SOCIAL MEDIA EXAMINER — Let’s face it, LinkedIn is a very underutilized social media network. Most people believe that it’s too hard to make connections, and therefore use it more as a résumé site. There is so much more potential with this professional social media network. How many of us have created a LinkedIn account and left it dormant for months? It was my goal recently to attend more LinkedIn webinars and teleseminars to learn more about this mysterious network. I have often thought to myself, "I’m a professional. Why am I not utilizing this site?" I’ve even heard LinkedIn referred to as the "red-headed stepchild" of social media. Here are some interesting facts that I learned about this often misunderstood network...

MARKETINGPROFS — I’ve always considered LinkedIn more of a place to prospect for a job than anything else. And since I haven’t been in the market for one in a while, I’ve paid it little mind. Plus, if I’m being honest: I’ve always thought LinkedIn was kind of...well, boring. If Facebook was a rave at a cool downtown hot spot, LinkedIn was a stuffy reception with piped-in music at one of those cookie-cutter function facilities conveniently located at the end of an exit ramp. Does that sound harsh? Perhaps. But now I’ve realized that I couldn’t have been more wrong...

HUBSPOT INBOUND INTERNET MARKETING BLOG — The "Small Business Success Index" (SBSI) conducted by University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business found that social media adoption doubled from 12% to 24% among small businesses in the last year. The study surveyed 500 small business owners about their social media usage. Of those small businesses, 61% had used social media in the past year to identify and attract new customers...

INSIDE FACEBOOK — Nielsen is the latest web measurement company to release a review of social networking traffic in 2009, and most of the results aren’t too surprising:  Both the number of users to social networking sites and the amount of time they spent increased substantially, with Facebook leading the way. Here’s our quick take...

SOCIAL MEDIA EXAMINER — LinkedIn is the most powerful social networking site to help you grow your business.  It makes Twitter, Facebook and YouTube seem like social networking sites for kids. If you want to hang with the big players -- a place where connections are made, leads are generated, and deals go down -- then you need to spend more of your time on LinkedIn. Although other sites have their purpose in the business world and many people utilize multiple social networking sites, LinkedIn is still the number-one place to market your business. Here are ways to use LinkedIn and get results...