I don't know about you, but over the past few months, my invitations to connect on the online networking site LinkedIn have increased substantially. Since I can't attribute it to some spike in my overall popularity, it seems like more and more people are using the site these days. I wrote a story for MyBusiness about online networking several years ago when networks like LinkedIn were just launching. I joined a few then so I could get a better understanding of the experience, but I have to admit--after I finished writing the story, I didn't monitor my accounts that much. Since I've started receiving more invitations lately, I (like Harvey King) have wondered: Is it really worth my time to connect to business associates, friends and people I went to school with who I haven't spoken to in years?
This story gave me 20 ways to use LinkedIn productively. While not all of the reasons apply to small-business owners, several might make you answer that invitation to connect a little faster next time. After all, what small-business owner doesn't want to boost business, check references for hires, get advice or improve their Google results? If you opened a account months or years ago, it might pay to dig around in your desk for the username and password and explore who else has joined since you did. If you've never opened an account, try using it for a few weeks to see how it works.
