We’ve got some great news for you… We wanted to let you know we’ll be speaking March 19-21 at Jeff Mills’ upcoming “Boost Seminar” in St. Paul, Minnesota. And there is a great chance you’ll be able to meet us and the other speakers at that event to network and learn together how people are making money online as well as building successful businesses with internet marketing practices.

Go here now and sign up for their free training: http://www.shopgoldmills.com

Jeff invited Mike and Lori to be his guest on a special tele-seminar which took place February 9th at 8:00 EST.

Once you sign up for the free training via tele-seminar (or webcasts), you’ll get to hear about his fantastic conference and all the other great speakers coming to the Boost Seminar.

Why You Need to Attend Seminars:

Networking at these internet marketing events are some of the best business boosting tasks that I think you should be focusing on. I can tell you for a fact, it’s helped me in my own business, meeting people at events and making deals happen.

So, to hear the tele-seminar, just go to

http://www.shopgoldmills.com

and sign up to listen in on the call where Jeff and the IA team shared some great content.

NEWS: We have 10 FREE Passes to Jeff’s Event!

How would you like a free ticket to Jeff’s event?

Normally Jeff charges $997 to attend, but if you enter the code: lrboost on the checkout page, you’ll see the price go to ZERO. (You’ll need to do this quickly cause these tickets will all get picked up fast).

Now, we cannot do this for our entire list, we’re not sending out an email, and it’s only the first 10 absolutely serious people. If you wait, they’ll all be gone for sure, so be one of the 10 people now. After 10 are gone, you’ll have to pay the current price. It’s worth it, but FREE is better!

Listen to the call!

Sign up at the Link Below:

http://www.shopgoldmills.com

Wouldn’t it be great if the local and regional LinkedIn groups were to band together somehow? Frankly, I am surprised it hasn’t happened.

With a 7 year history and a name like Integrated Alliances, we might be a logical choice for it. We just don’t have the time with our big Rock The World national book-speaking tour about to begin.

We run Linked to Denver (7,000 members, group #1,751 of 500,000) and Friends of Colorado (3,000) as well as 2 others.

We can help a bit if someone wants to step up or lend a very helpful hand.

Could be a lot of fun and a great way to make lots of influential friends. We are in for PART of it if someone wants to step up.

Ideas?

I am swamped with questions about LinkedIn’s recent change to a generic-only invitation process.  I have done some investigation looking at it from the most common situations.

Specifically, it seems to occur when inviting an individual from their LinkedIn Profile.  There is no longer a customized invitation capability available.

Another situation is not affected. If you have their e-mail address, you can still click on the green Add Connections button and use the 6 per page inviting process.  Just put in one person.  The Add Message field is still fully operational there.

It sounds like there is a bug. LinkedIn knows about problem and here is what they say:

“Let me start by saying that I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced. Please know that we are fully aware of this issue and have a team of dedicated, highly qualified individuals who are working diligently to resolve this. I appreciate your patience and encourage you to continue to use the other great products and features on LinkedIn.”

Stay tuned for updates as they become known.

Update:

I logged into LinkedIn yesterday and the bug was fixed.  However, I also had a message that my account was dangerously close to being restricted because several people responded “I Don’t Know Lori”. Perhaps this was caused by an inability to send a cusom invite message. After all, I am finding people I knew years ago when I lived in Charlotte and looked much different than I do now.  So I sent a message to customer service asking for help.

Sure enough, to prove my point, this morning I received a response from an old colleague who apologized for “clicking ‘I Don’t Know’ you, but then I went back and looked at your profile and saw that we had worked in the same” non-profit organization together.  She then gave me an update on what she’s doing now and asked me to join her network.

So, I took a screen shot and sent it to customer service as proof. Today though, my account is restricted and I await the forgiveness of the LinkedIn customer service team before I can fully operate in my account again.

The LINKED TO DENVER Group is about what is happening in Denver. Think business events and trainings, entertainment, music, fun and you are in the right place. It is not a classifieds bulletin board and we are stepping up the grooming of it so this will be more focused all the time. Tell others about it. It’s easy; they can simply go to http://www.joinlinkedtodenver.com.

The FRIENDS OF COLORADO Group, our sister group, is intended for people interested in what is happening in Colorado, particularly people outside of Denver or outside of Colorado entirely. They may be from Colorado, may have friends here, may vacation here, may be considering moving here or may have other reasons to keep tabs on what is happening in Colorado. If this fits you are someone you know, tell them to join up at http://ww.joinfriendsofcolorado.com.

