5 Tips for Creating a LinkedIn Profile Which Truly Represents You

The new Profile Summary page changes, LinkedIn recently released, are changes which affect everyone with a page on their site. These changes affect not only the way your profile page looks, but affect your pages ability to attract people searching for your unique expertise and/or background.
In order to get the most from the free marketing LinkedIn allows, it needs more than the usual resume-style flat, boring rundown of experience. No more 'just the facts'. Now you must craft a unique Summary which not only states the facts, but keeps readers interested. Eager to call and discuss hiring you once they've read it.

The word LinkedIn uses for the profile area is "Summary". And that's exactly what you must craft.

What is a good Profile Summary?
Bottom line - It's a well thought out, and written, synopsis of your background and expertise. It touches on salient points. Presents valuable experience potential clients or employers will see the minute they begin reading the Summary.

Your newly crafted background outline quickly gives potential clients, or employers, a comprehensive view of your work experience, without requiring them to waste time wading through tons of unnecessary data.
It should leave out information which no longer pertains to your current niche or area of work. But can be provided if necessary.

These new LinkedIn changes mean developing a robust summary for your profile page. One not just filled with boring facts. But one which clearly, and interestingly, describes who you are and what you currently do. One which utilizes appropriate keywords. And one which is effectively search engine optimized.
Not only that, it's one which is keyword and search engine optimized one is memorable. And helps you stand out from the crowd.

5 Tips for Organizing a New or Updated LinkedIn Profile Summary:
1. Find appropriate keywords. Words which not only best describe you and your expertise, but are words people search for when planning to hire someone with your experience. Add some of these to your Profile Summary. This is called search engine optimization and is now more important than with old style Profile Summary pages. However, don't over use keywords. This is tops on Google's hit list of no-nos.

2. Create a full and energetic Profile Summary. LinkedIn allows you a specific number of words for your Profile Summary. So craft yours on your computer first. This allows you to organize, and state, the most important facts and info.

3. Make your history and facts interesting. While your Profile Summary should be factual, it should be readable for the average educated person. Neither a fairy tale nor an intellectual treatise.

4. Leave out old info which has no bearing on current work.

5. Do not embellish current facts so they've become over-the-top or unbelievable. Nor create unverifiable facts.

Your new Profile Summary should now have your background information, and expertise, thoughtfully woven together. Written in a way which keeps visitors and potential employers engaged and reading.
Think about it. These newly launched LinkedIn changes are not only providing you a better opportunity to showcase your experience, and expertise, but to present it in a more engaging and visible way.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7424259

Facebook Gifts Now Available To U.S. Users

Facebook Gifts have been rolled out to all users in the United States after they had spent time in beta.

Conveniently released in time for the holidays, users in America are able to send physical gifts to Facebook friends for Christmas, birthdays, or any other holiday or special occasion.
Despite the fact that the person on the receiving end of the gift will know in advance what is being sent to them, the sender has a large list of options to choose from. These could be gourmet food, novelty gifts and household goods amongst other items.

A step by step guide below explains the gift process should users in the U.S. choose to send a Facebook friend something via the social platform:

1. Gifts can be accessed in different ways. The gift option now exists next to the post and photo buttons on a friend’s timeline. The gift button will also appear in the birthday notifications section in the top right corner of the screen. Also, you can access the gifts page simply by typing ‘Gifts’ into the search bar (from this option you will be greeted with a box asking who you wish to send a gift to).

2. On the left hand screen users will find a dropdown menu where you can select different categories of gifts that you want to send. The gifts are actual physical items and there are plenty to choose from. Categories include; home, kitchen, gadgets, pet supplies, and even digital items such as Facebook or iTunes credit.



3. Selecting a gift then takes you to an enlarged picture of the item and more information concerning the item. Some gifts may even come with the ability to leave a personalised message which Facebook allows you to fill in.

4. Review your order and confirm the credit card that you are using to pay for the item.

5. Facebook takes care of the rest and notifies you when the recipient has accepted the gift and entered their address.

6. When receiving a gift, you will get a notification saying that somebody has sent you a gift and you will be asked if you want to open the gift.

7. By accepting the present, the recipient will be shown what the gift is along with everything the sender has seen apart from the price.

8. Enter the shipping address for where you wish the gift to be sent. The person sending the item will never get to see this address.

