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Taking the time to answer other Linkedin participant’s questions not only allows you to contribute, it also builds credibility and expertise within your network.  Years ago, when I left my carpeting business, I volunteered for one of those “Ask an Expert” websites as an expert regarding carpet.  I answered 50-60 questions per year.  It’s been several years, since I left that program.  I still get emails from people I have helped with my knowledge.

Click on Answer a question and you will get a drop down box that also indicates what recommended Categories are most likely for your expertise.  These are based on the groups you belong to and the information in your Profile.  You will also see a heading, New Questions from Your Network.   In addition, you can click on any of the Categories listed on the right side of the page and answer questions from these Categories.

Use one of the above options to see a list of current questions.  Click on an appropriate question.  You will have two options.  You can answer the question Answer Yourself or your can Suggest an Expert and provide the person asking the question with a connection to an Expert or a resource that can help.

While Answering the question yourself bring some immediate attention to your own expertise, connecting other people resources is also a powerful way of building relationships.  Do you remember the last time someone hooked you up to the right person?  You felt good that you had a solution to your problem.  The expert felt good that they were recognized for their expertise and could now establish a new relationship with you.   And the connector felt good because they were helpful even though they did not have the immediate answer.

This Week’s Expert Status

You will also see a list of This Week’s Experts with a Star logo behind their name.  The person asking a Linkedin questions gets to select the best answer to their question.  When you are choose as the best answer you get a “Point” from Linkedin.  After several “points” you are given Expert status of the week—just a little extra bonus of recognition.  Here are the Linkedin rules for getting Expert status.

Earning expertise is easy:
1.    Find questions in the areas you know
Browse questions to find categories familiar to you
2.    Answer those questions
Remember, private answers won’t help you earn expertise
3.    Every time the questioner picks your answer best, you gain a point of expertise
The more points of expertise, the higher you appear on lists of experts
To be continued, your comments are always welcomed…

Al Hanzal

Linkedin provides another valuable resource for building your on-line social network–the ability to ask and answer questions with other people on Linkedin.   How can this function benefit you and your business?

• It’s another form of contacting and relating with Linkedin participants
• You get access to valuable resources and business answers
• Opportunities to demonstrate your own expertise
• It becomes another Google touch point for your internet presence
• Linkedin maintains a repository of valuable business information
• It gives you more visibility and credibility

Before I show the details on how to Ask or Answer a question on Linkedin, take a few moments to browse this function.  Click on the Answer tab on the top of any Linkedin page.  Experiment with the keyword search tool.  Look at the different types of questions people are making and the types of answers they are receiving.  Check out the various Categories of questions.  Look at both the “open” and “closed” questions and this “Week’s Expert”.

Ask a Question

Follow this sequence of 10 steps to Ask a question on Linkedin.

1.  Write down your question

2.  Search the Answered Questions to see if there may already be an answer to your question

3.  Click the Answer tab and the Ask Question Tab to get a new form

4.  Write the short version of your question.  Think of this first box like the subject line in an email or the heading in a newspaper.  It should be a very short and succinct version of your question.  You get better answers to better written questions.

5.  Check to see if you want people outside of your network to respond. (Usually a good idea)

6.  Now you can add more details to your question.  It still makes sense to keep this short, or bullet points that help illustrate your questions.

7.  You then need to pick one of the Categories in which to place your question.  Your geographic area can be one of the categories.

8.  Finally, you need to identify whether the question revolves around

Recruiting
Promoting your service/product
Job Seeking

9.  Hit the Submit button

10.  Be sure to thank people when they offer you answers to your questions.  This can be the start of more valuable relationships.

To be continued, your comments are welcomed…

Al Hanzal