Do you find yourself struggling to make time for LinkedIn? Let us know.

The site is often equated with finding a job, and while this is a very big part of LinkedIn, it’s not everything. According to Nicole Williams, LinkedIn’s Connections Director and founder of WORKS by Nicole Williams, the professional network should be viewed as a “career toolbox.”

“Where it may end up being deemed as forgotten is that people don’t realize how helpful it is in your day-to-day career development,” she said. “LinkedIn is designed to help you in your career totality.”

“It’s not just to be used at the point in which you’re looking at a job,” Williams added.

As she pointed out, LinkedIn should be used in continuous career development. It’s full of news, forums, and groups that could create valuable opportunities. The relationships and connections that are made on LinkedIn can play a significant role in helping people get into their desired careers.

Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ are all useful in their own way, but they are very different from LinkedIn. Facebook, specifically, covers a user’s entire life (especially once the new Timeline feature officially rolls out) from personal vacation pictures to fun activities and events that the user participates in.

LinkedIn, however, is different because it offers a professional forum to individuals. As Williams explained, it provides “distilled information,” which is necessary for a professional environment. The company also has features such as LinkedIn Today that helps users stay up-to-date on industries they are interested in.

In addition, LinkedIn recently introduced a Volunteer Experience and Causes field to its service that allows users to display their charity inolvement right along with their work experience. Based on a survey the company conducted, 41 percent of the respondents said that they considered volunteer work just as valuable as paid work experience.

Williams told us that this new feature is especially beneficial in this economy, since so many people aren’t able to work in jobs that are reflective of their true passions. The Causes field now allows them to actually get credit for their volunteer experience.

“You have to set yourself apart,” said Williams. “What LinkedIn is hoping to do is allow people to set themselves apart by being able to offer up their volunteer work experience.”

The truth is – there are a lot of ways to use LinkedIn that people aren’t taking advantage of. According to Williams, LinkedIn Groups is a powerful means for people to connect with individuals not only in their industry but also in other industries that they are interested in. Groups also can give a user the opportunity to become a leader in their industry by participating in conversations.

“You can get exposed to people who are beyond your normal realm of influence and get to know people who may, in fact, get to be able to offer you something professionally; or, you may be able to offer them something professionally,” she said.

Williams told us that, as a new mom, she is involved in several groups related to professional women and working moms. Through a conversation she had about being tired, she met a sleep coach and, after talking with her, hired her. She told us that the chances of them connecting in another way would have been extremely slim.

“If you can just engage in conversation and offer up tidbits of advice that prove that you’re a legitimate, helpful individual, that may turn into a real business opportunity,” Williams said.

She also said that LinkedIn would continue to build products that would enhance the lives of professionals and make it easier to connect with other professionals.

While it is difficult to keep up with all the social networks, Williams told us that LinkedIn should not be underutilized because it could really impact a person’s career for the better.

After reading this, are you going to make more time for LinkedIn?

Telephone lines are reported to be down for most of Japan, and getting a hold of loved ones is a difficult task to undertake. As reports surface, messages from Facebook and Twitter provide the latest news. Doing a bit of research shows how the human spirit can be found within the social media platforms.

Kotaku, a video game related site, posted an interesting article concerning how many japanese video game developers are tweeting their experiences. One developer went so far as to open their studio doors to strangers, relying on Twitter to accept invitations.

Masahiro Sakurai, a famous video game developer posted a startling image on Twitter of an almost always crowded Tokyo road being completely deserted.

George Takei, a famous japanese-american actor, has been tweeting non-stop trying to inspire people to donate to the Red Cross.

Obtaining information about where to find shelters has moved to Twitter as well, with locations being posted on Google Maps. And lists of locations becoming available as well.

As WebProNews reported earlier, earthquake related tweets have been trending all morning. People have been expressing concern, and sympathy as the death and missing tolls rise.

Tsunami warnings have been issued to various locations around the Pacific Ocean, and millions of social media accounts will be staying tuned for the latest updates. Let’s hope we don’t have to receive any.

Drew Meyer, Senior Director of Marketing for Networking product vendor Netgear shared some thoughts on the transition with WebProNews. 

"It’s a big deal for companies of all sizes because it is a fundamental change in the way the Internet works, but it is also a very subtle transition for most users," says Meyer. "Small businesses that keep older networking hardware in service longer may find they need to upgrade – but only once their networks break down. Channel partners play a key role in educating small and midsized customers."

On what kinds of techniques businesses can embrace while they gear up for the switch to IPv6, Meyer says, "The old and the new (IPv4 and IPv6) will coexist in most networks. Modern servers and software have provisions for dual mode support, but older equipment may require replacement since it cannot support the latest software patches and firmware upgrades. We expect this to happen invisibly as network equipment is refreshed driven by other solutions, like virtualization or mobile access."