HOT LINKEDIN TIP OF THE WEEK. The Headline Area of your LinkedIn Profile is the single most important part. Like a headline in a newspaper is an ad for the article, the Headline text is an ad for your profile. Make it snazzy and DO NOT use the default LinkedIn provides. You have 140 characters, just as many as a Twitter message so use them carefully with keywords, attractive text and perhaps even some special characters to stick out. Here are some examples that copy/paste in very nicely: │ ▌ ◊ ► ◄ ♦ • ★. See just how many characters you get in ALL the fields at the http://www.integratedblog.com.

NETWORKING. Perhaps the largest and most interesting networking July event for on-line networkers (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, others) is the July 22 combined SocialNet, LinkedIn Live and Behind the Moon (BTM) event. The location is the Prime Bar right on the heart of downtown Denver. Show time is 4:30-7:30pm+. These groups draw hundreds of on-line B2B and technology networkers. Cost is $20 on-line, $25 at the door. Register at http://www.socialnetbtm.eventbrite.com.

TRAINING. The first ever back-to-back LinkedIn for Marketers and LinkedIn Groups Manager training is on July 29th 1-4:30pm, in downtown Denver (Jobing.com) If need to bring business in the door and/or have been considering a running a LinkedIn Group (or have one now), this is targeted DIRECTLY at you. Cost is $69 each or both for $99. Taught by #1 LinkedIn Trainer Mike O’Neil. Info and registration at http://www.integratedalliances.com.

CAREERS. For those that are career challenged or fear they may become so, Jobing.com is hosting their quarterly (free) Career Expo at the Denver Convention Center on July 30, 2-6pm. IA’s President Mike O’Neil is speaking once again on LinkedIn 2:30-3:30. Info at http://denver.jobing.com.

SPEAKING EVENT. Six of the country’s most dynamic business speakers descend on the Denver Tech Center for a day-long even on July 28. “How to Consciously Thrive in ANY Economy!” includes Joel Comm, Christine Comaford, Greg Mooers, Cynthia James, Jon Biel and Matthew Ferry all for $49. Info and registration at http://bridge2bliss.com/events.html.

MUSIC: The Denver area Concert and Festival Calendar, complete with tips and tricks for all the major venues, can be found at Mike O’Neil’s personal blog site at www.mikeoneildenver.com. Think Red Rocks, Fiddler’s Green, Paramount Theatre, Pepsi Center, Taste of Colorado…

THE LATEST NEWS… There is a great feature often overlooked in the groups and subgroups called News! When was the last time you had a daily paper delivered? That doesn’t mean we read the news. Why you’re checking the out the latest Discussions or Jobs on the Group, take a moment and check the News as well. You’ll find relevant content fed through RSS feeds as well as articles posted by members. http://www.joinlinkedtodenver.com.

This is an update to our original post from May 6. The original post was focused exclusively on simple, “in your face”, ways to get an idea of the relative expertise of  a “self-proclaimed” LinkedIn Expert or Social Media Expert.

We are well aware that there are many other factors that fill in this picture and the blog post comments below are very good at explaining what some of the “analog” methods might be.

The purpose of this post was to get a quickie look at some things that might give a brief indication, vs. exhaustive test, of relative suitability for speaking or consulting.  As such, we have modernized the post.

——

There seems to appear a new self-proclaimed Social Media Expert, LinkedIn Expert or Twitter Expert about every hour or two. They shout it out, present what might be their first Webinars or presentations and seem to forget that the world can see whether or not this is true.

One’s profile and network size are among the truest indicators of expertise. Profiles because they are the root of it all and Network Size because it is a skill that must be learned yourself before it can be taught to others.

Here are some things that you can do to see if these claims are brick solid or a house of cards about to fall under their own weighty claims.

LinkedIn:

