Professional Social Networking

Professional Social Networking With a Focus on Linked-In Marco Thompson EVP & CTO, Solekai Managing Director, Express Ventures

Before Training • You need to Open a Linked-In Account & build a basic profile • Complete your profile quickly by importing your resume. Your profile needs to have job position /company details for at least 2 jobs, & detailed job descriptions for 2 of your career posts. Include your education. • Your Linked-In profile should reflect your entire resume, this will become your resume. • You need to understand the Basics of Linked-In • You need to invite at least 20 people to “connect”, including the trainer… Solekai Systems Confidential

Expectations • What are you hoping to learn today? • What features of Linked-In do you not understand or need help with? • What “success stories” or “valuable features” can you share with the group? • Please share your answers to these questions…. Solekai Systems Confidential

Quick Tour and Highlights • Outlook Toolbar (Unstable as of 11/2010) • “Grab” email signature to create a Contact vcard using Outlook Toolbar – massive time savings… • “Look up” someone quickly from an Outlook email or a contact (notice LI info button on contacts and email) • “Instant Invite” from contacts with templates • Collect Contacts from Email & Dashboard & Much More !! • Recent Challenge Outlook Startup Time… • Groups • Prospecting for business – HDTV Group search members “software manager” advanced 13 1st connections vs 945 group members. Key Group feature is direct email contact to other group members, even though you are not 1st level contacts • Looking for Expertise – Android Developer Group – Search Members “java c++ database” • Doctor Design Authentic – roll your own groups… Solekai Systems Confidential

Quick Tour and Highlights • Linked-In account types • Basic, free (limited search and functionality) • Business, $25 month • Business Plus, $49.95 month • Executive, $99.95 month • Currently there is not an enterprise or corporate account. Solekai Systems Confidential

Quick Tour and Highlights • “Company” & “Search” • Home, Upper right, change “People” search box to “Company”, enter “ecoATM” • Company search “Qualcomm” – Inspect & “Follow” • Company search “Divx”. Home, then search People “divx video codec” • Interesting Facts about Companies that you cannot find elsewhere. • Interesting Facts about “Who Does What” inside those companies that you cannot find elsewhere. All very helpful in recruiting and business development Solekai Systems Confidential

Quick Tour and Highlights • “Answers” Search • Home, Upper right, change “People” search box to “Answers”, enter “EBIF” • Sample Marco Answers & Questions • “DVR or MPEG or set top box or conditional access cable”… Solekai Systems Confidential

Quick Tour and Highlights • “Add Connections” Upper Right • “Colleagues” Tab • Connect to Everyone at current company/employer. (the Network effect) • Check out colleagues at your past employers! Connect to those that you worked closely with and respected. • Note that you cannot connect to past colleagues if you do not list past jobs on your profile !! Your profile needs to be complete. Everything on your resume & bio needs to be on Linked-In. It should tell your entire professional history. Solekai Systems Confidential

Quick Tour and Highlights • Contacts Tour • “Network Statistics”, Then “My Connections” • Poke all the buttons • More Complex Advanced People Search Including Groups (not available on basic account) • Keywords “digital video” • Current title “CEO” • 1st Connections & Group Members • Further refinement – 22 1st level 561 group • 387 US, 73 SF Bay, 63 LA, etc. Solekai Systems Confidential

Quick Tour and Highlights • Introducing Multiple Speakers using LI • http://bit.ly/czEWHc (Learn to use the bit.ly link compressor some other day) • Click on the Attendees names during introductions • People can only say so much about themselves or another person in a 30-90 second introduction. Putting their LI page up on the screen during the intro provides another pathway, through the EYES, which consume data 10X faster than the ears… Solekai Systems Confidential

Quick Tour and Highlights • “While I’m in Denver, who else should I visit”? (No other tool really can provide this information to me) • Home, Advanced People search (upper right) • Located zip 80201 within 100 miles • First level connections only • 21 people, I would have only thought of half of them, and found half of them in Outlook • More complicated, “While in Bay Area” • Cupertino = 95014, 199 results, so add job filter “CEO” to bring it down to a reasonable 62 to consider Solekai Systems Confidential

