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[W910]Women In Business Networking

by Salil, Sal

Aninteresting research into the profile photos uploaded by the members ofBusiness Media Networks (BMN) revealed that majority of women smiled in theirprofile snaps as compared to the negligible number of males doing the same. Thequery posted in several BMN groups produced an overwhelming response in justfew minutes of its posting.

Leading BMNsincluding Linkedin groups and Xing groups witnessed a huge number of membersresponding to the topic in no time. Even inactive groups became lively afterthe topic appeared in their forums.

ClaudiaDittmar, the Outsourcing Manager from Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd inserted twolines of her male friend's poem, a translation about smile "I impute towomen, they often think differently. It is so nice to fly into the light. Onlythere I know what is really in me". Mike Arlinsky of GalleryWatch opined"a smile usually is mirrored by the recipient. It is smart for everyone todo. The "Clint Eastwood" look doesn't cut it".

Few menthose who did not smile in their snaps observed they did not do so because theywanted to appear strong, mighty, credible and dependable. However, some were ofthe opinion, pasting stern/neutral photo would make someone look like ascarecrow even to oneself. Though the discussion was drawn to different typesof smile from appeasing smile to foolish smile, largely many participants felta dignified smile would function as an initial key to open everyone'sattention.

Some claimedracial, upbringing and cultural reasons for male members to avoid smiling. Butit was countered by a post which said globalization and internet to a greatextent had become a cultural leveler and therefore, no one in any BMN couldclaim cultural, racial or any other reason for not smiling.

The gistof the overall opinion was posted by a Travel & Tourism Consultant RoseannDodgson; she said "A smile in business is to me like "an invitationto treat". It opens doors and it engages a discussion in trust. Long goneare the days when you must not wear your emotions on your sleeve. It is, Iagree, the essence of approachability. A smile that reaches the eyes, that iswhat is important, displays confidence and expertise in your line of business.You are proud of who you are, how you act, and how you deliver your line ofbusiness, some of the 'old school' men feel they must show their cards untileverything is on the table. Why? You will close a deal far faster if you areopen and smile warmly from the start".

Interestingly,after the participation in a long discussion in one of the groups, theTechnical Head of AK Aerotek Software Centre Pvt Ltd, Amitabh Mukherjeeadmitted that he would replace his unsmiling photo with a smiling one. However,it seemed to be a surprising post when Ernest Nnagbo of Epoxy Oilserv Limitedclaimed that, in Africa, it was not acceptableto have a passport with a smiling photo irrespective of gender as it gave animpression of disguise.

Toconclude, most of the participants in various discussions groups were of theopinion that regardless of gender one should smile, and smile was everything.They suggested a stern/neutral snap did not leave an impression of neitheracceptability nor approachability. Whereas, a smile initiated a possibleconnect, and eventually, a good business friendship or beyond.

LinkedIn is a massively popular networking website that is used by many industry experts to complete a sale, form a new partnership or working relationship, or get a new job. However, when compared to many of the social networking sites it is largely under utilized by those looking to promote their website or service. While sites like MySpace, Facebook, and others are already feeling the force of guerrilla marketers around the world LinkedIn is yet to experience that same rush.

When you consider that LinkedIn has nearly 10 million users hailing from over 150 industries around the world, it is surprising that B2B websites aren't paying more attention. There are, though, several methods your website could be employing in order to improve your exposure within the business oriented social network, while also potentially improving your search engine visibility.

Invite, Invite, Invite

Your LinkedIn network not only consists of those connections that you personally invite. The connections of your connections, and their connections are also added to your network. It sounds confusing but you essentially get three tiers of connections for every person you invite. This means that you can gain an introduction to somebody through one of your existing connections.

In order to build your profile and greatly increase your connections list, you should invite everybody that is relevant to your business and your industry that you deal with. If you are a service provider, then you should politely invite clients to become one of your connections. As they add their own connections, these same people will be added to your own list and so on.

Make Your Profile Available To Search Engines

Your profile page on LinkedIn can be made visible to search engines. LinkedIn is viewed quite highly by the major search engines, particularly Google. When creating your profile, ensure that you create a public profile and opt for Full View. As such, include links to your websites, but also include the keywords most important to you.

By doing this, your LinkedIn profile will receive better search results so that people searching for your service, or those searching for the service you offer, will be more likely to see your profile page. Don't forget to modify the link details to your pages, so that they use your most targeted keywords. This will also help to improve the performance of your own pages.

Use Advanced Search Tools

LinkedIn enables you to perform advanced searches within your trusted network. You can look for those connections that are starting a new venture or a new project, or anybody that might be looking for the type of service you offer. This provides you with the perfect opportunity to introduce yourself and promote your particular service.

Answer Questions

LinkedIn Answers is a service similar, in essence, to Google Answers or Yahoo Answers. Registered users can ask a question and other users have the option to answer that question. Regularly check the Answers service to see if there are any questions within your field of expertise. Give a genuine answer that provides valuable information and the member that asked the question is likely to view your profile. Because you answer questions in your own field of expertise this may mean a new connection and a new business contact.

Using LinkedIn To Improve Your Business Networking

LinkedIn is quite different to many of the social networking sites online. It is positively geared towards businesses and business members. As such, it enables you to build a powerful business network and the community does not frown upon the action of promoting yourself, as long as you do it properly and at the most appropriate times.

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About Author

Both Salil & Omaro Ailoch are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Salil has sinced written about articles on various topics from Online Business. Interested to read some important books related to international trade and business? See it at the section of the. Salil's top article generates over 1000 views. to your Favourites.

Omaro Ailoch has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Site promotion and Web Development. Omaro Ailoch is a senior software engineer, an , and the founder of OC IT Services. Omaro Ailoch's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.