• Is their name clean, free of non-name text like an e-mail address? Should be preaching good housekeeping.
• Do they have an appropriate photo?  Any photo at all?  Basic 101 requirement
• Is their Profile Complete?  They can’t teach you completeness if they are not complete.
• Do they list websites and are they not defaulted to “My Company” ?  This is basic customization any expert should know and know well. A true expert will show 3 Web sites that list a Twitter site, a facebook page or some mother social media location.
• Is the Personal URL to their Profile customized?  Random characters in the profile URL are a red flag.
• Does their Summary reflect their abilities?  This is their brochure.  Does it make you want to buy?
• Do they even have Specialties listed?  Often overlooked by basic users but not Experts.
• Are Jobs and Education listed all the way back with real data included?  SEO basics they should be practicing.
• Are the Interests and Groups/Associations sections completed and “formatted” ?  The strategic use of comma’s is critical and experts know this.  Hover over the words here and you will see.
• Are they a member of any LinkedIn Groups?  How many?  More than 20?  Groups are critical in LinkedIn circa 2009.
• Does their Contact settings area tell you how to reach them?  They should know this.
• How big is their network?  If it isn’t at 500+ you can stop right there…..  Experts without a following and not experts.
• True LinkedIn experts cannot have small networks. It is a demonstration of their following and their network buiolding skills.  Should be 2,000+ and state it somewhere.
• Are their connections being shared?  Blocking off connection sharing is only OK for a select few, not for Experts

Twitter:

• Is their Twitter ID something that makes sense?  It should be their name or their company or something else that is strategic.
• Can you find them when you search Twitter (try their name)?  Findable or not?  Do you want to be found?
• Do they have an appropriate photo?  Simple best practice for business users.
• How many Followers do they have? Should be 1,000 or more at the least!
• How many others are they following? Should be within 10% of the Followers – basic Twitter strategy.
• How many Updates have they done? Should be well over 500.
• Does their Twitter profile tell you what they do? Free of mis-spellings?   Include URL?

These are the requirements for a B-level Social Media Expert, LinkedIn Expert or Twitter Expert. Maybe we will do a posting for an A-level Expert sometime (see the A-level players below).

We suggest you use this as a litmus test to gauge your experts. Here a few we recommend you look at.

Check out these true LinkedIn and Social Media Experts:

Mike O’Neil, Denver, 22,000 connections, 5,000 followers
www.linkedin.com/in/mikeoneil – Twitter @mikeoneildenver

Viveka von Rosen, Ft. Collins, 9,000 connections, 10,000 followers
www.linkedin.com/in/LinkedInExpert – Twitter @linkedinexpert

Lori Ruff, Denver & Charlotte, 8,000 connections, 4,000 followers
www.linkedin.com/in/loriruff – Twitter @loriruff

Dave Westfall, Denver, 10,000 connections, 2,000 followers
www.linkedin.com/in/davewestfall - Twitter @davewestfall

Dave Reingold, New Jersey, 5,000 connections
www.linkedin.com/in/davereingold

Ed Riefenstahl, Ft. Worth, 5,000 connections
www.linkedin.com/in/edriefenstahl

Valeria Riefenstahl, Ft. Worth, 4,000 connections
www.linkedin.com/in/valeriefiefenstahl

Brad Hanks, Denver, 14,000 connections, 4,000 followers
www.linkedin.com/in/bradhanks – Twitter @bradhanks

Rich Fiene, Minneapolis, 12,000 connections, 1,000 followers
www.linkedin.com/in/richfiene – Twitter @richfiene

Lonny Gulden, Minneapolis, 9,000 connections
www.linkedin.com/in/lonnygulden

Neal Schaffer, Los Angeles, 15,000 connections, 13,000 followers
www.linkedin.com/in/nealschaffer – Twitter @nealschaffer

Patrick O’Malley, Boston, 10,000 connections, 2,000 followers
www.linkedin.com/in/patrickomalley – Twitter @617patrick

Lewis Howes, Columbus, 5,000 connections, 6,000 followers
www.linkedin.com/in/lewishowes – Twitter @lewishowes

Miles Austin, Seattle, 5,000 connections, 1,500 followers
www.linkedin.com/in/milesaustin – Twitter @milesaustin

Integrated Alliances Web Site

Dan Schawbel of Gen-Y has a terrific post entitled “6 Reasons You Shouldn’t Brand Yourself as a Social Media Expert” that goes very well with this topic.  See the post

Listen carefully to the experts, even if you are one yourself. They not only have the knowledge that can help you, but they have the life experiences to back it up. A number of Colorado’s leading LinkedIn Experts and Social Media Experts gathered in Denver on Sat. June 6 at a special National Speakers Association (NSA) training session featuring on-line marketing.

The Denver Athletic Club played host to Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) expert Heather Lutze, founder of The Findability Group. She started the day off with a roar!  Being an authority on LinkedIn Expert myself (We have trained 7,000 people in 400 LinkedIn training sessions), I wasn’t sure that I would learn much.  Boy was I wrong. I came home with 5 pages of notes.  Being an expert and being a great speaker often do NOT go hand in hand.

