Why I Love LinkedIn

Blogging, business, happiness, lessons learned, retirement, technology, writing 2 Minutes

I’ve used LinkedIn for several years, and it’s one of the sites I go to every day.

As a college professor, my favorite feature is simply reading through the Notifications to see what my former students are up to. If one of them is starting a new job, has gotten a promotion, or is going back to grad school, I usually try to reach out with a simple congratulatory note. Often times that leads to a brief exchange of emails so that we can get caught up with each other. A few times it’s even led to inviting a few of them back to campus to be a guest speaker in my class.

I encourage my students to sign up for LinkedIn and to start building their network as soon as they can, freshmen year is ideal. They can connect with each other, their friends, neighbors, relatives, teachers, and recruiters.

I’ve also used LinkedIn to reconnect with some of my old college friends and get caught up with each other (and wonder where did the past 40 years go!)

I also enjoy the Today’s News and Views for a chance to read stories I might have otherwise missed, many of which then find their way into my class discussions.

I’ve also used it as a platform to share a few of my own blog posts.

Despite my daily usage, I certainly would not consider myself a power user. Given my job function and where I am in my career, I don’t feel a need to use most of the features available in the premium version.

But if I worked in recruiting or was looking to switch jobs, then I think I would definitely have the premium version, and be on LinkedIn a significant part of the day.

One premium feature that does look tempting is the On-Demand Learning with Lynda. The ability to take a wide variety of courses is quite appealing. Perhaps when I retire I can spend my time taking many of these courses.

My favorite part of technology is its ability to connect people, and in that respect, LinkedIn excels.

I’d encourage any teachers out there to be proactive in connecting with your current students. One day in the not too distant future they will be your former students and LinkedIn is a wonderful way to stay in touch with them.

P.S. For anyone interested in connecting on LinkedIn with me, I’d welcome the opportunity. Just click here.

 

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

Published

20 thoughts on “Why I Love LinkedIn”

  2. I completely understand the feeling of getting some great news about a former student. Whatever source helps you learn is valuable. I never had much use for Facebook until I learned that this was the best way for me to reconnect with old students.

    Like

    Reply

      2. I think a world full of teachers and writers would be a wonderful place! By the way, I’m not sure if you’ve ever read David Kanigan’s blog at https://davidkanigan.com/ but he has a similar tag line to yours – Live and Learn. It’s a wonderful site that I think you would enjoy.

        Like

    2. I love LinkedIn very much
      It’s professional network job and business app you can get a couple of jobs and apply over there and you will be motivated by people with high in humanity an environment

      Like

      Reply

  5. I have used LinkedIn, but not to the limit you have given. I am going to start looking into it more because I do get notices regularly. I just have not used it to follow up with others, and I likely should do that because they are people I like a lot and who have inspired and helped me in one way or the other. I am always glad when I learn something new about something I know about, but perhaps have missed maximizing my use of it. Thank you most kindly.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Hi Anne, thanks for your comment. I hope you find it as useful as I have. It only takes a few minutes a day to get caught up with your contacts in LinkedIn, but I think there’s a pretty good return on that short investment of time.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment