June, 2009

Mark & Staci Hackl – Link Greater Green Bay in the news

Monday, June 29th, 2009
greenbaypressgazette.com

June 29, 2009

Social networking opens new doors for baby boomers

Online interactions can net job leads

By charles davis

cedavis@greenbaypressgazette.com

When Mick Gleason asked his 16-year-old son for tips on uploading video to YouTube, he knew times had evolved.

Gleason, 54, of Green Bay, is working on posting his resume video on IntroduceMe360, a multimedia Web site that features brief video introductions eventually forwarded to other professionals for possible job leads.

The old way of doing business involved “the phone, the meetings, door-to-door,” said Gleason, who was laid off from a consulting firm in June 2008. “Now here’s this whole universe unfolding.”

Baby boomers increasingly are facing career changes and unstable employment. Many are looking at social networking as a new way to do business and secure leads.

Mark and Staci Hackl of Green Bay started Link Greater Green Bay in February, a group on the professional networking Web site LinkedIn. The group meets once a month and has almost 1,000 members, at least 30 percent of whom are boomers. The events are for everyone, from job seekers to small-business owners.

(more…)

LinkedIn Bible: Everything You Need to Know About the Social Network for Professionals

Monday, June 29th, 2009

CIO.com’s LinkedIn guide delivers expert advice on how to build a strong profile, practice good etiquette, manage connections and recommendations, and stand out to recruiters and employers with the social networking service. You’ll also find analysis on how to take your LinkedIn use to the next level with company profiles, free applications, and more. This is a great resource.  Read more here.

MKE Live to Celebrate “Independence Day” during Its July LinkedIn-Milwaukee Event

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

(MILWAUKEE, WI) Business-owners unite! MKE Live will celebrate an entrepreneurial version of Independence Day during its LinkedIn-Milwaukee Event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Wauwatosa.

Since April, more than 2,000 people have attended MKE Live’s LinkedIn-Milwaukee events.

“Many business people have taken the step to live the American Dream and own their own business,” said Katie Felten, president and managing partner of MKE Live. “We just want to take some time to celebrate their bravery in starting a new venture, as well as some of the victories they’ve experienced since going ‘independent.’ Hopefully our assistance through LinkedIn training and networking continues to help them and other business owners.”

Felten is featured in LinkedWorking: Generating Success On the World’s Largest Professional Networking Website. She is recognized throughout the state as a leading trainer in LinkedIn. She is frequently asked to speak to professional organizations about LinkedIn and social networking media, and has been quoted in media.

“LinkedIn Live-Milwaukee at the Crowne Plaza” will be held on Monday, July 6th from 5:30-8:30. The cost is $10. Networkers are encouraged to pre-register at www.mkelive.com. The Crowne Plaza Hotel is located at 10499 Innovation Drive, Wauwatosa, WI 53226. For more information regarding the Crowne Plaza Hotel, please visit www.crowneplaza.com.

For more information on MKE Live’s LinkedIn training and networking services, visit www.mkelive.com or call Katie Felten at (262) 227-0772.

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MKE Live (www.mkelive.com) provides LinkedIn training, networking and event services to companies, communities and Chambers of Commerce throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest. MKE Live helps entrepreneurs and business leaders expand their professional networks and leverage their products and services through these larger professional networks.

How to Really Use LinkedIn

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

I came across this article on Forbes.com and since I recently read this book after my friend Wayne Breitbarth recommended it.
I thought I would share it here. Jan does a great job of explaining how to use LinkedIn and he also gets into strategy. He also does free LinkedIn webinars and I am signed up for one of June 24th.

It can be a great networking and job-seeking tool–better than most people know

It’s virtually impossible to hear career advice these days without being told to join LinkedIn. The professional networking Web site has become vastly popular because of how its multitude of features allow users to find and connect to relevant people in their professional world.

