Book Review

LinkedWorking, by Frank Agin and Lewis Howes
Generating Success on the World’s Largest Professional Networking Website.

Have you ever wondered how to use LinkedIn? People ask me that all the time and I could never come up with much of an answer.

That is, until SOBCon09, the fabulous Blogger Business School brainchild of Liz Strauss and Terry Starbucker.

I’m eating lunch – some excellent mac and cheese – and I ask this fellow sitting across to me how the heck to use LinkedIn. That was a spectacularly good move, because the fellow happened to be Lewis Howes, the LinkedIn guru and with Frank Agin, co-author of LinkedWorking. Thanks to Lewis, I’ve seen the light. He’s an incredibly nice guy and even helped me set up my own group – Improve Your Google Ranking – right there at SOBCon. How generous is that?

How to Use LinkedIn in 100 Pages

LinkedWorking is by design not a user’s manual for navigating the site and learning the procedures of how to use the various LinkedIn tools. There are scores of books already written on that, plus, you can figure it out for yourself with a little time and patience. Instead, the authors explain LinkedIn issues of far greater importance.

• Why you should use LinkedIn in the first place
• The philosophy of effective networking and how it plays out on LinkedIn
• The absolute necessity of having a goal for your LinkedIn activities
• Common user mistakes and why it’s imperative to avoid them
• The rules of LinkedIn engagement that are sure to lead to success

Not only do Howes and Agin successfully practice what they preach, their book is filled with instructive testimonials/case studies from other savyy LinkedIn users. The book is also punctuated with LinkedIn user tips that are real gems. For instance, the authors recommend joining groups that really interest you even if they aren’t directly relevant to your business. Why? Because while you’re doing something you enjoy, you are simultaneously personalizing yourself potential customers and opening up new avenues of networking. What could be more obvious or more sensible?

The Power of LinkedIn Made Simple

For most people, I think the biggest value of the book is getting a clearer understanding of the networking theory behind LinkedIn (and other types of business networking). For Howes and Agin, the key is understanding how to interact with your Capstones and your Weak Ties. Capstones are your network “go-to” connections – the people with super influence and are always there for us. Weak Ties are the many loose connections we have that seemingly do nothing other than make us feel guilty about not knowing them better.

Like many, I found LinkedIn weird and useless because I’m connected to masses of people who barely know me. What’s the use of that? Well, there is a use, but I just never saw it. It does make sense to have hundreds or thousands of LinkedIn connections. If you follow Howes and Agin’s advice, you’ll learn why, and how to make good things happen, whether your goal is to find new clients, promote your brand, or establish your thought leadership.

And I really like the fact the authors get this across in 100 pages. I don’t know about you, but my reading time is shrinking, so I need to use that time wisely and full for impact. Here’s a book you can digest in one or two sittings. If you want to learn how to use LinkedIn, LinkedWorking is an excellent choice for getting the most learning bang for your buck.

Disclosure – Lewis Howes gave me his book at SOBCon and asked me to review it if I had time. He gave me no suggestions about what to say. I’m raving about the book because I like it and it’s helping me.