Linkedin need some help - The Book-keepers Forum (UK)

Amanda · Expert

Linkedin need some help

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

RE: Linked in need some help

kjmcculloch83 · Expert

I used linkedin and twitter for a short time too Amanda. But i recently abandoned them in favour of Facebook which I find much better for getting the word out about my business to a local area.

To be perfectly honest, without paying cash, I don't see how linkedin could work for me. And with Twitter, I think you need a load of followers and to tweet a few times a day, i just don't have time for that.

Let us know how you find them though, they must work for someone.

Kris

Spamkebab · Expert

I just use it to collect 'people'.

Can i collect you Amanda?

Amanda · Expert

RE: Linkedin need some help

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

I accidentally caught some tweets when looking at what time Merlin was coming on on Saturday (different time every week).

There were tweets below the listings every second and nobody actually said anything worth reading. Things like "will be good tonight", "Can't wait", "It's old Merlin tonight", "On soon" "Can't wait".... on and on and on...

There just seemed no point at all to it. It was really inane and boring and it seems as though nobody read other tweets as the replies did not reference previous answers. They just seemed to talk and not care if anyone was listening.

VinceH · Expert

"They just seemed to talk and not care if anyone was listening."

Heh. I think that sums up the vast majority of stuff on Twitter. It can be useful and interesting, but really it all boils down to the quality and quantity of the people you follow (aim for a low quantity of high quality users). I follow a mix of people and organisations that relate to various areas of interest, and that works well for me.

As for LinkedIn, yes, I'm on that as well - I have been for a good few years, but I don't really use it.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

VinceH wrote:
I have been for a good few years, but I don't really use it.

That line is coming up a lot in relation to Linkedin which is a real shame as there is so much potential behind the idea (I would say that it has more potential than Facebook but that potential seems to be being wasted).

Must say that the thing that put me off it initially was being bombarded with "management consultants" offering startup advice, consultancy and shadowing services (I put that in quotes as I suspect that many of them were simply advertising the service after reading the dummies guide to consultancy).

I replied to a couple saying that I have been running my business for over twenty years but after a while I think that you just get response fatigue and as the approaches were only a cast a wide net and you'll catch something approach I just gave up responding to them and that pretty much set the tone for the site.

I just gave up using it.

Spamkebab · Expert

Well i think it's fantastic, i've got a lot of high flying people who don't know me, in my contacts.

I'm, like, hobnobbing in the shadows. I'm flying under the radar with the bigwigs, I have gatecrashed

their party.

I may even pinch a horse duvet from the buffy.

Wella · Expert

Just a word of warning.

I have received several "invites", and had a few "you have a messsage waiting" type emails from LinkedIn over the last couple of days that have been bogus and contained viruses (virii?).

Luckily Norton360 managed to block the attacks.

Be careful out there

Bill

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Cheers Bill.

Wella · Expert

Hi Shaun. How you doing?

No probs. I suggest that any one who gets these logs in to LinkedIn, rather than follow the link, to check the invite/ messages. I have had three emails in two days.

Bill

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Not too bad at all, how about yourself matey?

When we get links on this site I always cut them and use the Norton checker attached to Firefox to confirm that they are ok.

Strangely the only one that actually came up as a seriously dangerous link (big red do not go here or your PC will explode sort of message) and had to be removed was the one to Accountex but it looks as though that one has now been resolved.

I use the Norton Internet security rather than 360. Just bought this years three PC 2013 version from Amazon today as it came up that it was in the Black Friday deals. Came up at 13:15. Was already ordered by 13:16.

Seems a real bargain at normal price of 22.50 for a years worry free surfing so coming in at 14.99 was a serious bonus.

all the best,

Shaun.

Wella · Expert

Pretty good, thanks. been missing the forum though. Manage to pop in, every now and then.

I may try Kaspersky next time, as I find that Norton try to rip me off each year by offering loyalty deals for regular users (i have used it for about five years now). Then when you look around, even on their own site, you can get it cheaper. It went from £59 for their special customers, to £29 for anyone else. Go figure!

One of the reasons for using 360, is the password safe. I have rubbish short term memory, and it is useful.

I was lulled in to a false sense of security, as the emails came from LinkedIn (or appeared to at least), that I automatically went to the embedded link in the email.

Bill

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

I only ever did that once Bill and realised what a mistake that I had made.

It is cheaper to buy Norton new every year so it sits in my Amazon basket from about September waiting for the three PC livence price to drop below £20 and then I buy it.

