Getting Around LinkedIn

This is the fifth in a series on Social Media.

LinkedIn is the social network for businesspeople and professionals. It works on the principle of six degrees of separation. The idea is that you can find and connect to your business contacts and then to their business contacts. You can post your resume, write recommendations for others, and keep your contacts informed of changes in your professional life by simply updating your profile.

When you log in to LinkedIn, you are taken to your Home Page. At the top is a bar with links to Home, Profile, Contacts, Groups, Jobs, Inbox, Companies, and More. Next to that is a search box to help you find People.

• Home is the main page. This link also gives you an opportunity to advertise.
  
• Profile is all about you. This is the most important page; so, it's a good idea to fill out your profile as completely as possible. You can also make your profile public and searchable. Under your profile is a new feature that allows you to describe your books if you are published or your patents if you have any. There is also a listing of all of your recent activities and blog posts, if you feed your blog(s) to LinkedIn.
  
• Contacts shows your connections in alphabetical order, a search box, and a way to add and organize connections.
  
• Groups has links to Groups you may like, a directory of Groups, a way to create a group, and Groups you have started. Groups are a great way to promote discussion and share information, as well as promote your business. The rest of the page is devoted to Groups you belong to.
  
• Jobs is all about finding, posting, and managing jobs, as well as solutions to hiring problems. You can search for jobs and see those you may be interested in based on your profile
  
• Inbox is for mail. You can accept invitations, view messages, compose messages to others, and keep track of messages you have sent or archived.
  
• Companies allows you to find companies you're interested in and follow them. There is also a list of companies you may wish to follow. You can see how you are connected to a company, who recently joined the company, and where they may have worked in the past. There is even an application on businessweek.com where you could click an icon to see how you are connected to the company featured in an article.
• More contains one of LinkedIn's most popular features—Answers— a discussion where people can ask and answer questions. If you are a contributor, you will be ranked by the quantity and quality of your Answers. This is a great way to gain visibility by demonstrating your knowledge and expertise. More also provides links to a Learning Center, a way to Upgrade Your LinkedIn Account, and your personal Applications.
  

Under the bar is your photo, a place to write what's on your mind, and a button to share what you have written. Under that are updates on what your connections are doing. In the smaller right-hand column are People You May Know, so that you can build your network. Under their pictures are paid Advertisements.

At the bottom of every page are Customer Service links. One of most interesting is Tools, where you can choose among LinkedIn's Productivity Tools. These include an Outlook and a Browser Toolbar, an E-mail Signature, a Mac Search Widget, and a Google Toolbar Assistant.

Take some time to get to know LinkedIn on your own. It is a powerful social networking site for professionals, authors, and people in the business world.

Getting Around Your Facebook (Business) Page

Facebook pages are the business side of Facebook. If you want to market your business, product, or book this way, the good news is it will be indexed by search engines. Here is how to create your page. Log in to Facebook under Account at the far right and click on Manage Pages. In the blue bar to the right of your picture are five links:

• Get Started First, choose a name for your page keeping in mind how well it will attract search engines. Under your photo is a link to edit your page. This takes you to another menu of options.
  • Basic Information is about your business or product. If you are publisher, write about your company; if you are an author, describe your book.
  • Profile Picture is for your business photo. You can use the same one as your profile or select another one.
  • Marketing provides a list of ways to promote your business or product.
  • Manage Admins allows you to add another administrator to your page.
  • Apps are applications by Facebook or other developers you can add to your Page.
  • Mobile give you ways to manage your Facebook page on your mobile device.
  • Insights permits others comment or "like" your page.
  • Help is filled with topics, FAQs, and a place to ask a specific question.
  
  
• Wall Just like the Wall on your Profile, here is your opportunity to talk about what's going on in your business or what is new with your book.
• Info shows the information you filled in on you basic information page form about your business or product.
• Photos are for new albums related to your business or product.
• Discussions are opportunities to launch new discussion and invite comments from others.

In the left-hand column of your Facebook Page is all of your important information plus pictures of your friends who have indicated they "like" (endorse, recommend) your page. At the bottom is a Share link—another way to broadcast news or opinions.

The middle column is a guide to promoting your page. The right-hand column lets you invite more people to "like" your page.

Getting Around Your Facebook Account Settings

This is the fourth in a series on Social Media.

The top blue bar at the top of your screen is always the same. At the far-right side is the word Account with a little arrow next to it. Here is where you control everything in your Facebook account, from whom to “friend” to how much people know about your life. When you click on the Account button, you will see a little box with your picture and name and a list of links. Each link takes you to another screen.

• Edit Friends - In the far-left column are Requests to join your network (you can Confirm or click on Not Now); your Phonebook (phone numbers for friends who have made those numbers public); Find Friends (a search box for names); and Invite Friends (a place to type in e-mail addresses, draft a note, import address books, and let invitees see your profile).

• Manage Pages is an understated heading for a very important aspect of Facebook. A Facebook Page differs from your Profile in that it is specifically intended to promote a business, product or personality. Here, you have an opportunity to describe your business or book and take advantage of all of the regular features of Facebook. There is no charge for this service.

• Tell your fans, let your current customers and subscribers know about your new Page, and Import Contacts
• Post status updates (what’s happening in your professional life) and Share your latest news.
• Promote this Page on your Website by adding a Facebook "Like" Box to your site and giving people an easy way to discover and follow your Page.

In the far right column are Top Questions regarding how to permanently delete your account, retrieve your password, remove a friend, understand Chat, delete apps and accounts, change your name, and conduct common searches.

In the middle column, you can Create a List, find a list of friends with whom you have recently interacted, and Edit Your Friends List.

In the right-hand column, as on previous pages, are places to Create an Ad and see who has Sponsored ads on the page.

Under the large box are these links: About · Advertising · Developers · Careers · Privacy · Terms · Help

You are completely in charge of your Privacy and Security Settings, what you choose to reveal and to whom. Whether you want to keep your involvement strictly social or market your book or business. The important thing is to go to your Account Page and click on all of the links to familiarize yourself with what is in each one and what they mean. If you don’t understand the terminology, click on Help.

Finally, at the bottom of the page you will find friends who are available to Chat online in real time.