When Guy Kawasaki blogged about the Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn, LinkedIn had 8.5 million users in 130 industries. Since then we’ve grown to over 12 million users covering 147 industries, but many of Guy’s suggestions on using LinkedIn (see below), still remain a great way for professionals to strengthen their online brand reputation and leverage their professional network. Happy Reading!

1. Increase your visibility.

   By adding connections, you increase the likelihood that people will
   see your profile first when they’re searching for someone to hire or do
   business with. In addition to appearing at the top of search results
   (which is a major plus if you’re one of the 52,000 product managers on
   LinkedIn), people would much rather work with people who their friends
   know and trust.

2. Improve your connectability.

   Most new users put only their current company in their profile. By
   doing so, they severely limit their ability to connect with people. You
   should fill out your profile like it’s an executive bio, so include
   past companies, education, affiliations, and activities.

   You can also include a link to your profile as part of an email
   signature. The added benefit is that the link enables people to see all
   your credentials, which would be awkward if not downright strange, as
   an attachment.

3. Improve your Google PageRank.

   LinkedIn allows you to make your profile information available for
   search engines to index. Since LinkedIn profiles receive a fairly high
   PageRank in Google, this is a good way to influence what people see
   when they search for you.

   To do this, create a public profile and select “Full View.” Also,
   instead of using the default URL, customize your public profile’s URL
   to be your actual name. To strengthen the visibility of this page in
   search engines, use this link in various places on the web> For
   example, when you comment in a blog, include a link to your profile in
   your signature.

4. Enhance your search engine results.

   In addition to your name, you can also promote your blog or website
   to search engines like Google and Yahoo! Your LinkedIn profile allows
   you to publicize websites. There are a few pre-selected categories like
   “My Website,” “My Company,” etc.

   If you select “Other” you can modify the name of the link. If you’re
   linking to your personal blog, include your name or descriptive terms
   in the link, and voila! instant search-engine optimization for your
   site. To make this work, be sure your public profile setting is set to
   “Full View.”

5. Perform blind, “reverse,” and company reference checks.

   LinkedIn’s reference check tool to input a company name and the
   years the person worked at the company to search for references. Your
   search will find the people who worked at the company during the same
   time period. Since references provided by a candidate will generally be
   glowing, this is a good way to get more balanced data.

   Companies will typically check your references before hiring you,
   but have you ever thought of checking your prospective manager’s
   references? Most interviewees don’t have the audacity to ask a
   potential boss for references, but with LinkedIn you have a way to
   scope her out.

   You can also check up on the company itself by finding the person
   who used to have the job that you’re interviewing for. Do this by
   searching for job title and company, but be sure to uncheck “Current
   titles only.” By contacting people who used to hold the position, you
   can get the inside scoop on the job, manager and growth potential.

   By the way, if using LinkedIn in these ways becomes a common
   practice, we’re apt to see more truthful resumes. There’s nothing more
   amusing than to find out that the candidate who claims to have caused
   some huge success was a total bozo who was just along for the ride.

6. Increase the relevancy of your job search.

   Use LinkedIn’s advanced search to find people with educational and
   work experience like yours to see where they work. For example, a
   programmer would use search keywords such as “Ruby on Rails,” “C++,”
   “Python,” “Java,” and “evangelist” to find out where other programmers
   with these skills work.

7. Make your interview go smoother.

   You can use LinkedIn to find the people that you’re meeting. Knowing
   that you went to the same school, plays hockey, or shares acquaintances
   is a lot better than an awkward silence after, “I’m doing fine, thank
   you.”

8. Gauge the health of a company.

   Perform an advanced search for company name and uncheck the “Current
   Companies Only” box. This will enable you to scrutinize the rate of
   turnover and whether key people are abandoning ship. Former employees
   usually give more candid opinions about a company’s prospects than
   someone who’s still on board.

9. Gauge the health of an industry.

   If you’re thinking of investing or working in a sector, use LinkedIn
   to find people who worked for competitors—or even better, companies who
   failed. For example, suppose you wanted to build a next generation
   online pet store, you’d probably learn a lot from speaking with former
   Pets.com or WebVan employees.

10. Track startups.

    You can see people in your network who are initiating new startups
    by doing an advanced search for a range of keywords such as “stealth”
    or “new startup.” Apply the “Sort By” filter to “Degrees away from you”
    in order to see the people closest to you first. [Republished from: Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn  via "How to Change the World" -- Guy Kawasaki's blog]

Guy is known for bringing the concept of technology evangelism to the masses through his pioneering work at Apple’s Macintosh group. In addition to blogging the above post earlier this year, he has also blogged on topics ranging from LinkedIn Profile Extreme Makeover to LinkedIn and the Art of avoiding an Asshole Boss. [Source: Guy Kawasaki's weblog -- How to Change the World]