9. The recipient will be able to send a thank you message which will appear in the sender’s private inbox on Facebook.

10. Once accepted, the present will then appear on your Facebook Timeline. However, the ability to hide this is also available.
 
Do you think you will be using Facebook Gifts?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below

Businesses Can Now Post Events On Foursquare

In August last year, the events option was introduced to a few select venues, such as sporting arenas and concert halls. Any business on Foursquare now has the option of creating their own custom event.

Businesses can post information about upcoming events on their Foursquare profiles. The event information will appear when a user searches for locations nearby, checks in, or goes back over previous check-ins.

For example, a book shop can advertise an upcoming book signing by a famous author, a pub can advertise a beer festival and retailers could advertise a sale.
Posting an event is simple, just add an event name, date and time to your business’ profile. The Foursquare blog says that the new events option will help users “record their experiences and remember what a great time they had”.

The benefits for business owners and managers are evident: the events will increase publicity, drawing in more customers, and the check-in feature will allow businesses to monitor how successful events are.
The fact that businesses will be able to monitor exactly how successful their event is using Foursquare means that the site could monetize the system in the near future.

Currently, Foursquare’s search engine is not intuitive enough to recommend events, as it does places, but it is highly likely that it will in the near future.

What do you think of Foursquare’s events?

Five Steps To A Better Facebook Business Page

Ah, the frustration. Nine hundred million Facebook users and only a hand full are fans of your business. Worse still, no is actively following your page or sending business your way. You decide, like many, that Facebook is probably not an avenue to increase business or sales. Before you delete your page or let it die a slow death through neglect, here are some pro-active steps that can give your page, and your business a boost.

Step 1. Learn the competition. Take a look at your competitor's page and see what they're doing right, and doing wrong. You can find the page by going to Facebook's search engine and typing in your customer's page. If you can't find it that way, Facebook search is still not up to grade in some respects,,try going to your competitor's website. They may have a link or a "like" widget that will navigate you to their page. Once on the page, Facebook, not the website, take a look around. You want to look for how the Cover photo and Profile photo compliment each other. Do they make sense? Do they enhance the brand? How often does this page post? What seems to be working for them? What kind of content are they posting? Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Flatter your competitor.

Step 2. Learn some of the best practices. There are no hard and fast rules to social marketing, but there are some strategies that work better than others. Here are a few:

· Don't sell, engage. Most companies that complain about Facebook as a business platform do so because their sales campaigns don't deliver results. If all they're trying to do is sell, they have a long wait. Successful brands that have thrived on Facebook don't sell to their fans, they engage them. You can engage them by offering advice on products and services you offer; doing surveys; asking fill-in-the-blank-type questions. Asking fans to name a Facebook friend who uses your product or service is a great way to engage a current fan and maybe find a new one.

· Post every day. It may seem to be unnecessary but not all of your fans see every post. If you only post once or twice a week, it may be quite some time before a fan sees a post from you.
· Include a call to action. It could be to click into your website, answer a question, or participate in a survey. Anything that encourages a fan to interact with your page is worthwhile.
· If you do sell, don't over do it. One sales related post out of five is plenty. Beyond that and you're probably disengaging your audience.

Step 3. Add to your page. Replace your cover photo and profile picture on a regular basis. Create a video to introduce yourself. Build a gallery of images that reflects your work or your product. Add a contact or email form. You can highlight a product or service.

Step 4. Plan. Don't go about posting willy-nilly. Have a plan for what you are going to post and when. Plan for the short term and longer. The shorter calendar, typically a week or a month, highlights everyday events and news. The longer view highlights sales promotion, large events and the like.

Step 5. Consider a paid ad campaign on Facebook. Facebook lets you build a page for free, accumulate fans for free, and create a brand presence for free. What they won't allow you to do anymore is communicate with all your fans for free. Facebook is in the money making business and have realized that they can't give away the store and make money. So to reach all of your fans, you'll have to spend some cash.

At first glance, the Facebook platform appears similar to Google's AdWords. But there are differences. Keywords are not important in Facebook, interests and demographics are. You can micro target an audience to certain categories such as age or interest. Images play a key role in the Facebook model so be sure to upload one. You can promote a post to get it a wider audience. Promoted posts will allow you to broadcast outside your network of fans. The cost for a Facebook ad won't bust your budget. Facebook is an effective advertising tool when page owners realize it's not free and sales results will be generated over time.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7408249