Viveka von Rosen, a fellow LinkedIn Expert (@LinkedInExpert), and I (@MikeOneilDenver) are taking a new approach to our LinkedIn names as a result.  Viveka is now “Viveka von Rosen: LinkedIn Expert & Speaker“.  Her LAST NAME is entered as “von Rosen: LinkedIn Expert & Speaker”.  It is still searchable in LinkedIn, and Google supposedly likes it a whole lot more. See how it looks on Viveka’s LinkedIn profile.

I am trying a slightly different approach.  I put “the LinkedIn Expert” as my former or maiden name so I am now “Mike (the LinkedIn Expert) O’Neil”. See how it looks on my profile.

We will both be independently reporting on how this LinkedIn search and Google search works out and will pray that the forces of the mighty LinkedIn do not come down upon us.  See Viveka’s blog post on this topic.  She has a wealth of other great information on her www.LinkedIntoBusiness.com blog site.

Also “on the bill” Saturday as a co-headliner was Steve Spangler of Steve Spangler Science.  Steve is well known to the public from his 9News appearances showing interesting science experiments.  See Steve blowing up soda bottles with 9News reporter Kim Christianson.  It has had over 1.5 million views!

For the latest in what’s happening in the Denver area concert and festival scene, visit Mike O’Neil’s personal blog.

This is actual video of the weekly Integrated Alliances Ask an @LinkedInExpert Q/A Webinar here the audience asks questions for the panel of experts.  In this case it is Mike O’Neil, Founder of Integrated Alliances and Lori Ruff, VP of Operations for Integrated Alliances.  This was shot May 18, 2009, Noon Eastern.

See the Video

In this video I start a discussion around LinkedIn Groups.  We’ve had lots of questions on our last several shows about that topic.

I also explore the world around Twitter and the place that TweetDack plays in.  It walks through the deck, @replies, Direct Messages, keyword searching and more.

Integrated Alliances Video on Groups, Twitter, Tweetdeck

Twitter: @mikeoneildenver All sites at http://www.mikeisonline.com

Linked Groups training is Wed. June 3, July 1, Noon Eastern.  This is 75 minutes of expert training on LinkedIn Groups.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vj3ra4rH7tE&hl=en&fs=1&border=1]

Just $69 ahead of time, $79 the final week. Handouts provided.  Recordings will be available for sale.

More Information and Registration

There seems to appear a new self-proclaimed expert, Social Media Expert, LinkedIn Expert or Twitter Expert about every hour or two. They shout it out, present what might be their first Webinars or presentations and seem to forget that the world can see whether or not this is true.

One’s profile and network are among the truest indicators of expertise. Here are some things that you can do to see if these claims are brick solid or a house of cards about to fall under their own weighty claims.

LinkedIn:

Is their name clean, free of Non-name Text like an E-Mail address?

Do they have a Professional Photo? Any photo at all?

Is their Profile Complete?

Do they list Web sites and are they NOT defaulted to “My Company”?

Is the Personal URL to their profile personalized?

Does their Summary reflect their abilities?

Do they even have Specialties listed?

Are Jobs and Education listed all the way back with real data included?

Are the Interests and Groups/Associations sections completed and “formatted”?

Are they a member of any LinkedIn Groups? How many? More than 20?

Does their Contact Settings area tell you how to reach them?

How BIG is their Network? If it isn’t at 500+ you can stop right there…..

True LinkedIn experts cannot have small networks. Should probably be 2,000+.

Are their connections being shared?

Twitter:

Is their Twitter ID something that makes sense?

Can you find them when you search Twitter (try their name)?

Do they have a respectable Picture showing?

How many Followers do they have? Should be 1,000 or more AT THE LEAST!

How many are they following? Should be within 50% of the Followers.

How many updates have they done? Should be well over 500.

Does their Twitter profile tell you what they do? Free of mis-spellings, Include URL?

These are the requirements for a B-level Social Media Expert, LinkedIn Expert or Twitter Expert. Maybe we will do a posting for an A-level Expert sometime (see the A-level players below).

We suggest you use this as a litmus test to gauge tour experts. Here a few we recommend you look at.