But how do you make the most of it to your own professional advantage? That’s what networking expert Jan Vermeiren tries to answer in his latest book, How to REALLY Use LinkedIn, which you can get a condensed version of for free online. read more

Milwaukee marketing companies organize social media conference

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

Trivera Interactive, Corporate Identity Solutions and Clear Verve Marketing have joined forces to develop Social Media University, an educational event in Milwaukee that will provide hands-on learning and real-life examples of the most prominent social media tools in use today.
The event, conceived by Tom Snyder, president and chief executive officer of Trivera Interactive, will be held on Wednesday, July 29, at the Italian Conference Center, 631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee.
Social Media University will be a day-long learning event for business owners, executives or marketing professionals interested in maximizing their business’ use of social media. The event will feature hands-on learning from experts drawn from the Milwaukee creative and business community.
The event will bring together local social media experts who will share real-life experiences with social media and help business owners embrace best practices for this new era of communications.

Presenters will include:

  • Chris Remington and Katie Fleming – Trivera Interactive.
  • Sue Marks – Pinstripe Talent.
  • Augie Ray – Fullhouse.
  • Jon Kurozawa – K6 Marketing.
  • Christina Steder – Clear Verve Marketing.
  • Katie Felten – MKELive.com.
  • Sara Meaney – Comet Branding.
  • Blake Samic – Actions Talk.
  • Scott Baitinger – Streetza Pizza.
  • Joe Woelfle – Blatz Liquor.
  • Phil Gerbyshak – The “Make it Great Guy.”

A keynote presentation will be delivered by Jay Steinfeld, CEO of Blinds.com, who will share how one of America’s largest online brands has used the power of the Web, first to build a small business into an Internet powerhouse, and now, through social media, to turn his brand’s fan base into the fuel for greater success.
The event will be followed by a “Tweetup” on Twitter, organized by Corporate Identity Solutions (also known online as “@TweetupGirls”).
Attendees are encouraged to bring their laptop computers so they can immediately apply what they learn to their companies.
“As an interactive marketing company, many of our clients were approaching us with questions on nearly every aspect of social media,” Snyder said. “Because social media is growing and changing so quickly, it is difficult for many people, even marketers, to keep up with all the changes. We felt that if we brought together a group of people we admired and gave business owners the opportunity to learn from these subject matter experts, attendees would walk away with a complete experience at a much higher level than we could provide by hosting a short event on our own.”
Tickets for the event are $95 per seat and are available online at www.socialmediamilwaukee.com. For more information, contact Snyder at (262) 250-9400.

The Super Connectors or LIONS on LinkedIn

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Have you ever wondered who these people are who call themselves super connectors or LIONS?

I know that I get the question of who are these people, and how do they know that many people, who do I invite to my network, anyone I’ve ever met or only my clients and business partners. This is a personal decision and there are people all over the spectrum on this subject. LinkedIn defines its self as connecting you to your TRUSTED contacts.

I personally have chosen do only connect with people that I know because I feel that it makes my network stronger for me because my favorite feature is the Introductions – being able to ask the people that I know to introduce me to people they know – and this just doesn’t work if I don’t know the people that I am connected to and they don’t know the people that they are connected to.

But the decision is yours and it will depend on how you plan to use LinkedIn.

Below are a couple of articles that relate to this subject that I thought you’d find helpful:
1.
LinkedIn Clamps Down On Super-Connected Users
LinkedIn has imposed new restrictions on the number of connections any one person can have, say members of the LinkedIn open networkers, a controversial group that accepts almost all LinkedIn connection requests. The group appears to be walking an increasingly fine line with the social network.
2. LinkedIn Tips: How Many Connections Is Too Many?
When it comes to LinkedIn connections, some people believe more is better, creating huge networking circles. But that approach has prompted debate, with even some people inside LinkedIn saying that’s a risky strategy. Here are three good reasons to beware of having too many LinkedIn connections.
3. LinkedIN strategies – Tight vs Broad Network
There’s been a controversy going on within the LinkedIN crowd for years.
Is it more effective for your job search to build a LinkedIN network of close personal connections? Or instead, build a network with a broad reach, but weak connections?It depends on your purpose, and networking style. If you’re reading this blog, chances are your purpose is to change careers or jobs. Also think about how your network can be beneficial AFTER you land your new job.