"We see it as a side benefit of modernizing midmarket networks and have plans for it across our entire product line of managed, smart and unmanaged switches," he adds.

"Developing markets like China and new applications like mobile devices and home automation demand more Internet connectivity than ever before, so first movers are positioned to become the new leaders of the next generation Internet," he says. "Winners offer simple ways for smaller companies to adopt, and losers will be those vendors who do not educate their channels and end users on the availability of the new function. Midmarket customers purchasing reliable, affordable and simple solutions will be automatically prepared for the IPv6 transition."

World IPv6 Day has been set for June 8. On that day, major web properties like Google, Facebook, and Yahoo will join content delivery networks like Akamai and Limelight Networks for a 24-hour global trial of the new protocol.

* A need to build or grow your network.

* A need to acquire new skills or hone existing ones.

* A need to find a new job.

While you could argue many social networks meet these three needs adequately, I might argue that LinkedIn has the biggest potential to meet these needs best when it comes to professional skill-building, networking and job-seeking.

But, are folks capitalizing on that opportunity within LinkedIn now? Not so much.

I started to write this post about the 12 groups all PR people should be a member of, but after some initial research, I couldn’t identify 12 I could really recommend.

Most groups (some pretty reputable brands even) were chock full of SPAM–job postings and blatant self-promotion in the Discussions pane and overall, just a lack of effective community management within the group.

I was a bit disappointed. Like I said, a few of these groups were reputable, larger organizations. I was expecting a little more.

But, there were a few groups doing it right. And, I most certainly would recommend joining the following post-haste if you haven’t already:

* PRSA-your local chapter (varies). Obviously, this one depends on your local chapter. Ours here in Minnesota is pretty active–and productive. In my view, it all depends on your local community.

* MarketingProfs (9,782 members). Even though this group doesn’t technically fall within the “PR” bucket, it’s a “must join” for any communicator or strategist. It’s one of the more active LinkedIn groups I’m a part of right now. For example a recent discussion around starting a Marketing 101 class solicited a whopping 204 comments!

* Solo PR Pros (726 members). Selfishly, one of my favorite groups. Regular updates (sometimes, multiple discussion threads each week) and numerous people weigh in. Within this group, solo PRs discuss new tools, budgeting and books to read. Kellye Crane does a fabulous job managing and directing this community.

* PR News Group (5,336 members). Fairly engaged group with relevant discussions to anyone who works in PR. Most recent–and popular discussions–include: “How to conduct PR without an agency”, “Wikileaks is the Facebook of whistle-blowing” and “Have you ever tried the press release distribution services?”

* HAPPO (1,099 members). Jobs are the focus, but this group is about much more than just the search. And, with another HAPPO event coming up early next year, this group may be on the rise. Recent conversations have focused on: salary requirements, what employers want to see in an entry-level portfolio and the best free software to create an online portfolio. (Disclaimer: I am the co-founder of HAPPO and one of the community managers of the site).

Any other groups you’d recommend?

Originally published on Arik Hanson’s Communications Conversations.

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Social media isn’t always as social as its name would imply. For example, you can have conversations with people online and really not know them at all personally. 

How many of your professional social media friends do you actually know personally? Comment here.

It’s possible that you’ve had a really deep and meaningful conversation on Twitter or Facebook with someone in your niche that you greatly respect, but if you passed them on the street you wouldn’t even recognize them, let alone stop and chat. 

WebProNews spoke with IZEA CEO Ted Murphy recently about how sometimes, it just helps to pull back from the social media and really get social. It also helps to pull back if you want to create original content. That doesn’t mean stop using social media. It means don’t be strapped down by it. 

"The Blogosphere and social media have become a bit of an echo chamber," says Murphy. "The likes and the shares and the retweets and all that stuff – it’s great for spreading a message, but it’s like everybody now becomes programmed in the same way, doing the same thing." 

"So if we can teach people to pull back from that and say, ‘Ok, if I want to come up with a really original blog…a really original idea, I don’t want to know about all that other stuff. I need to unplug myself, and I need to just ideate,’" he adds. 

In other words, get out there in the world and experience things first hand, and maybe you can find some inspiration for original content. Then, maybe the echo chamber will echo you, instead of vice versa. What are some problems, concerns, issues, or observations you’ve made running your own business? What are some you’ve seen with other businesses? Maybe you can use these things to bring something new to the table, or at least start a fresh conversation. 

