If you follow the LinkedIn best practices we teach (and many other experts as well), you are making use of most, if not all of the text space that LinkedIn allots in your profile. This is especially important in the Headline, Summary and Specialties – prime real estate.

Well, things just changed and some people will be really scratching their heads on this one. LinkedIn just made a Carriage Return count as 3, yes 3, characters. As LinkedIn and Rock aficionados (see our Rock The World LinkedIn book), we are always “living on the edge” to discover the way for others.

We uncovered this when I went to DELETE a couple of characters and found that my profile was now 24 characters too big as I went to save changes.

Yep.  All those CR’s now count as 3 characters vs. 1 like it has been since LinkedIn was born. LinkedIn is directing people to clump text together vs. spreading it out to make it easier to read. 

Another step backwards that reminds many of the moment LinkedIn limited single invite text to 200 characters and eliminated invite text ENTIRELY when inviting more than 1 person (can you say IDK?).  See related story.

This picture illustrates the point.

After years of struggling on LinkedIn with check boxes (scrolling a list, checking box after box, scrolling some more, checking box after box, etc.) my business partner Lori Ruff  finally stepped in and showed me a shortcut. So, this is really HER post you might say.  Lori was a Microsoft Certified trainer previous to being a The LinkedIn Diva.

If you are staring on your LInkedIn screen at a list that has check boxes included in it, like when sending a message to a group of people, you can use a series of space bar (right hand) and tab key (left hand) that will let you go do 50 selections in almost no time.

You still must go one letter of the alphabet at a time in MOST cases. It doesn’t skip from the end of one letter to the beginning of the next. Still, it is heaven when you are doing sends on LinkedIn.  Thanks Lori!

Let me know if this helps you.

A Who Are You? Profile that Rocks Their World

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Enjoy a WAY Cool Profile & Network done by the Experts

Your Who Are You? “Rock The World” Profile could be developed in a matter of weeks by a team led by the team at IA Social Media, Mike O’Neil and Lori Ruff.

These heralded social media subject matter experts have trained thousands of individuals, businesses, groups and associations to utilize the power and reach of Social Media for 4 years.

They now speak and train on a variety of topics and in many formats leading to more training and professional services work. They have written a book entitled Rock The World with your Online Presence that integrates principals in Classic Rock with LinkedIn and Social Media.

This team provides the most important Social Media services for busy executives, teams or groups, and high net worth individuals enabling them to quickly benefit from participation in social media with minimal effort. Multiple programs are available to meet specific need of diverse individuals. There are business versions of these services as well – groups, teams, companies. Each program is customizable.

A Who Are You? WAY Cool Profile starts by knowing more about you, your goals, what inspires you, who you like to be around. We build your profiles AND your network and teach you to use it.

Quick, Simple and VERY Powerful!

Talk to Mike and Lori about your needs – click here

The Private Show – Customized Program

When standard programs just don’t fit, and this can often be the case, we can customize a program just for you. It may include other social media platforms, tools, sites and a variety of 3^rd party services. One advanced custom feature is where we provide in-person training for individuals, couples, teams, groups or other audiences. Your social media coach will come to your location to train, mentor, strategize, answer questions and even outsource.

“Mike turned my LinkedIn profile into a Rock Star profile and it is helping my on-line video business tremendously. Thanks Mike!”  Daisy Whitney, Web Host, Creator and Producer, The New Media Minute

You are on your WAY to a Multi-Platinum Online Presence – Send us a note

I received this question via LinkedIn today. My response follows.  After I hit Send, I realized how often I am asked this or similar questions and thought it prudent to add it as a blog post for people to refer to as they needed rather than waiting for my response. Please tell me if this helps you or someone you know. If we have a positive response, I will likely post similar posts more regularly.

*** message ***

Dear Lori,

I need some advice from you. A 1st contact in my network, who I have met in person, is linked to someone at a company I am interested in for my next career challenge. He has agreed to introduce us.

I want to make the most of this connection. Should I ask for a simple networking meeting or send her a direct application or simply be direct and inform her that I believe I would be a good fit for her company?

Any advice you can share will be most helpful since my experience in job searching has been limited to 1 job in 25 years!

