LinkedIn is the most popular social media site among business professionals today. Almost everyone uses it. But, according to one social media expert, Tom Searcy, people are not using LinkedIn as effectively as they could. People could be getting a lot more out of it.

Searcy lists a few of the things that people are doing wrong on the site.

One thing is that people are using LinkedIn only when they are looking for a new job. Normally, their profile is pretty skimpy until it becomes a full biography when they are doing a job hunt. But it would help users more if they kept their profile and connections constantly updated. You never know when a recruiter might be looking.

Another problem, Searcy says,  is that people maintain incomplete profiles, which does not help you or your company. You need to have all of the companies you worked for listed, as well as what you accomplished at those companies. And, you need to make your page easy for search engines to find by using effective keywords.

Many people also do not belong to the groups that they should. There are so many that it isn’t always easy to choose. But the ones you should belong to include alumni groups and industry groups.

Another thing people don’t do is share valuable information through their LinkedIn site. If you write a blog post, you can put that on LinkedIn, or if your company publishes something, you can add that to your LinkedIn site. You can also link to other content that might be of interest to people in your groups or your profession. Doing this will enhance your reputation in your field.

Users also neglect to add to their connections on their site. Users should be constantly adding to their connections and taking connections from people they know, either personally or professionally. You shouldn’t wait to do this until you need somebody to help you. You should be doing it continually.

People also are not making good use of the section of LinkedIn called LinkedIn Answers, Searcy says. This is where people ask questions about various topics, and other users who have knowledge about the question can write in with an answer in a forum type setup. If you have expertise in a certain area, and can provide an answer, this is an opportunity to show your expertise, and again enhance your reputation.

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