Even simply talking to the same kinds of people you would be conversing with online, in an offline setting can spark inspiration that may not have occurred from a conversation on Twitter or Facebook. Industry conferences are obviously a great place to meet people and to meet people that you have already had a professional relationship with online.  Great ideas can come from these conversations, and they’re not online for the world to see (and echo) yet, so you can take those with you and create that content.

Chances are that if a subject was worth talking about offline, it was probably worth talking about online as well (as long as its topical). 

"The reason that we come to conferences…is that it’s one thing to engage with somebody through Twitter or to do a chat with them or leave a comment on their blog," says Murphy. "It’s another thing to shake their hand and look them in the eye and share a beer with them."

"So I think the people that are going to get the most out of an experience like this are the people that spend the entire time trying to meet as many people as they possibly can, and not just coming here and staying with the people that you came here with," he says. 

"You should be coming home with stacks of…not just business cards and contacts, but experiences with those people," he adds. 

You don’t have to limit offline professional socializing to conferences though. You can do lunches or arrange other get-togethers. Don’t forget "tweetups". 

What are some other ways to create professional relationships offline that you’ve found value in? Share in the comments. 

The context in which I know people is different from one person, one situation to the next. By and large, this is a good thing. I wouldn’t want my co-workers to know all that my wife knows and my wife wouldn’t be interested in all that my co-workers know.

Not surprisingly, online these relationships play out differently through different social networks. As a fairly engaged social networker (and dork), I recently tested my own social networks for what I’m calling, "social overlap" – the percent of overlapping "friends and followers" I have between the three social networks I am engaged in most: Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. (I highly recommend doing this exercise yourself, it shows a number of revealing insights about yourself. Here are some of mine. I’d love to hear your findings in the comments.

This analysis shows how few of my contacts overlap between different social networking platforms. This online fact echoes my offline reality of having different kinds of relationships with different people depending on the context of how we know one another.

My own lack of "social overlap" is complemented by a recent report from Forrester. Analyst Jeremiah Owyang (who recently left the company) suggests, "Today’s social experience is disjointed because consumers have separate identities in each social network they visit." Owyang goes on to say, "This creates friction for consumers who must now manage multiplying personal information and username/password combinations."

As a solution to this "friction" Owyang predicts that people will bring a single online identity from one social network to the next. Early examples of this prediction coming to light are "Facebook Connect," which allows users to "connect" their Facebook identity to any site, and "Open ID," a potential social network standard for a shared identity system.

However, a single online ID seems out of synch with how we (or at least I) naturally relate to others in our offline/real world lives. Maybe I like having different platforms on which to interact with co-workers vs. family members. Maybe I’m not comfortable showing the same side of me to everyone I know, regardless of how I know them. Maybe my lack of "social overlap" online is a good thing…much as it is offline.

The point here is not to knock a single online ID, it’s to ask bigger questions about who we are on the social web. How are we different consumers in different contexts? What permission do we give different brands on different sites? How does your brand fit in with your customers on Facebook differently than it does on Twitter? Because it’s not just a different tool, it may be a "different person" with whom you’re connecting.

These questions point to the critical need to listen first before coming to market with a social media strategy. To understand how your customers think of your brand, product or service as relevant and meaningful in different social media contexts. Because maybe your customers are not the same people in one context that they are in another.

HP says the combination of these two companies will transform the networking industry and "underscore HP’s next-generation data center strategy." The company believes this will help customers simplify networks and improve IT service delivery capabilities.

"Companies are looking for ways to break free from the business limitations imposed by a networking paradigm that has been dominated by a single vendor," said Dave Donatelli, executive vice president and general manager, Enterprise Servers and Networking, HP. "By acquiring 3Com, we are accelerating the execution of our Converged Infrastructure strategy and bringing disruptive change to the networking industry. By combining HP ProCurve offerings with 3Com’s extensive set of solutions, we will enable customers to build a next-generation network infrastructure that supports customer needs from the edge of the network to the heart of the data center."

HP’s Ethernet switching offerings will see a significant expansion as a result from the acquisition. It will also add routing solutions, and greatly strengthen  HP’s position in China. They will also be adding a large research and development team in that country.

"Our extensive product line and innovative technology together with HP’s breadth and scale will expand our global opportunity," said 3Com CEO Bob Mao. "3Com’s networking products are based on a modern architecture which has been designed to offer better performance, require less power and eliminate administrative complexity when compared against current network offerings. Our products are enterprise proven and widely deployed in the world’s largest banks, manufacturers, Internet service providers, public utilities and retailers."

HP will be getting 3Com’s security solutions, which include its TippingPoint line, which is apparently used among 30% of Fortune 1000 companies.

