Social networking experts suggest you ignore virtual meeting places at your peril

Olivier Taupin, originally from Paris but now based in Seattle, is the most connected person on LinkedIn and an expert on using social networking. He was recently in St. John's to discuss a partnership between his new company, TerraBrand, and St. John's-based e-learning company, CoursePark. Taupin owns the largest group on LinkedIn, Linked:HR, with close to a quarter of a million connections.

 The relationship between the two companies began when CoursePark aimed to reach Linked:HR's targeted audience with a "freemium", which is a free service that generates the possibility of an upsell. CoursePark offered a free course on H1N1. "In social marketing, you need to give first... and not expect anything in return," says CoursePark CEO Emad Rizkalla. "Our free H1N1 course, which was completed by over 1,000 companies, demonstrated value to potential customers with no strings attached."

Taupin, an executive coach, further explains the importance of groups on LinkedIn: "People join LinkedIn and they don't know what to do with it." He advises joining groups related to your expertise, industry, or geographic location, participate in the group discussions, and build relationships. For instance, if you are in the energy sector, join Linked:Energy, with over 50,000 energy professionals all over the world. The partnership with CoursePark will sponsor the Linked:HR Organization Development and Training Subgroup of Linked:HR and provide free courseware for Linked:HR's members.

 Short on time? Olivier has this advice: Your profile is what represents you on LinkedIn and it will serve you best to set it up properly. Outline exactly who you are, what you're looking for, and what you have to offer. Once you have isolated exactly who you want to build a relationship with, use the "Follow" option to keep abreast of them. By watching their activity you can stay on top of any opportunity these people have provided to you to show them your expertise, and open the doors to building on that new relationship.