The author, Gini Graham Scott has no connection with LinkedIn but runs workshops and seminars on using Social media to promote oneself and expand one’s business. The approach is that LinkedIn can be an important part of your PR strategy.
The book is in four sections:
- The basics of getting started the right way covers setting yourself up properly – your Profile, connecting to companies, using Recommendations, the importance of Groups, making Connections with other members, and creating your own Groups. Although I have been on LinkedIn for some time, there was quite a lot in here that I hadn’t discovered. I found it very helpful understanding how each of the features was intended to work.
- Finding what you want through searches and questions covers using Searches, and Questions & Answers. I had never been near the Search functions and it hadn’t occurred to me that I could use them to get contact information for people in companies. Rather than cold-calling a publisher, use LinkedIn to get contact names within the company.
- Using Applications covers the top 10 add-ins which you can enable in your LinkedIn account. These are Company Buzz, WordPress, Blog Link, Google Presentation, SlideShare Presentations, Events, My Travel, Box.net, Reading List, and Polls. All are explained in detail, step-by-step with examples of how they can be used to promote yourself. Again, some were new to me and the descriptions enabled me to identify which would be useful additions to my profile.
- Deciding on the best strategy is really an overview of how to use LinkedIn now that we understand the mechanics, and how to evaluate how well you are doing.
Throughout the book the instructions were very detailed, but perhaps occasionally too detailed. For example, when being told how to use “Send a Message” we probably don’t need to be told “Then, click on “Send Message” to send it, “Cancel” if you decide not to do so.”
Navigating the book is an issue. This book costs £8.07 in its paper form, but only £2.14 on Kindle. The Kindle version does not have any illustrations, but as those are only screen shots that is not really a disadvantage, and it is the Kindle version I purchased. The Contents is very detailed, but, although it is linked on the Amazon Look-Inside version, it is not linked on the Kindle and isn’t even connected to the “Contents” bubble in the navigation menu. There is no index in either version, so getting around the book is not easy, and so perhaps it would have been better getting it on paper.
Is Top Secrets for Using LinkedIn
This book has made me reassess my LinkedIn presence and realize that I can do more with it. I have added photos, products and services, thought more about recommendations and giving and getting them, who to include in my professional network and why, and I think my LinkedIn presence looks much more professional as a result. Because navigation is so poor, however, it is cumbersome to use as a reference book, but I did find that, even going through it once did produce some helpful results.
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