Check out these true LinkedIn and Social Media Experts:

Mike O’Neil, Denver, 25,000 connections, 12,000 followers
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeoneil – Twitter @mikeoneildenver

Lori Ruff, Denver & Charlotte, 11,000 connections, 12,000 followers
http://www.linkedin.com/in/loriruff – Twitter @loriruff

Viveka von Rosen, Ft. Collins, 6,000 connections, 13,000 followers
http://www.linkedin.com/in/LinkedInExpert – Twitter @linkedinexpert

Dave Westfall, Denver, 9,000 connections, 1,000 followers
http://www.linkedin.com/in/davewestfall @dewpointe

Dave Reingold, New Jersey, 7,000 connections
http://www.linkedin.com/in/davereingold

Brad Hanks, Denver, 13,000 connections, 3,000 followers
http://www.linkedin.com/in/bradhanks – Twitter @bradhanks

Chip Lambert, Phoenix, 3,000 connections, 1,000 followers
http://www.linkedin.com/in/raymondchiplambert – Twitter @chiplambert73

Rich Fiene, Minneapolis, 12,000 connections, 1,000 followers
http://www.linkedin.com/in/richfiene – Twitter @richfiene

Lonny Gulden, Minneapolis, 9,000 connections
http://www.linkedin.com/in/lonnygulden

Neal Schaffer, Los Angeles, 15,000 connections, 9,000 followers
http://www.linkedin.com/in/nealschaffer Twitter @nealschaffer

Integrated Alliances Web Site

I get asked this question a lot in our LinkedIn trainings, especially in our LinkedIn Webinars. I have seen many of the benefits and even a few of the drawbacks.

Approx. 80% of those on LinkedIn really benefit from a big network. They are business owners, entrepreneurs, sales professionals, marketing professionals, SMB executives, recruiters, HR professionals and many others that are “customer facing”. Smaller networks apply best to Fortune x000 executives and those that are just not serious about using LinkedIn for business.

A big LinkedIn Network has a lot of advantages:

1. Helps make the phone ring (E-Mail, InMails, etc.) with more opportunities
2. Let’s you find a lot more of what you are looking for
3. Places you higher in LinkedIn search listings
4. Lets you be more helpful to others
5. Gives you credibility, lots more

To get a big network take some work but there are shortcuts. At Integrated Alliances we teach LinkedIn Network Building Training and it gets attendees to about 2,000 direct connections (12M+) in about a month.

We use the best practices and methodologies we have developed around TopLinked.com and LinkedIn LION’s. It even includes strategies for accepting LinkedIn invitations and turning them into business opportunities. See more on the Network Building Training.

Follow Lori as she’s on the road speaking and training or filming DVDs… her latest pictures and Flip videos can be viewed at www.LoriOnFacebook.com

Lori in Brentwood TN, Amy Grant's Estate

LinkedIn modified its Groups function recently and it has created quite a stir from those that are paying attention.  Did you notice?

So, what’s the big deal one might ask?  I will cover the changes and what they mean for you in a series of posts so that you can absorb them one at a time.

This round we will deal with member data.

LinkedIn Group Managers have for a long time had the ability to expert their group member data into a CVS (Excel) file for use outside of LinkedIn.  Group Managers can no longer do this in the latest LinkedIn release.

LinkedIn added a group send capability for Group Managers and it looks like a great thing at first glance.  We have been asking for this for a long, loing time.

Initially, it had everyone jumping up and down for joy when LinkedIn added the Group Send capability (for Group Managers).  Look a little deeper and it isn’t so rosy.  A Group Manager can only send ONE communication per week and it is only through LinkedIn.   Furthermore, Group Managers can no longer see the E-Mail addresses of their members (unless they are direct tier 1 connections of course).

I am teaching a class (Webinar) on April 2 covering LinkedIn Groups and will be sharing parts of what I know here on the blog.  It is for people that want to create and/or manage a LinkedIn Group.

INFO and Registration for the 4/2 LinkedIn Groups Webinar

Join the Integrated Alliances LinkedIn Groups:

www.JoinIA.com

www.JoinLinkedToDenver.com

www.JoinFriendsofColorado.com

Last week, there is a big stir from the Social Media Connection Broadcast Network, a group of the most influential social media experts in the studio so you can see, hear, experience their expertise and energy. 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3VPrxv_-RU]

The Integrated Alliances Show, has an offshoot – be sure to check out the special Rock and Roll edition.

The team consists of Jay Deragon, David Bullock, David Cooper, Sherman Mohr, Dan Ryan, Irene Williams and myself. This is the modern day, social media equivalent of MTV in many ways.  It all launched this week - visit www.SocialMediaConnection.com

Have a question about LinkedIn or Social Media?

Want to learn more about the Latest Techniques?

Got 15 minutes to invest?

Join us for IA’s “Ask an @LinkedInExpert” FREE LinkedIn Live Question and Answer Web Conference on Mondays at Noon Eastern.