Please contact me at anytime if I may assist you in some way.

Thank you for your time and interest.

 *** response ***

I am happy to help. My first inclination would be to ask for an introduction request through LinkedIn and be honest about asking for an Informational Interview. Let her know you are looking for work at a company like hers and ask if she would be open to an interview to assist you in preparing for the process.

I am confident that she will agree. Most people will. Then, if she has something available, the contact will have been made. And if she knows anyone else you should speak to, she will be more likely to be able to provide a solid introduction having done an intial interview herself.

Be sure to thank each party for their time and consideration. You might send a handwritten note if you have their address. Ask who would be a good referral for them so that you will be aware of potential introductions you can make in your networking travels. And let them know that their efforts on your behalf paid off. People need good news!

Best regards,

Lori Ruff
Lead Social Media Coach
Integrated Alliances

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?

In all the training that we do here at Integrated Alliances, this is one of the areas that people ask the most questions about – Recommendations.

First of all, you need to have real meaningful business interaction with someone to have a credible recommendation.  You are not recommending the person, but their actions as a business person.  “Bob is a great guy“ doesn’t cut it.

That alone whittles down your list of candidates.  Look for people that you might have worked on a project together with. Someone that has seen you in action, beating away the fires, planting forests of business, etc.

So – once you have that person in mind – have them tell a story of a project that you worked on together.  You are looking for 3-4 sentences.  Having some metrics (numbers) really helps.  Here is an example:

“Bob was one of the reason’s out projects went so smoothly.  In one project alone, he helped us perfectly install telephone services to 20 locations, all on a weekend and all in the face of many obstacles.  Bob is your “go-to person” on telecom projects!”

How does that sound?  It helps paint a picture of what Bob is like to work with, which is what recommendations are used mostly for isn’t it?

We cover this and more in Rock The World with your Online Presence: Your Ticket to a Multi-Pltinum LinkedIn Profile.  Available now at Amazon.com.  See more at http://www.rocktheworldbook.com

I was just introduced to Facebook Lite by Social Media expert Nick Armstrong.  This may be just what the doctor ordered for seemingly 90% of the people out there that are frustrated by the sheer complexity of  its Big Brother – the tiny icon’s, the terminology, the options, the hidden this and that.

What’s the difference?  Streamlined screens, no Facebook applications, shortened lists of options, CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN!

Give it a try.  It works off the original Facebook profile, Friends list, etc.  It seems to be 100% interchangeable.

Behind the scenes?  It runs on Java and AJAX according to Armstrong.  That means faster loading, faster operation, faster satisfaction.  I can TOTALLY attest to that.

Give it a try.  It’s really easy.   Simply go to www.lite.facebook.com vs www.facebook.com.

There have recently been rumblings of a new user interface for LinkedIn. I’ve been waiting for more information along with everyone else, trying to find time to read the relevant blogs. Getting Mike’s book off to the publisher and getting through a very busy week were my highest priorities however, so I was surprised to see the new interface when I logged on this evening.

I had intended to accept pending invitations quickly before heading out to some networking events. My plans for the evening changed. We immediately sat down to start working through the changes to see what changed, what worked and what questions might come up because our clients, friends, and fans couldn’t find familiar features on new screens.

What a pleasant environment to navigate! The screens are cleaner, the important information I want is easier to find, the profiles more readable. It is as if a three column blog site morphed instantly into two wider columns with easier navigation at the top instead of taking up so much real estate on the left. The home page is less cluttered and the screens more intuitive to navigate.

If you don’t see the new interface yet, be patient. I am sure this will roll out systematically. There are no “Beta” comments and with the rumors of the new styling, I am fairly confident it is here to stay.

With the recent addition of intelligent Twitter integration, the addition of the SAP application, and the reinstatement of being able to sort by number of connections, it is possible that LinkedIn designers and management are listening to users. This could be heralding a shift in the relationship of LinkedIn with its user community. Way cool guys… way cool.

LinkedIn’s new Twitter connection has been long in the works; but it was worth the wait! Not only can you now update your LinkedIn status with Twitter, which you DO NOT want to do, but you can target specific Twitter updates to populate your LinkedIn status by including the hastag #in in the Tweets.  Now, that’s insightful.

