How to Use LinkedIn in More Ways Than One

If you could only be active on one social network for the sake of your career, it would have to be LinkedIn. Seriously, LinkedIn is a must for professionals in all walks of business life. You would be conspicuous in your absence if you did not establish a presence there.

I love LinkedIn. It includes similar features and functionality of its social media brethren – Facebook, Twitter and the like – but the activity there is far more buttoned up and includes few, if any, displays of frivolity.

I have been a member of LinkedIn since July 26, 2004, having amassed a total of 961 connections, 51 recommendations and who knows how many endorsements so far. You can view my LinkedIn profile here.

I’m a frequent visitor to LinkedIn, where I can see what my colleagues and industry peers are doing with themselves. Who got a promotion? Who changed jobs? Who has an interesting article or blog post to share with their network?

But that’s just scratching the surface. It’s also where I’ve chronicled my entire professional background beginning with my first job out of graduate school, joined and participated in groups of like-minded people, exchanged messages, shared presentations, doled out plenty of my own recommendations and endorsements of others, learned more about companies I admire and even run ads promoting my services as a copywriter and social media consultant.

How active are you on LinkedIn? How could you do more for yourself on this online professional network? Let us count all the ways. Take some time to click on the links below and read through the following list of articles which — collectively — will explain how to use LinkedIn in more ways than one.

LinkedIn 101 (Source: WindMill Networking)

The Beginner’s Guide to LinkedIn (Source: Mashable)

21 Steps To The Perfect LinkedIn Profile (Source: TopDog Social Media)

The How-To Guide for LinkedIn (Source: CIO.com)

So You’re on LinkedIn … Now What? (Source: Constant Contact)

The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Mastering LinkedIn (Source: HubSpot)

6 Ways to Use the New LinkedIn Features to Get More Business (Souce: Social Media Examiner)

What Recruiters Want To See On Your LinkedIn Profile (Source: Business Insider)

4 Secrets For Using LinkedIn to Land a Job (Source: Mashable)

A Simple Guide to Setting Up Your First LinkedIn Ad Campaign (Source: HubSpot)

Guide to Using LinkedIn Company Pages: Get Followers, Share Stories, Post Products (Source: The WordStream Blog)

Create a LinkedIn Company Page: Step-by-Step Instructions (Source: Social Media Today)

5 Creative Ways to Use LinkedIn Company Pages (Source: Social Media Examiner)

Generating Leads With LinkedIn: What You Need to Know (Source: Social Media Examiner)

10 LinkedIn Tips to Boost Your Networking Success (Source: Network World)

How To: Use LinkedIn Groups to Build Authority and Drive Web Traffic (Source: Social Media Today)

5 Tips for Effectively Managing a LinkedIn Group (Source: Social Media Examiner)

Why LinkedIn Endorsements Can Make or Break Your Career (Source: Dan Schawbel)

8 Ways to Make LinkedIn Endorsements Work for You and Your Network (Source: WindMill Networking)

The Importance of LinkedIn Recommendations (Source: A New Marketing Commentator)

Image Credit: Simply Zesty