I have found LinkedIn to be VERY helpful as a writer. I'm a freelancer, and I got one gig 100% through LinkedIn from someone who searched for "Technical writer" and, when my name popped up read my profile and sent me an email with the subject "Gig offer". I looked his company up and it turned out I knew two other people there (one was the HR director). I got the gig and it has been quite a good one I must say.
In other instances I have gotten feelers from companies and have used LinkedIn to see if I know anyone there. It has been helpful to get an insiders perspective and in one instance I declined something that would have ended up awful (my smell test picked up something, and coupled with what an old colleague told me was enough for me to pass). If you look up my LinkedIn profile - http://www.linkedin.com/in/johngarison - it's a nice way to provide a complete resume if you don't have a personal website. Also, the recommendations are an excellent feature. I'm proud to say that I have 8 recommendations from former co-workers and associates. That can be very helpful when you're looking for work (and as a freelancer, I an ALWAYS looking for work). So ... it's helped my, but YMMV. And, I too have declined several times to link to someone I didn't know. There are features that allow you to see old colleagues and to send an invitation to connect just by clicking a box. I only invite people I know personally (or through online communities - Donna Jones and I are connected through this group and on LinkedIn). My 2ยข, John Garison Dana Worley wrote: > Tell me what you see as the value of the LinkedIn network, relative > to your work in technical writing. > ______________________________________________ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. Are you a Help Authoring Trainer or Consultant? Let clients find you at www.HAT.Matrix.com, the searchable HAT database based on Char James-Tanny's HAT Comparison Matrix. Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] for details. _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
