5 quick, easy ways to make the most of LinkedIn

According to Forrester Research, social networks are still not followed by the majority of online users (52%). And *of the active participants*, more than half are only spectators. That leaves few people as "creators", "critics", "collectors", and "joiners".

On social networks liked LinkedIn, it is the "creators", "critics", and "collectors" that are making the most of them. Here are five easy ways to make the most of your possibly current "joiner" status.

• Research your clients. Walk into a group of unfamiliar faces with more confidence by researching up on participants at the meeting, job interview, or networking event. Many times people put some personal interests on their profile, which is great fodder for a conversation.
• Reveal any relationships: You will be surprised who knows who as you look at people's network. Take some time to review the relationships and see if you have anyone in common. If there is someone you wish to get into contact with, don't be embarrassed to ask your colleague for a connection. That's the whole point of LinkedIn!
• Use the feeds: Too busy to visit the site? Stay on top of activity and connections by adding the RSS feeds to your feed reader. You will be notified as important activities occur such as new connections. Scan this daily for 30 seconds if you have a large network to keep it manageable.
• Add to the conversation: Don't be afraid to speak up. Answer questions, ask questions -- just start adding to the conversation. The "creators" seek to add content, so use this inherent motivation to your advantage by asking questions.
• Create groups: LinkedIn groups are a great, relatively new way to show your affiliation with a cause or organization. Search groups of interest, or create one of your own.