I also keep McAfee in the basket in case Norton don't drop their price in time for the renewal.

Kapersky always gets a good write up but I've never used that one myself.

After working in banking I know that many emails will appear to come from banks and seem all legitimate but are anything but.

Even when given links in what seems a legitimate email I always try to go to the site myself rather than via a link. I may be paranoid but I've had a virus on a business machine before and it's a costly affair.

In my case it was the CWS virus that attaches itself to random system files each time that you start your machine so it's near impossible to catch. The virus itself is not harmful but it slings the doors of your system open to everyone meaning that your firewalls are useless.

I had to take the PC off line, replace it and I only access that one to get old information meaning that there is absolutely no way for it to cross contaminate.

After much hunting and fixing that PC does seem to be clean but I no longer trust it.

It will eventually get to the stage where there is nothing on it that I will ever need but by that time the PC will be so out of date that there will not even be any point low level formatting the drive. (Its a Windows ME machine (the forgotten operating system) which shows how old it is)).

Shaun.

semsley · Guru

Amanda

I've been on LinkedIn for ages now and still don't know what to do with it!!!! In fact I think I might be on twice. I accept people I know and I've been endorsed by a couple and I don't even know what that means or if it does anything. Feel free to contact me through it as I don't know how to contact people - you know my name.

Sheila

Amanda · Expert

Join the club Sheila, I have no idea how to use it!

I may try and have a look tomorrow. I'm on twitter now but still don't really see the point of it!

I will have a look for you on Linkedin.

Thanks

Donna CBK · Senior Member

Sorry to be different but I actually like Linkedin and have ignored facebook due to the quantity of kids using it.
I use linkedin for main information however link thru to twitter with any comments - these then show on my website so information on website is updated.

Amanda · Expert

Donna,

I need educating on how to use Linkedin, I am on twitter as well, but how does it all work and updates you website as well?

Sorry for sounding so thick!

thanks

gbm · Guru

I tend to think of LinkedIn as a bit like your online CV.

You put stuff about yourself, where you've worked, what skills you have, etc.. Not necessarily the kind of stuff you'd put on your website.

If you're a bookkeeper and you're on LinkedIn, you could ask your clients to write nice recommendations about the work you do. Then, when you see someone new, you can mention that you're on LinkedIn, they'll see the experience you have, where you've worked, and the nice recommendations.

katsafe · Member

I only joined LinkedIn recently too and have no idea if it's actually going to be of any use to me! I only have one contact and have joined a couple of groups but that's about as far as I've got. The subscription fees seemed pretty high too.

Kat

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Actually, that is another thing about Linkedin.

The groups that you are a member of are visible to everyone so they say as much about you as your CV so I would say that you need to be careful the groups that you choose to join.

Figurate · Senior Member

@Shaun, I think it's possible to hide your group memberships from your Linkedin profile.

xantia743 · Senior Member

I joined linkedin several months ago and, like others, don't really know what to do with it. I'm fairly internet savvy but the site looked complicated so I didn't pursue it. May have to dust it down and have another look.

John

Sylvia · Veteran Member

Amanda,

I use Twitter with some success by only following local businesses. Do look at my account to see the type of tweets I use, search for "Bridport Bookkeeper" or @sacbookkeeping it also helps me get top of the search list for our town. I try to send a message to everyone I follow in the hope they will remember me!

I think LinkedIn is something you need to do less on. Get a good profile (don't forget to update it) with links to your website, ideally a picture. It is where a business will search for you, if they have met you elsewhere or heard of you. It seems to be more of a person search rather than somewhere to search for businesses in an area. If there is an active local group within Linkedin that is worth joining and making comments to get noticed. I have been contacted by one accountant via a group when he had a client looking for a bookkeeper - it didn't come to anything though.

Sylvia

Amanda · Expert

Thanks Sylvia for that. So is it mainly small local businesses that you follow? Have you picked up any business from it yet?

thanks

Sylvia · Veteran Member

As there are not many large business in my area I follow all businesses - on the basis that it may be a friend/family that needs a bookkeeper. I have had two direct clients from Twitter including my first. I do not spend alot of time on it - 10 mins 2 or 3 times a week or if I get an email about someone following/re-tweeting etc. I usually thank people for following, I do not follow any of the people who are just after numbers, they must be local for me to follow with a few exceptions. I also keep a list (in twitter you can have lists, mine are private) of my clients, so I can quickly look at what they are tweeting. I reply to them or sometimes retweet their messages.

Sylvia