The deal is still subject to domestic and foreign regulatory approval, as well as approval from 3Com’s stockholders. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of next year.

Related Articles:

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> Cisco Says It’s Building a Multi-Billion Dollar Industry

Last night according to ReadWriteWeb and Stanford Social Innovation Review, Causes has sent an e-mail out to all their MySpace members stating that they will be moving over to Facebook and no longer supporting MySpace. I do not see why they could not do both, but apparently Causes does not want to support both platforms. From a business viewpoint – Causes would be very smart to provide support for both platforms; everyone needs a simple easy way to donate to the cause they believe in.

Stanford Social Innovation Review though also brings up the specter of money, in that it is well known that Facebook caters to a richer clientele than MySpace. Going out to Quanticast – the demographics for MySpace and Facebook makes this a compelling argument.

MySpace Demographics:

Facebook Demographics:

What is interesting about the Quanticast information is on the right side data pane where people who are likely to visit Facebook, Causes shows up as the number one entry in the likely to visit category.

Where on the likely to visit column causes does not even show up.

Demographics are also telling – people are much less likely to be college educated on MySpace, meaning they just simply do not make a lot of money. However, some research points out that poor people donate more overall money to causes that influence their groups or their interest groups than rich people do. The problem also might be in the micropayments processing side; small amounts of money usually are quickly degraded by mounting fees from payment processors, handling, and movement than larger payments, which is a definite possibility and, one of the drawbacks to the micropayment system.

What is sad though is that rather than supporting both platforms, which is just good business, Causes has decided to abandon MySpace in favor of Facebook. Regardless of the reason, from a business viewpoint you don’t abandon a channel until it stops being profitable, if Causes believes that MySpace is no longer profitable, then there is more here about the internal workings and visitor counts of MySpace than we generally have discussed in the blogging world, let alone the press.

Causes definitely needs to post a statement on their blog, so we know what the reason is, rather than speculating as to what the reasons are.

Comments

With the Profile Organizer, users can save the profile into a designated folder, add contact info, and write private notes, only visible to them. To save profiles, just click the "save profile" link that appears by people’s profiles. There is also a "save profile" option that appears in LinkedIn searches, and it works the same way.

"If you do many searches on LinkedIn, the single-click ‘save profile’ action can save you time," says LinkedIn’s Elizabeth Reaves. "You no longer need to review each interesting profile in detail: just save from the search results page, and you can narrow down your list in Profile Organizer later."

"A few of us at LinkedIn have started using Profile Organizer and find it particularly helpful after attending networking events or conferences," adds Reaves.  "In the past, I collected a stack of business cards and came back from the event unsure about what to do with them. Now, I find the contacts on LinkedIn, and jot down relevant information into Profile Organizer. The next time I go to a similar event, I simply glance through my notes to recall details about our past conversations."

The Profile Organizer can be found in the contacts tab. This week LinkedIn also launched a native application for the Palm Pre.

comScore’s Andrew Lipsman says that Job Search is up 33% vs. a year ago, and it reached 23.1 million visitors in July. Lipsman also says there is one site that isn’t even in the Job Search category that has been standing out for the same reason – LinkedIn. According to comScore data, LinkedIn neared its all-time high in July, with about 8 million visitors, a 66% increase from the year before.

Everybody knows LinkedIn is heavily used as a business networking tool, and that people use it when they need a job. It is frequently used by businesses for recruiting.

LinkedIn may have to worry about Facebook cramping its style however. Jessica Shambora, writing for Fortune, says that recruiters are increasingly looking to Facebook to find job candidates. One reason for this is that Facebook offers a broader look at the candidate in many cases, than a LinkedIn profile does. Facebook usually caters to people in their more natural element. Shambora writes:

For one thing, Facebook seems to cast a wider net and provide recruiters with more references – and more outlets to spread the news about a job opening. Facebook users have an average of 120 friends. While LinkedIn won’t release this statistic for its members, recruiters say the average number of connections likely is smaller because of the site’s narrower scope.

The types of relationships and contacts found in a personal network versus a professional one are also assumed to be more authentic and less transactional, and therefore more desirable to marketers. And while Facebook members now span all ages and demographics, the average age of its users is 31, compared to 41-years-old for LinkedIn.

She says that professional and personal lines are blurring more, and that the fear is going away as people become more comfortable with sharing their lives online. That’s an interesting concept, given that social media is frequently still costing people their jobs, and likely preventing them from finding new ones in many cases.

Facebook certainly has its privacy settings, but it seems that it if recruiters are looking more to Facebook, as they have been LinkedIn, those looking for work may still want to reserve some judgment about what they post.