Commercial Investment Real Estate is the magazine of the CCIM Institute, the leading provider of commercial real estate education. CIRE covers market trends, current developments, and business strategies within the commercial real estate field.
Issue link: http://cire.epubxp.com/i/102789
TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS i LinkedIn Logic It's safe to say there won't be a movie made about the founding of LinkedIn. It has more than 187 million users. Facebook has more than 1 billion. LinkedIn was founded in a living room, not a dorm room. And the only relationship status LinkedIn users see is whether they have a professional connection to another user. by Dennis LaMantia Take Advantage of New Profiles LinkedIn profles are typically on the frst page of Google search results when a user's name is searched, which means a prof le can be a prospective client's frst impression. And that frst impression is going to be increasingly visual following a redesign of LinkedIn profles. A bigger profle picture is the most noticeable change in the redesign, which began rolling out in October 2012. Users should make sure their enlarged profile picture doesn't look grainy or draw attention to previously unnoticeable imperfections. The redesigned profiles also give more prominence to the user's activity on LinkedIn. Status updates, new connections, and shared links, which were displayed in the right column, are now just below the user's profle picture. Skills and expertise have been moved toward the top and work experience toward the bottom. 20 January | February | 2013 Create a Company Page LinkedIn is best known for its individual profles, but users can also create company pages, which are similar to Facebook pages. Company pages ofer familiar social networking features — status updates and the ability for users to follow a company — with a professional twist. Page owners can send status updates to followers from a specifc company size, industry, seniority level, and more. Follower analytics are broken down into similar categories. Explore Premium Features LinkedIn's free accounts allow users to build a network, search for other users, and join professional groups. Premium accounts, which start at $19.95 per month, extend these popular features and make it easier to connect with other users. Premium plans include a quota of InMail messages, which allow users to contact anyone on LinkedIn. Premium account holders can organize contacts into folders, see more search results, and get more information about who's viewed their profle. Connect Without Being Connected Contacting a LinkedIn user who is not a frst-degree connection typically requires an introduction via a mutual connection. Users with premium accounts can bypass the introduction by using InMail. Premium accounts also include OpenLink, a feature that, if enabled, gives any LinkedIn user the ability to contact the premium account holder at no cost. Users with basic accounts can use LinkedIn groups to contact users with whom they aren't connected. When joining a group, LinkedIn gives users the option to allow other group members to send them messages via LinkedIn. Unless this option is deselected, users who belong to the same group can contact each other at no cost by clicking "Members" from the group page and then "Send Message" when hovering over the intended recipient. Another way to contact group members is to reply to an update posted by the intended recipient. By clicking "More," then "Reply Privately" below the update, users can contact the person who posted the update even though they may not be a frstdegree connection. Change the Group Dynamics LinkedIn groups can be a hit or miss. Tey are free to join and easy to leave, so kicking the tires is the best way to determine which ones are useful. Group members can increase the quality of conversation by contributing useful content and commenting on other group members' posts. Commercial Investment Real Estate Fancy Photography/Veer Tat's why CCIM members like LinkedIn. In a recent survey of members, 73 percent of respondents said LinkedIn was their favorite social networking site. For anyone looking to digitally connect with commercial real estate professionals, LinkedIn is a logical frst step. Te following tips can help unlock the site's potential.