Any of you guys tried LinkedIn? what ya think?

Do not sell yourself short and do not believe you must settle for less than you are worth. Ask any type of previous editing/writing clients, even if the work was done as a volunteer, to post a recommendation on LinkedIn.

I've generated a good amount of income and clients from LI.

It's as with anything else, it takes work to stay on top of the site and your contacts. Be aggressive in asking them for referrals for assignments.

If anyone wants to connect with me there, www.linkedin.com/pub/lewis-mattox/a/
34
1/171

or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/lou.mattox.5

I'll be happy to find business and friendship for you.

Lou

I'm thinking about doing editing/copy writing for extra income considering the $8000 bill leveled on us by Uncle Sam this year. I'll be altering my LinkedIn profile in relation to that.

It's going to be hard going for me at first. I've got some fantastic skills in the area of editing, and I have several people who will give me recommendations, but my degrees are in Math, Economics and Business. It's hard to convince people that a mathematician is also a grammar Nazi.

I'm going to have to start out with the lowest paying, lowest profile jobs and work my way up.

Tal ~~

I have received numerous book editing assignments via LinkedIn. The first of many from a publisher was because I asked. She posted about collecting books to send to military personnel overseas as a Christmas project. I helped and asked if she ever had a need for a freelance editor. That was several years ago; we continue to have a publisher/editor relationship that has grown into a friend/friend one.

One thing that has worked well is to send my contacts a brief note asking how things are in their lives, if they're working on any exciting projects, etc. Just a short message to let them know I think of them and wonder how things are with them. I mention, very briefly, that editing and writing continue to keep me busy, and I wish them much success and happiness.

That so many replied surprised me the first time I did this. The common response was to thank me for asking about them, to say they never received such a nice note from any of their other contacts, to tell me about their work or that they have moved and so on. That helps solidify our bond -- I do something none of their other LinkedIn contacts do by sending them a message, and I ask about THEM, not sending a strong-arm pitch from me for projects.

I also insert a link in many emails and on business cards to my LI profile (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/lewis-mattox/
a/341/171) as a substitute to a resume.

Try LinkedIn and work it as you would other networking groups. If it turns out not to be for you, leave. Wishing you much success!

Lou

Edited by: IUHRYTR at: 3/14/2016 (08:33)

i hvae been utilizing linked in more frequently -- loooking for jobs. its interesting

I'm on LinkedIn on a regular basis. My profile now sits at Expert and all I have to do to bump up is add a photo. I've used the job search feature, but have not had any luck with it. Many jobs have already filled those positions but have not removed them from the site. I mainly use it as a digital resume. Many companies now have a "connect with LinkedIn" feature that allows their site to pull info from your LinkedIn profile. It has saved me tons of time when filling out online applications. I have also utilized their "Pulse" articles. Many have given me great advice in finding employment, pursuing advancement, and even ways to leave a job with a great reference. I think my profile would be more effective if my connections were greater and people endorsed my skills more, but I'm not going to just add everyone I know and use it like another Facebook.

My best friend has gotten multiple job interviews (all from legitimate employers, no scams) through her LinkedIn profile. None of them has yet materialized into a job, but this is with her not even actively on a job search, so she can afford to be very picky and demanding of potential employers.

I have had a profile for a few years, and while I've connected with a number of professional associates, I haven't had much luck using it as a job search tool.

I don't have anything related to writing. It's all about my day job and my math skills.

myh name is on linked in but I have not utilized it as much as I should

My name is on it, but I never log in. Never accept contacts or anything like that.

Can't help you much. Just know quite a few people who are on LinkedIn. It's worth a try, right? What real harm can it do, right?

Hey howdy

I'm new to LinkedIn and just got my stuff going on it. I really want to do it as best as possible and waited a while to start because i saw a lot of people just treating it like facebook and adding people they happened to know. Seriously--some of the people who contacted me I hadn't spoken to face-to-face in several years and i barely remembered them, but we were still on facebook together so why not? Heck, i don't recall reading many of their posts either.

But i'm curious how its helped you out in job searching and keeping contacts. I am reading a book from somebody who became a consultant on LinkedIn right now (still going through it) and am curious what all you've discovered using it, how much time you've had to dedicate to it, how much you WANT to, all that stuff. I just have people tell me "get on LinkedIn" but they don't give me much info as to what i could and should do. One of them who's been telling me is that guy with a crush on me and i REALLY don't want to give him access to my profile to mess with it, even if it was helpful. but he does want me to get another job because this current one has its moments, but is not mentally challenging and i don't even use my degree right now (not good).

So if anybody's tried it and hated it, or has tried it and loved it, or wants to try it and learn more, i'd love to hear from you (and so would they, probably). I just want to invest my time wisely and make it work. i've never really done networking before--i thought when you looked for a job you got your degree and they looked at that, your classes, your grades, and your school and made a decision. now its more like 90% who you know, 10% qualifications (because everybody seems to have a friend that gets them an in these days--maybe that's my bitterness showing through. I'm a notorious late-bloomer, it seems).

Anyhoo, i'm apparently in a writing mood. Curious how your ideas and experiences have gone. i'm still working on mine, reading the book, and gonna figure how to do professional networking the best (offline, that is).