Quick Tour and Highlights • Asking for an Introduction to a Specific Individual • People search “Steve Bjorg” • Upper right, “Get introduced thru connection” • Selection Connection • Compose messages • Send it along • A request received by the middleman using this process is VERY easy to handle. Simple Yes/No interface decision to forward your request on to the target if appropriate. Solekai Systems Confidential

Functions Performed by Linked-In & what it replaces • Your Resume, Biography, Reference Letters • Never ever send your resume or bio or reference letters to anyone again, ever… • Finding People / Recruiting / Lists of Experts (no more keywords “java” or “wifi” in Outlook Contact notes) • Market Research & Competitive Research • Researching a Person or Company before a Sales Visit or Interview • Researching a Candidate before an Interview • Getting High Quality Free Answers to Questions Posed to Your Network and the network at large Solekai Systems Confidential

Functions Performed by Linked-In & what it replaces • “While I’m in Denver, who else should I visit”? • Sales Prospecting via Membership Searches • Sales Prospecting via Group Affiliation (Direct messaging to Group members!) • Visibility Inside Companies to see who does what in the organization • Visibility to see the Company trend, are they growing or shrinking. • Historical Visibility, Where do the company employees come from, and where do they tend to go when they leave? None of these functions are available anywhere else. Solekai Systems Confidential

Functions Performed by Linked-In & what it replaces • Time Savings on Every Day Tasks • Forwarding information about a person to another person or group. “Check this guy out”. (“Forward this profile”) • Making an introduction of Person A to Person B in a few key strokes. (“Forward”) • Requesting an introduction to a specific person in a few key strokes. (“Get Introduced through a connection”) • Writing Letters of Recommendation (for others) without stamps & letterhead… • Endorse a co-worker, vendor or service provider who just did a great job for you. Solekai Systems Confidential

Marco’s Suggested Default Settings for Linked-In • Go to upper right “Settings” • Working on the Left Column • Make the following changes until you know better and understand the impact of the settings completely. • Upload photo, visible to “everyone” • Public Profile displays “full” profile information. Customize your URL so that you can use it on your email signature such as http://www.linkedin.com/in/marcothompson • Member Feed visible to everyone • Contact Settings: “I’ll accept introductions and InMail” • Opportunity Preferences: I suggest checking boxes “consulting”, “ventures”, “expertise”, and “re-connect” at a minimum, and others at personal preference. • Invitation Filtering: “All Invitations” • Group Invitations: “Open to Receive” Solekai Systems Confidential

Marco’s Suggested Default Settings for Linked-In • Go to upper right “Settings” • Working on the Right Column • Name & Location: Display Name = Full First & Last Name • Email Adresses: List ALL email addresses, that any business contact might try to contact you through. • Connections Browse: “Hide My Connections List” (This is the most important setting to get right) • Profile Views: “Don’t Show Users that I have viewed their Profile” • Profile & Status Updates: “No” & “No” Solekai Systems Confidential

Care & Feeding of your Linked-In Digital Life • Check in daily or at least a few times a week. • Accept pending invitations • Who should I invite to Linked-In ? • Co-Workers, Service Providers, Customers, Classmates • People with valuable networks • Do not invite people who you do not respect or would not help Solekai Systems Confidential

Linked-In Profile Basics • “Edit my Profile” to update your profile • “View my Profile” to see what others see • Public Profile – Put your name in it (remove numbers) and use it on your email signature line !!! • Upload a Picture!! • Make sure that your “headline” makes sense • This is what users of Outlook Toolbar see about you instantly • Complete Summary!!! “Specialties = keywords” • Experience & Education – fill out Everything !!! • If there is anything in your resume or bio that is missing on your LinkedIn profile, you are not finished.. Solekai Systems Confidential

Linked-In Groups • Sales & Marketing to Group Members • Join all of the interesting groups in your target industry • You can search groups the same way you search companies and people… top right, pull down “groups” enter the key words of your market, technology or industry. • You may join up to 50 groups, use them wisely. • Search each group regularly using keywords & other methods. • Direct message Group members with introductory messages, asking for connection, and asking for additional contact info (phone number) and offering something… (white paper, free quote, whatever) • Now you have a direct connection to that individual for future business prospecting. Solekai Systems Confidential

