LINKEDIN: Make your profile link “personal”

Thursday, February 22, 2007

I like LinkedIn.

And I think people make a mistake when they don’t complete their profile.

But, I think they make an EVEN bigger mistake, when they don’t simplify the url to their public profile.

For example, mine is http://www.linkedin.com/in/reinkefj and it’s easy.

I use the character string “reinkefj” on everything.

So, if you were on AOL and wanted to IM me, I’m “reinkefj”. Want to send me a GMail or a yahoo in, yup, it’s “reinkefj”.

So why would I have public liinkedin profile that was /b32/0/7/ something?

All you have to do is:

(1) Go to the LinkedIn main page.

(2) Tap on “MyProfile” (Tab #6).

(3) Tap on “Edit My Public Profile” (tab #2).

(4) Then by the URL for your public profile, tap on “Edit”.

(5) The screen morphs into a filling box.

(6) You can choose a descriptive ending.

(7) Tap on “Set Address” and you’re done.

Now I suggest that you choose wisely (Like Indy was told in the “holy grail” move). I’d avoid “big stud”, “sexy lady”, or anything other than your last name. But that the details and it’s your problem.

It about being easy to find and easy to do business with. A memorable simple url for your public LinkedIn profile won’t get you your next check. But, a bad one might prevent a payday!

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Posted by reinkefj

LINKEDIN: How many identities are “empty rotting shells”?

Thursday, February 15, 2007

>What email do you use on LinkedIn?
>Posted by: “Ed Callahan”
>Wed Feb 14, 2007 7:19 am (PST)

>You can and should have as many emails in your profile as possible.

Understood. I have lots.

>then brokers communication with you via your primary email.

That’s part of the problem. People think of their employer’s email as “theirs”. It’s not.

>you should use an email you own as your primary email – I’m with you on that.

Glad we agree to agree agreeably. As opposed to agree to disagree either agreeably or disagreeably. (Whaaa, like the Aflac duck commercial!)

>I like the other suggestions you make, but in some sense they are moot.

Not so sure, that I agree with the LinkedIn design of primary email. If I was king, I’d insist that each LinkedIn-ite have TWO working emails. Primary and secondary. And, I’d double LinkedIn’s email load (notice how free I am with other people’s resources), so as to ensure it works. (It would ensure that you don’t miss messages.)

I have at least two correspondents who have lost their access to their primary email account AND forgotten their passwords. Interesting? (One bozo kept it on the computer she had to turn back in.) So she has no way of recovering her profile.

If I was the “King of LinkedIn” (hey that rhymes), I’d decree that LinkedIn would test for “life at the end of the wire”. Hasn’t happened to me on linkedin, but it has on my ezine, where are readers email goes bouncing due to death. Awkward, but one should know these things.

I wonder how many of LinkedIn’s millions are dead (user died), disabled (user’s email innoperative), lost (user not interacting), zombies (shells constructed by other), abandons (user walks away), or in one way or another “empty rotting shells” (are there other types of strawmen). Someone might crassly say that its to LinkedIn’s benefit to inflate the numbers with these empty rotting shells and they have no incentive to bulldoze inactivity.

So, imnsho, LinkedIn’s email architecture is flawed. And, it doesn’t have robust process and procedures to ensure “liveliness”.

Am I the only one who measures “days since last contact” in my network? The empty rotting shells play havoc with your score. (See like some players of the Linkedin “game”, score on how many scalps they collect, I’m much more sophisticated. I score by days since last significant contact. Pinging you with a plaxo or cardscan email address update doesn’t count. That’s a better “game”.)

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Posted by reinkefj

LINKEDIN: LinkedIn-related Yahoo Groups that I am moderating

Monday, February 12, 2007

Ferdinand John Reinke
http://www.linkedin.com/in/reinkefj
LINKEDIN_NEW_JERSEY
LINKEDIN08824
LINKEDIN08054
LINKEDINJASPERS

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Posted by reinkefj

LINKEDIN: Never use your employer’s email on LinkedIn or any site like it

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Seems like an obvious “tip” to me.

Lose your job? You lose a lot of things. Not the least of which is your paycheck, “your” email address, and access to it.

You add to the disaster when you use the employer’s email address to register for sites.

Stay in control, use your “personal” email address for anything that isn’t strictly related to your employment.

I personally recommend you establish your own “stuff”.

Go register your “name” as a web site. Most commercial grade web site providers throw in a slew of email addresses with most packages.

I chuckle when I see a 6 figure executive using his employer’s email address on a networking, job, or resume site; that makes him “clueless” imho.

Or even worse is some lame internet service provider’s address like AOL for email or a free kid’s site for webpages.

But, the truly worst is when they use a “lame” email name. In the last year, I’ve seen: “bigexec@”, “expertmgmt@”, and even “irishstud@” … on resumes. (I busted a gut getting out a “helpful suggestion” email.)

At least, GOOGLE GMAIL for email or GPAGES for web sites makes you look avante garde.

“My” WSP offers a “beginner” package for $36/year that includes: 1 FREE domain name; 10 GB web space; 300 GB traffic; 600 e-mail accounts; and bunch of other stuff. http://www.1and1.com/?k_id=9113251 I’m sure that all the comparable professional sites offer similar. (I laugh at consumer sites that charge lot’s more for lot’s less!)

They now all have “fill out a form” interfaces to do what used to be complicated stuff! Build a web page, you worry about content, not html. Forward your special personal email address (i.e., corporate drone @ my first mi last name dot com) to my business one (i.e., corporate drone @ corporate dot com) by a different form. Use your “seeking address” (i.e., corporate drone seeks new hive @ my first mi last name dot com) for your networking activities.

So, it’s control. You control “your” email.

Note, while you can check your email via the web interface from your workplace, if you really need to, I don’t recommended is. Don’t mix business with “pleasure”. At least, not without encryption. Your employer has the “right” to look at everything on their stuff, and many do. Some archive as search everything. Reprisals are commonplace. It’s a snooper’s paradise. Don’t be a victim.

Yell if you need help!

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Posted by reinkefj

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