Our next Q&A will feature Social Media expert Jay Deragon – Live from Nashville. Jay is the Founder of the Social Media Connection Broadcast Network

See me interview Jay Deragon on the Integrated Alliances show or see all the shows, including those by industrty heavyweights David Bullock and David Cooper at www.SocialMediaConnection.com.
We will also point you to additional resources to improve your understanding of this premier business online social networking platform.

Spend a few minutes with us on Mondays at NOON EASTERN… you will find the information insightful and timely. Register for the 4/7, 4/14 and 4/21 Q&A Webinars.

And this week, look for a special offer for our new LinkedIn Groups class beginning Thursday, April 2. This may be the very first LinkedIn Groups training ever. Info on the 4/2 LinkedIn Groups Webinar. 

To register for this free webinar now. Visit

Ask an @LinkedIn Expert Webinar

WHEN: Mondays NOON EASTERN
HOW: Webinar – Pre-registration required
WHAT: Open Mic Q&A and by popular request, pre-submit your questions reply email

We look forward to seeing you next Monday!

So, just how much “Real Estate” do I have to work with on my LinkedIn Profile?

I had a project recently to find out just how much space we have to work with in each field on LinkedIn. It lets you know where the lines are drawn and that can help a lot in making you most visible.  We always suggest that you create and maintain your master LinkedIn profile text in MS Word and then cut and past the text into LinkedIn.

So, just how much space does LinkedIn give you in a profile anyway?  I did a little testing and here is what I found:

Picture – 85 pixels by 85 pixels (after cropping) using a professional photo
Headline/Header – 120 Characters
Summary – 2,000 Characters (about 2/3 of a printed page)
Specialties – 500 Character
Company Name - 90 Characters
Job Title – 100 Characters
Job Description – 2,000 Characters
Education Activities and Societies – 500 Characters
Education Additional Notes – 1,000 Characters
Custom Web site URL Tag (Other) – 30 Characters
Interests – 1,000 Characters
Groups and Associations – 1,000 Characters
Honors and Awards – 1,000 Characters
Contact Settings – Lots, but no way to effectively tell how many – really

A fully optimized Profile is one of the keys to being found and helps you find new opportunities using LinkedIn.  So, we’ve developed the IA LinkedIn® Workshops and Webinars to teach you how to craft an extremely effective LinkedIn profile, how to begin building your network, how to avoid the numerous LinkedIn pitfalls, how to search for people and resources and how to BEHAVE on LinkedIn so you don’t get in trouble.

Check out my fully built-out LinkedIn profile for ideas on improving yours

There are recommendations and then there are RECOMMENDATIONS and then, for the majority, there are no recommendations.  It isn’t easy to enter in to the world of LinkedIn recommendations without knowing the way.

There is an art of recommendations and then there is a culture around it.  At IA, we are artists and there are many others, many are career coaches.

Here is our unique wizardry on recommendations.  I would like to hear what you think about it.  We teach this methodology in our LinkedIn training.

Pick the right person – only request recommendations from people that you actually had business dealings with.  Good idea is to look at successful projects and who else was involved.  Job titles are important, so are company names.  Pick people that you could recommend as well.

Tell them what they might cover – Suggest a specific project.  “You might say something about the Marketing  database conversion we did last year.  A couple of statistics and something about how I helped make it successful is all it takes.  I will return the favor if you like.  Thanks a lot!”

Return the favor – you will be automatically asked/encouraged to reciprocate.  In most cases, you will want to do this, especially if you picked the right person in the first place.

Some examples:

“Bob and I worked on a data conversion project in 2003.  We has 12 cities to convert from .Net to MySQL in a month.  Bob made sure the project got done right.  We have worked on other projects together as a result.”

“Tony worked for me as a Sr. Account Manager at Sprint for 2 years.  He worked with 10 of the top 40 accounts in Colorado.  He always exceeded goals and made those around him more successful in the process.”

“We hired Mike to train our team of 30 outside sales reps. On LinkedIn.  Mike delivered a vibrant program with play by play instruction that has already helped our team open new doors and close new deals.”

Look at this as a place for testimonials that you might use elsewhere in your marketing. Note that the testimonial text from others is not searchable using LinkedIn keyword searches.

As a result of being recommended and recommending others you now have links to and from other the LinkedIn profile of others that you personally selected.  This is a sort of super-connection between you.  You have increased your visibility in the LinkedIn world and in the Google world.

Look at the 100+ recommendations on my profile at:

www.linkedin.com/in/mikeoneil