A Basic Introduction To LinkedIn – What It Is And How It Works

A Beginner’s Guide To LinkedIn

LinkedIn is recognised by millions of people all over the world as a highly valuable resource for professionals and companies (businesses) looking to network. It serves just about every aspect of building a career or business – including commercial ownership, the freelance industry, telecommuters, and many more. In short, LinkedIn is basically combining who you know with what you know on a single user-friendly platform.

Probably the best thing about LinkedIn is that it doesn’t require a lot of constant upkeep in order to be effective in what it proposes to do. In fact, getting started (and keeping at it!) is as simple as setting up an online profile, building a network, and making the most of the opportunities resulting from that digital presence.

Introduction To Networks

The LinkedIn universe relies on the building of relationships via the establishing of networks.

Linked networks take on several forms, or degrees of connection that help you meet people in your industry. They are:

• First-degree connections. These are people who are personally known to you and to your network – and typically include former colleagues, high-school classmates, family, friends, and other close associates or connections.
• Second-degree connections. These are basically “friends of friends”, on in other words, people personally known to at least one of your own first-degree connections. Second-degree connections can be directly contacted via the passing on of a personal introduction to who you are via the common first-degree contact.
• Third-degree connections. These are people who know one of your second-degree network members, or connections. In the case of third-degree connections, contact is made via introduction information being passed on from yourself to a friend, to a friend of a friend.

While all of the above may seem a tad confusing at first, the purpose of connections is essentially the forming of an entire chain of connections – with first-degree connections acting as quality controls or gatekeepers of sorts.

Building Your LinkedIn Profile

Your LinkedIn profile can be a powerful point of first contact – a self-automated introduction of sorts – giving each online visitor a proper overview of your skills, interests, experience, etc. Top entrepreneurs rely on it for this reason.

In addition to listing everything your capable of bringing to the working relationship table, you can also boost your profile by adding some or even all of the following:

• A list of LinkedIn groups you belong to.
• A summary of your professional memberships and/or affiliations.
• Recommendations from your connections.
• Your personal interests.
• Viewable presentations.
• Links to relevant third-party websites.

LinkedIn Settings Explained

Every aspect of your account is conveniently listed on the page tabbed “Account & Settings”. This tab (link) will typically be located at the right-hand top of any page. Much like any Apostasesportivas no Brasil site you access, the platform is easy to navigate.

From here, you can access and update the following:

• Profile Settings. Profile Settings will allow you to do things like adding a profile picture (profile photo), changing your public bio settings, and managing your recommendations posted by connections.
• Personal Information. Here you will find the personal information LinkedIn has access to and on record about you. Examples are email addresses, introductions, invitations to connect (received from other LinkedIn members), and correspondence received from fellow LinkedIn members.