Further information on LinkedIn please......
Thread poster: Alison Sparks (X)
Alison Sparks (X)
Alison Sparks (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 22:07
French to English
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Jul 19, 2012

I've done a search of the forums, but not really found information about LinkedIn - just the odd reference. Quite possibly I've searched the wrong forums, and quite possibly this question is in the wrong forum, in which case someone please move it appropriately.

I'd appreciate any further information about LinkedIn. A colleague recently suggested that whilst it might not be a source of work, the contacts which one
... See more
I've done a search of the forums, but not really found information about LinkedIn - just the odd reference. Quite possibly I've searched the wrong forums, and quite possibly this question is in the wrong forum, in which case someone please move it appropriately.

I'd appreciate any further information about LinkedIn. A colleague recently suggested that whilst it might not be a source of work, the contacts which one develops could be of positive use in convincing potential clients that you are serious about your work and competent.

However, in view of the recent hacking scandal in the UK, and my own lack of use of 'networking' sites, I'm rather hesitant. I certainly wouldn't want to use Facebook or Twitter for example.

Any comments or advice, or a link to previous forum discussions on this? Thanks.
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Maja Źróbecka, MITI
Maja Źróbecka, MITI  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 22:07
English to Polish
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Poll discussion Jul 19, 2012

Hi Alison,

I have found this link so you can have a read:
http://www.proz.com/forum/poll_discussion/204268-poll:_has_linkedin_helped_you_find_new_clients.html

You should create a complete profile and start by sending invitations to your clients, colleagues etc. It is not encouraged to send invites to peopl
... See more
Hi Alison,

I have found this link so you can have a read:
http://www.proz.com/forum/poll_discussion/204268-poll:_has_linkedin_helped_you_find_new_clients.html

You should create a complete profile and start by sending invitations to your clients, colleagues etc. It is not encouraged to send invites to people you do not know, but many ignore it.
While expanding your network, you can also join various groups. It will be natural to join the ones that relate to translation, but, more importantly, you should join these that refer to your areas of specialisation.
Once you are accepted to chosen groups, you can start by "liking" posts of other members, take part in their discussions or start your own. The tricky bit will be how to start a discussion in a group not related to translation, so a different industry group, but there are ways
If you have more time and see a niche for a particular group, you can create one yourself. But then you will have to work on maintaining it, keeping up to date and just relevant to your members who, of course, you will have to invite first.
For example, I recently created a Polish medical translators and writers group, because there wasn't one, but I still have to work on sending invites and just devising a strategy on how I am going to run it.
Many LinkedIn members spam with offers of their services as updates. Such members I ignore and remove from my network. This is not the idea.

I hope this info in useful and maybe other colleagues will want to share, too.

Maja
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Alison Sparks (X)
Alison Sparks (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 22:07
French to English
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TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Jul 19, 2012

Hi Maja

Thanks for the link. I've had a read through and opinions seem somewhat divided on all but the need to work at keeping up to date with it, if you use it.

That seems to be your point too, and I appreciate the time you took to give me a pretty thorough answer.

I did receive an invite and followed through with the basic details on a profile, but haven't gone any further, partly out of inexperience, and partly not wishing my life to be invaded!! ... See more
Hi Maja

Thanks for the link. I've had a read through and opinions seem somewhat divided on all but the need to work at keeping up to date with it, if you use it.

That seems to be your point too, and I appreciate the time you took to give me a pretty thorough answer.

I did receive an invite and followed through with the basic details on a profile, but haven't gone any further, partly out of inexperience, and partly not wishing my life to be invaded!!

As I'm not awfully keen to spend hours on doing updates, I may pass on this for the moment.

I'd still be interested to know what others think too.

Thanks also to whichever kind soul reposted the question on the correct forum - evidently I've still a lot to learn about using internet, forums and so on
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Nikita Kobrin
Nikita Kobrin  Identity Verified
Lithuania
Local time: 23:07
Member (2010)
English to Russian
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Waste of time Jul 19, 2012

Alison Sparks wrote:

I'd still be interested to know what others think too.

So far LinkedIn was a waste of my time. In several years I never got anything useful from there.

Nikita Kobrin


 
Stanislav Pokorny
Stanislav Pokorny  Identity Verified
Czech Republic
Local time: 22:07
English to Czech
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Indeed Jul 19, 2012

Nikita Kobrin wrote:
So far LinkedIn was a waste of my time. In several years I never got anything useful from there.

Indeed so, but it's been great at collecting users' personal/professional data.


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:07
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Me too Jul 19, 2012

I believe that for a time, everyone thought LinkedIn was a cool thing of which to be a part. I think it has gone out of fashion now. I signed up for it a long time again and began receiving irksome messages from people who wanted to be my "friends". Soon afterwards I deleted my account.

 
Ty Kendall
Ty Kendall  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:07
Hebrew to English
Professional networking Jul 19, 2012

I think LinkedIn is probably quite useful if you subscribe to the axiom "it's not what you know, it's who you know" as many people seem to use it for that purpose alone (networking, peer schmoozing etc).

Otherwise, I haven't been convinced of its merits yet.


 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 21:07
Member (2007)
English
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Just more "spam" Jul 19, 2012

Tom in London wrote:
I believe that for a time, everyone thought LinkedIn was a cool thing of which to be a part. I think it has gone out of fashion now. I signed up for it a long time again and began receiving irksome messages from people who wanted to be my "friends".

