LinkedIn InMaps

We all know that one of the biggest strengths of LinkedIn is the visualization of your network. Unlike other business networks, you can actually see how you are connected with other people.

What happens if you would take it one step further and visualize what your LinkedIn network really looks like? In one screen? Right!

InMaps is in fact an interactive visual representation of your professional network. You can explore and learn to understand the relationships between you and all of your LinkedIn connections. Do you have clusters and a certain structure in your network? Or not at all?

How does it work? You go to this link. Login with your LinkedIn account and it will generate your map. You notice that several colors are used. You can choose a title for each color. They represent different affiliations or groups from your professional career, such as your previous work experiences, people you have met at a conference, college classmates, or industries you have worked in.

Some people have a bigger name than others. They represent people who are the most connected within that specific cluster or group. It gets even more interesting: When you click on a contact within a circle in your InMaps you will see their profile pop up on the right, as well as lines highlighting how they are connected to your connections. Like I said, discover the relationships within your LinkedIn network.

Why is that important? If you know how you are connected to the people who are in the best position to help you reach your (networking)goals, you are getting closer to realizing your goals!

Need a video to see it? Enjoy!

Have fun with InMaps,

Bert

LinkedIn Tip : Reorder

There is so much you can do with LinkedIn. At Networking Coach, we can easily give a whole week of courses on LinkedIn alone. So, let me share another tip with you.

Did you know that you can reorder the sections on your LinkedIn profile?

How? It’s really easy via drag-and-drop! The headers of each of the sections on your “Edit Profile” page now have handles that can be dragged. To reorder a section, all you need to do is click and drag one of these section headers up or down the body of your profile. When you release the mouse, the section will drop into place where you dragged it, and your adjustment will take effect immediately.

Why would you change the order? Well, it gives you the ability to highlight the skills, expertise, and/or experiences that make you stand out. If you are just graduating, it makes more sense to have your education first. If you are looking for a job, it might be a good idea to share your expertise through the Applications first.

Not sure how to do it? Watch this YouTube clip and see for yourself how easy it really is!

The Big Picture

LinkedIn comes with updates and new functionalities regularly. This time they implemented a new feature I was longing for : a bigger profile picture!

In your profile you could upload an 80 x 80 pixels image. I agree that most people look like they where just arrested or something 🙂 Others seem too far away, so instinctively I always tried to click on the picture, but of course it did not work. Now it does! And you are getting a bigger version of someone’s profile picture. I love it!

So, what are your next steps?

1. If you already have a profile picture (80×80 pixels), then delete it and upload a bigger picture!
2. If you don’t have a profile picture yet, upload a big picture rightaway! No worries about the format (max 4MB)!