for starters,* I would recommend using linked in, but use it properly.* Its not a popularity contest, build the network, and dont just have ppl on your network because you want to have 1000 ppl in it. its the strength of the network, the quality that matters more.
I was guilty of accepting invites from people who were in my previous company who I did not know personally, now that there are groups for companies, I have taken out ppl I dont know. Basically if I dont know you or ahve met you, you are not in my network.
secondly, use the answers to show your expertise or thinking process, but dont overdo it. There are people who have somethign everyday, their status, questions, answers, and again they seem to be focusing on quantity and not quality.
*** what else?***
Good points X2! I can’t stress these points enough. I've talked about a few of these issues before on GS but let's jot these suggestions to complete a list... I'll start with the two that you've already mentioned above and continue with my own...
1. Selective Invites & Stable Network
Being selective with your Invites is a good starting point. As you said, people shouldn’t expect to build a large network overnight. In my own case, it took me a good couple of years to get to about 40 contacts or so, but rest assured most of these are people that I can ask for advice, recommendations, endorsements etc. because I’ve worked with them directly at some point. I would recommend Trusted Referrals over Light Networking any day.
2. Active Participation in Q&A
Again, I have to agree with what you’ve already said – Q&A is a really useful informational and promotional tool, but like any good marketing program, people should devise their participation strategy to make the most of it. You should identify a few key areas that you want to participate in, and these should align with your core competencies that you want to promote. Actively participate in discussions in those areas – on a regular basis and have something valuable to offer. Remember that providing more answers isn’t as good as providing answers that get ranked as the best ones.
A few other points that I’d like to make:
3. Include a Smart Summary
I can’t emphasize how important it is to have a good profile summary. I’ve been contacted multiple times by people just based on this… the Summary almost always gets read. Think of this as your elevator pitch and you need to have a very carefully crafted statement to put your best foot forward. Also, don’t make it sound too self-serving and too corporate – it should be something snappy that delivers the message.
4. Join Relevant Groups
Groups allow you to associate yourself with hundreds or thousands of other “similar” people. Again, this should be done selectively, but you should do it. Unlike other online social groups though, there really isn’t any direct interaction within the group… no discussion forum, mailing list as such, but it will help you keep track of relevant community events and latest happenings. Also LinkedIn has those badges that get displayed in your profile… this is a good tool for visual b r a n d i n g of your associations with groups that are pertinent to the professional competencies you want to promote.
5. Be Careful with Reciprocal Recommendations
Nothing wrong with explicitly soliciting recommendations from a colleague who can endorse your work and professionalism. That being said, I’m not too fond of too many reciprocal recommendations – especially if they happen in nearly the same time. If I get network status updates in my email where I see that person A endorsed person B and vice versa, I may be a little wary of those recommendations. This is not to say that you shouldn’t reciprocate but time it a little better so that it isn’t too obvious for anyone who is watchful and wary of these.
This is it for now - will add more as I think of them