personal account, go to the Companies Tab, then Search Companies, then Add a Company.

If you need any additional help getting this valuable new marketing resource working for your business, don't hesitate post a comment below or email me.

Using Social Media To Build B2B Relationships

In a recent interview, Tom Skotidas was spot on with his assessment of an important difference between the Business-To-Consumer (B2C) and Business-To-Business (B2B) markets.

Do you want to use LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook to help develop B2B opportunities? Then, as Tom says, you must aim towards eventually creating real world business relationships.

You can do this by first establishing visibility through a regular stream of activity associated with your on-line presence. And then by looking for opportunities to engineer face-to-face meetings.

Once you have the required visibility, you'll be in a position to suggest the following to your on-line contacts:

• Attending a meeting of your favourite business group
• Joining a get-together you're organising at an industry conference
• Coming along to a business social event
• Or, maybe even having a one-on-one meeting

But these tactics will only be effective AFTER you have established a reasonable degree of visibility on-line.

You can see the full Sky Business News interview with Tom Skotidas right here: