Those who use (or are considering using) LinkedIn or similar sites might be interested in this short Wall Street Journal article by Marshall Loeb about maximizing its business value.

You may want to be cautious here. I receive many invitations from vendors who seem to be hoping to mine my list of blue chip list of contacts. I'll only invite or accept an invitation from a supplier with whom I have personally worked and would unequivocally recommend.

Good advice. But, keep in mind just because they can see your contacts (if you let them) they would have to go directly through you for a recommendation on LinkedIn. You can decline to recommend or connect someone which would mean you were not endorsing that person/vendor.

Was there a news article in Belgium recently about LinkedIN? All of a sudden Belgium is the fastest growing area in my LinkedIN network. Several thousand new entries. NYC is second place with only 700.

I wonder how many FTers that are on LinkedIN have this as part of their profile.... sounds like a good way to have folks on this board also connect on LindedIN.

It is possible to set up a formal special interest group on LinkedIn, and perhaps someone will volunteer to set one up for FlyerTalk members. Many such groups already exist on LinkedIn (college alumni groups, former employees of various companies, other types of organizations).

However, I think a lot of people are reluctant to list FlyerTalk as an interest (or they list it cryptically), because 1) They might not want to send prospective employers over to this board to see how nutty FTers are and/or 2) being a "frequent traveler" might look bad (i.e., an indication that one takes a lot of vacations).

Of course, one could also put a positive spin on FT membership, at least for employers where there is frequent business travel!

So then... why not start a special group? After all, membership is not compulsory.

Indeed, why not?

I personally do not want to be in charge of starting and managing the FlyerTalk group on LinkedIn. The duties would include approving requests to join the group (which would probably involve some sort of vetting, at the very least, confirming that the prospective member is actually a member of FT, and perhaps imposing some other minimum requirements).

Maybe someone else could volunteer, though. @:-)

If anyone wants to be added to my network, pm/email me



To all those interested in networking on LinkedIn. I set up a Flyertalk group there.

To join go to:
http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/39534/07FBBB4E6FA1


Will I be able to contact fellow group members? (the benefit of joining the group)
Yes. Each member of a group decides how fellow group members can contact him/her. Since group members share an affinity and are usually open to interacting with fellow group members, most LinkedIn users allow fellow group members to contact one another without referral. This is a setting that each group member can change from his/her homepage.


Can I get spammed by other members of the group?
No. LinkedIn Groups is designed specifically for the individual and not as a groupwide communications tool. Therefore, there is no way for an individual user to send broadcast messages to all members of the group.

Do I still need to connect to someone if they’re already in my group? I thought that by being in a group, they don’t have to connect to me?
Connecting to someone establishes them as a trusted person within your personal network, beyond the trust that was created through your mutual membership in an affinity organization. As part of your personal network, you are able to view and search through their network and vice versa.

How do I quit my group?
You are free to withdraw from a group at anytime. Just go to the group settings page and click the link to leave the group.

I'm on linkedin. have been for about a year now.
Has been a great networking tool for me in my industry

Is the FlyerTalk group public or private? In other words, is membership in this group visible to non-group members, or only to other FlyerTalk group members?

There is a setting for you to determine if you want the logo to display or not to non-members. There is another setting to determine if you will allow other members to directly contact you.

I am in the Forbes Life and Personal Tech groups on LinkedIn. Have seen no value. Am I missing something.

A group with a random membership has less value than a group who share a common interest

To all those interested in networking on LinkedIn. I set up a Flyertalk group there.

To join go to:
http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/39534/07FBBB4E6FA1

I get an invite once in a while but choose not to use it.