I joined LinkedIn in mid-2003. The personal networking value is obvious. The recruiting aspect – hiring and searching - has also paid off. But what surprised was its value as business development tool. I headed marketing for a company in the cosmetics ingredient technology space. LinkedIn proved instrumental in connecting with high level cosmetics executives, eventually leading to a global licensing deal. It may have happened without LinkedIn, but it would have taken far more time, navigating lots of corporate directories, and expensing far more lunches and dinners.

Joanne - The reason I ask about new-style recommendations is that LinkedIn makes them too easy to give. I go to the site, LinkedIn asks me if I want to recommend another person for blogging, or social media, or some other specific subject. Unless I actively hate the person, I click "yes." 

Something that cheap can't be valuable. 

Thanks for the tips on recommendations. Of course you're correct -- it's better to help others than ask for help. That's true in general on social media, professional networking (and in life to for that matters). You get more back from giving than you do from asking. 

Mitch - The new recommendations don't tell recruiters or others interested in knowing your profile what specifically sets you apart from others, what results were achieved, or how the recommender's life was changed in some way because of the skills listed.  It's more of a check box confirming that you have the skills you say you have.  I don't think this adds the same level of value as having written recommendations from a circle of people dating back over the years.

If you want to increase the number of recommendations you have, but don't feel comfortable asking, try writing recommendations for other people.  Once you've done so, the recipient will have an opportunity to write one in return. 

Try stretching yourself to others and asking for what you want though.  The feedback will be helpful to hear how you've stood out to them, and will remind you of the difference you've made throughout your career.

Joanne - How do the new recommendations seem to you? They seem to me to be a waste of time, but perhaps I'm missing something. 

I need to get a few more old-school recommendations. Like a lot of people, I feel funny asking. And because I'm neither self-employed nor job-hunting, I haven't made it a priority. 

Heck, I need to update my whole LinkedIn profile. Scrolling down to the bottom I discovered a link to a corporate blog I wrote in 2010!

I joined LinkedIn when there were only about 100,000 members.  I have a high quantity of recommendations (the original kind, not the new ones).  It keeps me high up in search results.  I have used the recommendations as testimonials for my business, and potential employers, new connections and others can see that I come highly recommended before contacting me. 

Great tips, Sharon. 

I'd like to find out more about how companies are using LinkedIn for sales. It's not what LI was primarily designed for, but it's done I know. 

I'm kind of a LinkedIn OG, as I've been on it for a long time. I don't leverage it nearly as well as I could, but here's some things I do.

LinkedIn offered a webinar for journalists on how to use LinkedIn. The best part is that for a year afterward, I got a free premium account. That gives you a number of free InMail credits, for example.

Obviously, I post links to my stories there. I'm not sure how many hits I get, but it all helps.

I have joined a number of groups, both by affinity and by topics I follow. The advantage is that you can friend more easily; if you're both in the same group, you don't necessarily need to get the person's email address to friend them.

Something I did early on is look at the friends of my friends, to see if I knew any of them. Of course, now there's People you May Know, which also helps with that; I go run through that once a month or so.

You can follow companies as well as people, which is handy for a journalist. I picked that up through the journalism webinar.

There's job ads and listings, on the right side of the screen. I haven't done much with that, but I could. I have, incidentally, gotten work through LinkedIn.

If I'm working on a kind of survey article, I can post a question (eg "What is the best way to...") and then interview the helpful respondents later. Similarly, I can go through the postings of relevant groups looking for sources or story ideas. 

I've received and sent many endorsements. Frankly, it sees like a waste of time, like Klout.

What do other people think?

I've been asked to provide endorsements for friends on LinkedIn.  I guess they think they're of value.  Even from me.

I don't think the endorsements add any value, but I've played along because it's a fun way to say hi again to contacts.  In the end, I think that is all LinkedIn is good for on an ongoing basis--just a fun way to say hi.

I do think it provides others with a visual public resume, but I don't think many people ever scroll down past the first screenshot.