Linked-In Groups • Other Group Marketing Goodies • Groups You May Like are suggested by Linked-In, according to your profile. • Groups have Message Boards, Jobs, News • Members can post • How to Avoid all that Group Spam Email • Go to “Groups” & Open your Group Page • Go to “More…” “My Settings” • Uncheck the box “Digest Email” • If that does not cure SPAM, go back and uncheck the box “Announcements”. (You should leave this on, unless the moderator is sending the group an unreasonable amount of mail.) Solekai Systems Confidential

Additional Features • Sent invites status • Inbox, Invitations- left column, Sent, Archived or Trash. • Companies to follow • Companies, Find Companies. Indicate company to follow and location. • Applications • Lower right of home page, Add an Application • Too many to list, explore them all. • SlideShare Presentations • Great way to share presentations/PowerPoint • Lower right of home page, Add an Application, SlideShare Presentations. Solekai Systems Confidential

Questions (& Answers) • Ask a Question (My Questions) • I need to find a patent expert willing to work for equity – 15 offers • I need to find a copy of ByteBos – found the author • Need trade show display for cheap or free – got one • How long can my company go without 409A valuation? – got 10 good answers • Posting a Question – Sending to your contacts & Posting to the world at large Solekai Systems Confidential

Linked-In Success Story • I wanted to thank you again for speaking so highly of LinkedIn. I was doing some research for a school project and found a patent that is directly inline with what we are researching. I looked up the name of the inventor (some guy in Philadelphia) on LinkedIn and found that he is surprisingly only a couple links away. A close friend of my classmate at UCSD is directly connected to him. I plan to be speaking to the patent inventor this weekend. What a small world! • Jerome SnellVistage, UCSD MBA 2008Software Engineering Manager, Provide Commerce Solekai Systems Confidential

Linked-In Outlook Toolbar • This is a MUST HAVE for Efficiency (Unstable as of 11/10) • Simple Installation – go to bottom of LI home page, “tools”, “outlook toolbar” • After installation complete, “LI button” provides Quick Info on Person from Mail or Contact • “One Click” Invitations from Mail or Contacts • Multiple Invitation Types – “Save Template” • “Grab” Feature – Puts contact into “Collected” • Browser Toolbars also offered • Recent challenges with slowing down Outlook • Dashboard & Sync features high functionality • Some issues with Plaxo sync & primary vs 2nd email Solekai Systems Confidential

Linked-In Tricks & Traps • “I worked with that guy, but I’m not sure that I want to connect with him” What to do. (Don’t connect if you won’t help in the future) • Inviting Strangers to Connect – do not do it – Linked-In “blacklisting” • Recommendations – when to give, when to ask (be honest, be real) • “This is all common sense” • Email Notifications – avoiding LI Spam – Every Group has settings that allows you to throttle or completely turn off group email contact and contact from group members • When NOT to forward an introduction – If you think the target will not appreciate receiving it. Would you forward it as an email ? • Removing Contacts without them knowing (contacts, remove connections) Solekai Systems Confidential

Linked-In for Human Resources – Reference Check • This is a feature that is not free • John Doe wants a job • He listed references, but you want more • Click Advanced People Search, Reference Search • His history includes: • Qualcomm 2003-2007 • SAIC 2001-2002 • SDG&E 1998-2001 • “Your reference search found 3,078 people: 66 are your connections” • “3,012 are friends of your connections” Solekai Systems Confidential

Exercises • Find people in San Diego (50 mi of 92121) that currently work for Microsoft (approx. 184) • Find people in San Diego (50 mi of 92121) who work in the Utility industry and have “Smart Grid” in their profile (16) • Find Sports Marketing People in Denver (50 mi of 80201) -hard- (approx 326) Solekai Systems Confidential

Fin / Done / End • marco@marcothompson.com • 619-518-3001 Solekai Systems Confidential

Professional Social Networking