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Short and sweet Greg.
In addition to that:
1) En sure to have a complete and attractive profile before you engage, therefore the chances of people paying attention to your profile page will be higher.
2) Proactively ask people you meet in the business world in they are on LinkedIn. It’s a great excercise that will not let you forget about this valuable platform.
3) Proactively also ask for RECOMMENDATIONS. These are great points of reference and will shape your reputation online

Glad you liked the post Niall. The figure of 300K for Irish LinkedIn users came from LinkedIn themselves. I was getting frustrated with the different figures out there (25K – 400K), so contacted them directly.

Ah yes Fred, building your LinkedIn profile to stand out, now there is another day’s post. Have a lovely weekend mate.

Hello Greg,Its interesting to note that outside of the comfort zone some are unsure how to react. With all social media platforms there are different uses; Twitter – quick bits and push to other platforms, FB – community sharing and interaction etc. LinkedIn is a bit of an odd one and I think this may be due to the fact that it is extremely pro business. BUT that doesn’t make it any less social.Personally I use it as a reference for potential business contacts, so that they can see my experience, quals and recommendations. Its a fantastic blend of all the elements an employer or business associate will want to see. It backs up your claims and enforces your standing. Your contacts are the cherry on the cake…we’re all nosey and (can I say this!..) In Ireland, who we know matters. The fact that you are linked to Maragaret Smith who catered a potential clients son’s wedding scores you some effortless points!So LinkedIn is fantastic and a powerful medium. The groups assist with building contacts and adding your pennys worth to discussions to show expertise. Plus (and I have to get this in) Its GREAT for SEO, like all other social media channels and, as you can add feeds to your blogs and twitter account, works as a dashboard.In short; all good!Take care Tina

Thanks for the comments Christina. You are right that LinkedIn is not necessarily any less social. It is a super source of information, but the real power of LinkedIn can only be accessed through interaction.

Here is the secret behind the good profile:

- limit the insider information to the minimum
- no details about your actual scope of work as bits and pieces posted by different people in the same organization create a pretty comprehensive picture about what is going on in that organization; This is STUPID and IRRESPONSIBLE

- limit the self-written praising and sugarcoating

- for managers: Do not write ‘I did, I created, I designed’ when you managed and directed. Write ‘I managed a team of xxxx, accomplishing yyyy’.

- the most productive and focused on business (and not on themselves) people have very lean Linkedin profiles

- those starting useless discussions, engaging in polemics are usually the most incompetent, seeking self promotion, having too much free time to kill…

- reading too less from a Linkedin profile makes it appealing to invite the person for a job interview to get the details. Reading too much (bullshit) closes the door. Only incompetent recruiters will find a fully blown Linkedin profile an advantage.

- linkedin RECOMMENDATIONS are sugarcoated nonsense composed out of buzzwords and usually the best people in the business have no recommendations, simply because they do not need them as a safety harness

Thanks for the good tips for those getting started. It is also a great tool to create and manage your online reputation. Here are some tips on how to do this. http://mpowerphilosophy.com/business-marketing/3-steps-to-managing-your-reputation-with-linkedin-com/

Thanks for your comment Marilyn. I am a firm believer in bringing a strong reputation and personal brand on line across multiple platforms.

Have I to publish a new blog post on my blog and than add the link of article at Bizsugar in “Rock your biz”category?