Have you checked out the LinkedIn Learning Center?

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

On this site, you can learn about all of the various functions of LinkedIn. The three main sections are: Overview, Site Features, and User Guides.

Also, this site describes the following four reasons for using LinkedIn:

1. Create your professional brand
2. Network and reconnect
3. Share your knowledge and expertise
4. Receive opportunities

Take some time to review the LinkedIn Learning Center so you understand all that LinkedIn has to offer.

Where do you find the LinkedIn Learning Center? Once you are logged into your LinkedIn account scroll to the very bottom of the page you will find it along with several other links.

MKE Live to Host Event Answering the “Now What?” LinkedIn Question

Monday, June 15th, 2009

(MILWAUKEE, WI) “Now What?” It’s a question many people ask after creating an account on LinkedIn.

On Friday, June 19, MKE Live will host “So You’ve Created a Profile on LinkedIn… Now What?”, an exclusive seminar designed to give Wisconsin business professionals insight on how to generate tangible results through the internet’s only true business networking platform. Led by LinkedIn expert Katie Felten, attendees will learn how to use LinkedIn’s different tools to implement strategies geared towards:

· Advanced selling

· Personal marketing and branding

· Hiring and placing employees

· Developing customer service practices

“Many professionals either have LinkedIn accounts or have employees that do, but they don’t really grasp the power that it provides,” said Katie Felten, managing partner and president of MKE Live. “This is a chance for business owners, executives and proactive sales professionals to learn how LinkedIn’s tools can significantly impact business development, branding and client communications.”

Felten is featured in LinkedWorking: Generating Success on the World’s Largest Professional Networking Website. Recognized throughout the state as a leading trainer in LinkedIn, she is frequently asked to speak to professional organizations about LinkedIn and social networking media.

Organizations and business professionals across the region use MKE Live for its LinkedIn training sessions and networking events. Since April 1, more than 1,000 professionals have attended MKE Live networking and training events.

“So You’ve Created a Profile on LinkedIn… Now What?” will be Friday, June 19 from 11:00-1:30 at the Mequon Country Club. Tickets for the seminar are $30 and include plated lunch and networking time. Space is limited to the first 125 registrants. To pre-register, visit www.mkelive.com.

For more information on MKE Live’s LinkedIn training and networking services, visit www.mkelive.com or call Katie Felten at (262) 227-0772.

# # #

MKE Live (www.mkelive.com) provides LinkedIn training, networking and event services to companies, communities and chambers of commerce throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest. MKE Live helps entrepreneurs and business leaders expand their professional networks and leverage their products and services through these larger professional networks.

INC.com Article How I Did It: Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn

Thursday, June 11th, 2009

I found this article interesting on how Reid Hoffman started LinkedIn read here

Performance: Who you know

Monday, June 8th, 2009
I thought that this article was particularly relevant to what MKELive is all about. More and more people are turning to the web and learning to leverage sites like LinkedIn to enhance their network.

Networking with peers can provide value

Published May 30, 2008

Social and business networking are big. It seems the masses have figured out what many well-connected business people already knew: that having the right connections and using them well can make all the difference to your success.

A networking group can be an excellent resource for information, leads, camaraderie and more. The key is to find the right group for your needs. Today, many people are turning to the Internet.

According to Bob Ivins, executive vice president of international markets for comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, “Literally hundreds of millions of people around the world are visiting social networking sites each month and many are doing so on a daily basis. It would appear that social networking is not a fad but rather an activity that is being woven into the very fabric of the global Internet.” <read more>