It seems like everytime that I show up at a business networking event, I am inevitably asked the question, “How does one use LinkedIn” or something to that effect.

I’ve read enough on the site as well as other social networking sites and know enough people who are the experts on it, that I wanted to create a lists of resources to help further and accelerate your networking on it.

I hope you find these resources to be helpful;

Blogs and Forums On LinkedIN

1. Scott Allen has a blog called LinkedINtelligence. It covers all things LinkedIN. You definitely want to read the category that talks about how to use LinkedIN effectively.
2. Vincent Wright runs a Yahoo Group that covers all things LinkedIN. He also has a Ning platform called My LinkedIN Power Forum that is a bit more interactive as well. As an aside: I knew of Vincent virtually for a few years and finally had a chance to catch up with him over phone a few months ago. He is one of the most cerebral and intelligent business people that I know. I actually knew that before talking to him because of the way he articulates himself online. I could probably talk to him and pick his brain for hours on end. I usually don’t say that of most people.
3. LinkedIN Learning Center, which was just announced on the LinkedIn Blog, is a resource center to learn more about using every aspect of LinkedIn. I especially like how they created relevant user guides for certain types of professionals such as entrepreneurs, consultans, and VCs.

Articles On LinkedIN

1. Anita Campbell wrote a blog entry that covers why Entrepreneurs should use both LinkedIn and Facebook. It’s a great read because there is this endless debate as to which platform is more business productive.
2. Guy Kawasaki got a free LinkedIN Profile Makeover from the folks at LinkedIn. If you ever want to know how to increase the effectiveness of your LinkedIN profile, then this is a good visual read for you.
3. Kawasaki also blogs about 10 ways that you can use LinkedIn.

Books On LinkedIN

1. I’m On LinkedIn. Now What? Jason Alba writes a great book that answers the question the everyone inevitably asks themselves. It’s also available in ebook format.
2. LinkedIn For Recruiting. If you are a recruiter then I would highly recommend this book. I’ve known the authors, Bill and Des, for awhile and both are highly competent professionals when it comes to this topic.

My LinkedIn Profile

I had the chance to attend the Capital Cabal Networking Mixer last night. CapCabal is primarily for professionals who work in new media. Think marketing, PR, internet, web technology and the like.

This was my first time but I was impressed with the crowd. I grew tired of the typical Chamber of Commerce scene where it’s too general of a crowd. CoCs are a little bit of everything from the self employed, the small business with no budget or a clue, the sales account executives, and corporate managers who think they know everything and are too good to talk to you. That’s no longer for me as I know whom I tend to work and collaborate best with; marketing communications and technology professionals. Goodbye CoCs and hello networking events with a focused demographic.

Looking back at the night, I know that it was a good networking event when;

1. I have at least three attendees take the initiative to follow up with me within a 24 hour time period. It’s usually me that has to send a courtesy email or follow up. I have a hard time recalling when was the last time three people send an email to me immediately. The funny thing is that I only managed to talk to less than 10 people. I’m used to talking to 15-20 people and I’m lucky if anyone wants to give me the time of day afterwards much less do a follow up.
2. I actually enjoy the majority of the conversations. As I told Margaret Schwartz, it’s a lot easier to relate when we speak the same language. In this case, the language of marketing and new media. As I always tell people, I don’t expect to do business at a networking event. I’m just there to try and have as many interesting conversations as possible. The majority of my clients come to me for web design, blog design and consulting, along with localized search engine optimization strategies. As hard as it may be for some to believe, I don’t attend events to find prospects. Though, that would be nice. I attend events like CapCabal to find collaborative partnerships with professionals who work in similar synergistic vertical industries whereby we can serve both each other’s needs.This explains why there would be more synergy at an event like this for many of the attendees. We are all in the same industry and are just looking for the right partnerships.
3. The demographics are varied but still focused. New media is a very broad term that encompasses quite alot of industries and professions. We had a good mix of account executives, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. Even the small business owners such as Julia Wilkinson, aspiring writer and ebook publisher, were pretty savvy.
4. The attendees aren’t clueless and show networking courtesy. I don’t mind people talking about themselves and their business but just as long as there is some level of reciprocation. Most of the attendees were highly educated and showed courtesy. Plenty of bright intelligent people to talk to. Thanks Sarah
5. I win a door prize. As I told Jose Laguna, I was feeling the vibe last night. As the master of ceremonies, Hank Dearden, was making his announcements, I told Jose that I had a feeling I was going to win a prize. And sure enough, I did. I won a gift certificate to Gua Rapo Restaurant. Yummy.
6. The organization doesn’t overcharge you for admission. Admission was rather cheap- $15. This included a drink ticket and some hors d’oeuvre. That’s all I need. I get tired of networking organizations that go through all sorts of trouble for an extravagant feast and charge $50 for it. I can afford $50. That’s not the problem. The problem is why bother when half the people aren’t going to have a full dinner at the event. If you want fine dining, go out afterwards. It’s called networking, not netseating or neteating. It’s virtually impossible to have a dinner and meet people at the same time. I hear networking groups say that they want to provide an experience. Experience? If you want people to remember your group, just create an environment that is networking conducive. Not that hard, folks. Thanks for understanding that, Hank.

My only criticism of the event is that the music was too loud. It would be nice to turn it down so that I don’t feel like I’m screaming at the top of my lungs when having a conversation. I know others said something similar. But if I’m gonna scream over loud music, then at least they made it 80s music to scream over. How bout some music from Eddie Money next time?

If I didn’t have to bolt out early, I would’ve stayed alot longer. Otherwise, two networking thumbs up.