This is perhaps a bit of a rant, and I do apologize in advance…
How many times will people ask the same question?
How do I merge Accounts?
You don’t.
There, that one-line will answer questions posed on the LinkedIn Answers page each and every day.
My book covers the issue, I cover the issue here, LinkedIn covers the issue in their help section, and still the question comes up.
Users may not combine accounts, so take action to prevent yourself from accidentally creating a second account.
If you do (or have), buck up and deal with it. (and that means closing one of the accounts)
Search the archives here for more on that topic, or purchase my book for just that one page.
Change my login / email / name / company / industry
Number two on the all time list is asking for directions on reasonably straight forward tasks.
And of course it is straight forward for people who have done it, but not necessarily so for new comers.
Check the “Edit Profile” page for most of those – except your email which is part of the answer to the previous question and is maintained in the settings area.
Remove a connection
And the last most-common question is about removing connections.
Very often this comes after inadvertent invitations or responses to invitations. What, you didn’t want to connect to the brush salesman, and didn’t think he would try to sell you brushes if you connected?
The simple answer is to look for the “Remove Connections” button on the Contacts page. It is there, and once you find it (see above), it’s easy enough to use.
(And to confirm – as it always seems to be the follow-up question – no notice is sent)
At least I don’t work there;-)
The one saving grace is that while I might see the same questions all the time, I can refer to materials I’ve already published and don’t have any obligation to stand there answering the same question every day – I don’t work for LinkedIn.
Being on LinkedIn’s support staff – that’d be difficult…-)
The new stuff
That’s what I like to get – questions that pose interesting challenges.
Like: “Hey Steve, the marketing department wants my username and password, should I share that with them?”
You don’t get that kind of question every day. (And no, you shouldn’t. Two aspects to this – you don’t want to – and – LinkedIn’s terms tell you not to do it)
To your continued success,
steve
—
Steven Tylock
http://www.linkedinpersonaltrainer.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetylock
Do I need to pay for a LinkedIn account in order to reap its benefits?
I tried to work with a book, “LinkedIn …” and, felt like a real dummy because the book did not make anything easier. It was referring to some professional account that I could work on.
I am brand new to LinkedIn and have only outdated information that I’d like to learn how to change.
Is there a webinar I could participate in to learn the ins/outs of basic usage?
Thank you.
Rozalia,
I don’t think you need to pay for an account – and neither do most people. Read “Most LinkedIn Users Opt for Free Account“.
And it’s too bad the other book didn’t help (though I’ve edited that name out).
I don’t have any public webinars scheduled right now, but I will say that I stand 100% behind my own book – The LinkedIn Personal Trainer.
If you purchase the e-book version (“Get the book” – at the top or bottom of the page on the right), read it, and follow my advice, I will be happy to refund your money if you don’t feel that you learned how to use the site.
I don’t tell you what buttons to push – there’s no way to keep up to date on how those things go. But if you get stuck finding a specific item, feel free to contact me.
steve