To add this new feature, updating your status will initiate a pop up box, or you can go to your Account and Settings tab and select “Twitter Settings” under “Profile Settings”.

Now, if we could only get the Tweeters at LinkedIn to understand that followers cannot send them a direct message unless they follow them back… but that’s another story.

“New FTC Rules for Social Media!” posted by Go-To-Market Strategies based in Seattle, WA

provides a good summary of the new rules that go into effect December 1.  Essentially, it requires transparency in an industry that purports to be transparent. There are many bloggers and tweeters that promote products and services for which they are an affiliate. The new rules require disclosure of that fact. You also have to be able to back up your claims and “speak from actual experience” so you need to not just RT (Re-Tweet) or copy/paste, but believe what you are telling your friends and followers.

The incentive… a potential $11,000 fine.

Here’s the full article… http://www.gtms-inc.com/tip_FTC-socialmedia.htm. Be sure to Digg it and give them credit for alerting us to the change.

You may be asking yourself, “What is the connection between music & social media?”

Music is the universal language that unites us in the world regardless of our many differences.

Music raises our social consciousness.  It helps us reflect on happy or sad times.

Music empowers us.

Thanks to social media platforms like: Photobucket, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Blip.fm and others that help us achieve this.

Two examples are from Twitter and other media that allowed a response and reaction to the shocking news of the death of “King of Pop” icon Michael Jackson or the recent B.E.P performance in Chicago kicking off Oprah’s 24^th TV season.

~Liz Isaacs, Writing & Marketing Communications, Lotus Writing & Communications
liz@lotuswommunications.net
http://www.linkedin.com/in/lotuswritngcommunications
http://www.twitter.com/lizisaacslwc or @lizisaacslwc

A few weeks ago, I was nominated for being one of many in the #rocktheworld Best LinkedIn Profile Contest held by LinkedIn/Social Media Experts, Mike O’Neill and Lori Ruff, of Integrated Alliances of Denver. The top five LinkedIn profiles with the most votes will be featured in Mike’s book, “Rock the World With Your Online Presence,” to be released later next month.

A few days ago, I was nominated in the #rocktheworld Best LinkedIn Profile Contest held by LinkedIn/Social Media Experts, Mike O’Neil and Lori Ruff, of Integrated Alliances of Denver. The top five LinkedIn profiles including the top vote-getter will be featured in Mike’s book, “Rock the World With Your Online Presence,” to be released late November.

Of course, I am thrilled to be considered for such an honor (as anyone would be) and to be included with such an esteemed group of colleagues. I have to admit that I kind of felt like a kid in high school again, especially, to be nominated in a contest with a Robert Plant reference.

But I had to grin, because it wasn’t until returning from the U.S. Small Business Conference™ held in St. Louis this past September, that I was able to utilize the many of the tips mentioned in a presentation by LinkedIn expert Lewis Howes, co-author of “LinkedWorking: Generating Success on LinkedIn, the Worlds Largest Professional Networking Website.”  Lewis mentions Mike O’Neil, founder of Integrated Alliances, as a LinkedIn Profile expert in his book.

I had attended other LinkedIn workshops, which all were beneficial. Lewis’s presentation put the icing on the cake that I needed to focus on in my profile to help me get noticed as an expert in my field.

As a result, many of my connections and others have been finding and reading my profile and inquiring about my professional services offered through Lotus Writing & Communications as well as my personal writing goals. Regardless of the outcome of the contest, and whether or not I am featured in Mike’s book, I am honored to be considered. It validates the work I am passionate about….connecting with others…helping them blossom and flourish and achieve their fullest potential…and my writing.

~Liz Isaacs, Writing & Marketing Communications Strategist, Lotus Writing & Communications

P.S. If you haven’t voted in the contest here’s the info: #rocktheworld http://bit.ly/4CIMHC

liz@lotuswommunications.net
http://www.linkedin.com/in/lotuswritngcommunications
http://www.twitter.com/lizisaacslwc or @lizisaacslwc