Ramp Up Your Social Media with DGI, Part One: LinkedIn

SLA's Government Information Division is continuing its tradition of exploring new cyberspaces and creating new tools for members to keep up with the latest in government info and DGI news.  It started with the 2008 launch of our Facebook group, thanks to Kathleen Hale and Shari Laster.  Now, in 2009, DGI has begun sending Twitter "tweets" at http://twitter.com/SLADGI (See "Part Two: Twitter") and has launched a group in LinkedIn.com.

How can you benefit from SLA-DGI’s new LinkedIn group? You can:

• Read new DGI web site updates and blog posts in one convenient online location;
• Help spread the word on SLA-DGI events and speakers at SLA 2009;
• Share and discuss news items and web links with your DGI colleagues;
• Post questions about government information matters'
• Connect with fellow DGI members to quickly expand your online network, to keep DGI expertise a click away no matter where your colleagues' careers take them, to keep yourself easy to find, or to be among the first to discover that fascinating next job opportunity;
• Display the DGI logo with pride on your own LinkedIn profile.

The DGI Group was launched in April and has more than 85 members.  Only DGI members are eligible to participate.  Most DGI-ers can join the group with instant approval, if you register in LinkedIn using the same e-mail address that you use for your DGI membership.

You can find the DGI Group online at http://www.linkedincom/groups?gid=1863025 or by searching the Groups directory.  If you are already in LinkedIn, check your inbox for an invitation to join the group.

If you are not already a member of LinkedIn, why should you enroll?  Well, LinkedIn has been called "social networking for the professional world."  It ranks with Facebook and Twitter as one of today's top tools for staying connected with your sphere of colleagues and friends.

For many people, especially those without a personal/professional web site, LinkedIn acts like an online resume.  There is no cost for a basic membership in LinkedIn.  For power users, premium membership levels are available that provide more options for contacting other LinkedIn members.  Whatever your level of participation, you control the visibility of the information you post about yourself.  Information can be publicly viewable or accessible only by people you have admitted to your personal network of contacts.

All of LinkedIn's features can't be listed here.  However, one favorite is the opportunity to recommend a colleague; the recommendation is posted on both of your profiles.  Another is the updates that tell you what your colleagues are up to and what interesting new groups and people they are connecting with.

Information shared by professionals on LinkedIn tends to be of good quality and usefulness, and naturally we can count on this to be true with DGI.

By launching the SLA-DGI LinkedIn group, DGI is giving its members new ways to connect on the world wide web.  Come online and give the SLA-DGI LinkedIn group a spin.