I've left my (rather incomplete) profile up there, but I've now turned off all the annoying updates that tell me that someone I've barely had any contact with has found someone (s)he barely knows and has linked with them. Yawn!

Sheila


 
Samantha Payn
Samantha Payn  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:07
Member (2008)
Russian to English
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Can be useful Jul 19, 2012

I have got one excellent client from my free membership of LinkedIn. I do find it useful to keep up to date with how/what my friends/acquaintances/ex-colleagues are doing. The main thing is, as others have said in this and the other discussion on this topic, is to restrict your contacts to people you actually know and avoid the "collectors" who have several hundred "contacts". That being said, I nearly did not respond to the enquiry from my now client as I did not know him!

 
Alison Sparks (X)
Alison Sparks (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 22:07
French to English
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TOPIC STARTER
I get the picture Jul 19, 2012

To all of you who have been so kind as to reply negatively, (Nikita, Stanislav, Tom, Ty, Sheila) this pretty much confirms what I thought. In much the same way I refuse all invitations to join Facebook, I really find the idea of sharing my life on the net anathema in any form, although I suppose in that case I should seriously change my ProZ profile.

@Samantha, you and Maja seem to have found it useful though, which
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To all of you who have been so kind as to reply negatively, (Nikita, Stanislav, Tom, Ty, Sheila) this pretty much confirms what I thought. In much the same way I refuse all invitations to join Facebook, I really find the idea of sharing my life on the net anathema in any form, although I suppose in that case I should seriously change my ProZ profile.

@Samantha, you and Maja seem to have found it useful though, which only goes to show how different we all are. I haven't checked profiles, but I wonder if it's an age thing, or simply that those of you who find it a "waste of space" have so much work or such full lives you don't need this kind of thing.

I have a very full personal life, but am struggling with finding the work, which is why someone suggested LinkedIn to me. I'll just have to try and brush off my marketing (very dusty from the 80's) and probably a bit out of date, but will battle on as far as work is concerned, and save my personal time for me rather than updating networks!!

Thanks all.

I should perhaps have added that despite all my years of connection with a top Public School in Scotland and later in England, I've never got used to the idea that it's who you know and not what you can do that seems to count!

(Edited to add comment intended earlier - phone calls got in the way )

[Edited at 2012-07-19 16:53 GMT]
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Alexey Ivanov
Alexey Ivanov  Identity Verified
Russian Federation
Local time: 00:07
English to Russian
Waste of time Jul 19, 2012

Tom in London wrote:

I believe that for a time, everyone thought LinkedIn was a cool thing of which to be a part. I think it has gone out of fashion now. I signed up for it a long time again and began receiving irksome messages from people who wanted to be my "friends". Soon afterwards I deleted my account.


So did I.


 
Jean Chao
Jean Chao  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 14:07
English to Chinese
+ ...
As another "static" profile page for client's recommendation Jul 19, 2012

For those who don't have time to update another webpage constantly like me, I have a client who chose to leave his recommendation on my LinkedIn page. That's what made me take the time to complete my webpage.

I've received a few "friends" requests and made a few connections after that, but never seriously tried to "run" this network. Until I find the tricky social balance for people who don't have time or the inclination to mingle with strangers, I think I'll just keep it this way.


 
Clive Phillips
Clive Phillips  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:07
Member (2009)
German to English
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It depends on you Jul 20, 2012

Yes, LinkedIn can take up a lot of time with little benefit - if you allow it to do so! Like web surfing, you can fritter away the hours - or you can focus on core matters of interest and ditch the rest.

But why do I think it's a good way of networking and what do I gain from it?

Well, for instance, I sent a request for advice on how to approach BBC radio producers to all my contacts (or "friends") and the results were v fruitful. I couldn't have done this by email or
... See more
Yes, LinkedIn can take up a lot of time with little benefit - if you allow it to do so! Like web surfing, you can fritter away the hours - or you can focus on core matters of interest and ditch the rest.

But why do I think it's a good way of networking and what do I gain from it?

Well, for instance, I sent a request for advice on how to approach BBC radio producers to all my contacts (or "friends") and the results were v fruitful. I couldn't have done this by email or other methods.

I traced a schoolfriend from 45 years ago and we've had a great time catching up.

I've learned quite a lot of valuable lessons from experiences posted by other professional translators - and machine translation developers.

I've contributed from my experience to the UK pro-freelance-interpreter campaign and debate on the UK Ministry of Justice's disastrous decision (and the consequences for the public service interpreting profession) to select an agency to provide interpreters.

For me it's another way of keeping in touch with latest developments in the translation profession, and exchanging views and experience for reciprocal benefit. But I do understand it won't be everyone's cup of tea...
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Yasutomo Kanazawa
Yasutomo Kanazawa  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 06:07
Member (2005)
English to Japanese
+ ...
Couldn't agree more Jul 21, 2012

Stanislav Pokorny wrote:

Nikita Kobrin wrote:
So far LinkedIn was a waste of my time. In several years I never got anything useful from there.

Indeed so, but it's been great at collecting users' personal/professional data.


Has been a waste of time, and will still be a waste of time in the future.

Like Tom mentioned, I also get invitations from people whom I don't even know if they actually exist (virtually yes, but are they real?).

And more bothering is the LinkedIn updates which I receive (maybe I could opt out, but I'm not sure) regularly, which is one of the annoying features of the site.


 


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Further information on LinkedIn please......






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