How to Make the Most of LinkedIn Groups

Are you a member of a LinkedIn group? Do you spend time networking in LinkedIn groups? LinkedIn groups are great way to build credibility and make new connections that can ultimately help grow your business.


You can join up to 50 LinkedIn groups. However, it’s difficult to gain traction in 50 groups as well as find the time to participate in that many. I recommend that you go ahead and join up to 50 groups, but select 5-10 groups to spend your time on in order to get the most benefit out of your participation.


With over 1.5 million LinkedIn Groups, it can be difficult to find relevant groups and determine which ones might be the best for you to join. It is also important to find groups that are well-managed. Unfortunately there are many LinkedIn groups that are not well-managed and that makes the experience within these groups less than optimal. Not to worry, I’m going to give you some insights on how to find the quality groups.


Below are 5 tips for maximizing your LinkedIn groups experience.
#1) Use LinkedIn Search to Find Relevant Groups to Join


In case you haven’t noticed, LinkedIn search has been significantly enhanced. This includes the ability to search for relevant groups (based on your network) and it also includes the ability to search for discussion topics within open groups!


To start with, search for groups using keywords that would be a natural fit for you based on your geographical location, industry, prospects, alumni, community/charity organizations, hobbies and interests. Try searching LinkedIn Groups with the keywords that actually describe your natural affinities. For example, type in the name of the college you attended to find potential alumni groups that exist on LinkedIn.


You can also take advantage of Boolean search operators for smarter searches on LinkedIn. (I recently discovered this Tip Sheet on Boolean Search from LinkedIn Corporate Solutions). To locate a LinkedIn Group that was in my geographical location and my industry, I searched LinkedIn Groups using the Boolean Search Operator “AND” for the keywords (social media AND Dallas). LinkedIn showed me 25 results of groups based in Dallas AND focused on social media!


Another interesting finding was when I typed the word “hiking” into LinkedIn Group search, I found a group with over 1000 members who share this passion. There is no better way to start relationships than connecting around a common passion or interest!


For each LinkedIn Group that is displayed in search results, you have the option to view members in your network who belong to the group as well as “similar groups”.


You can even reach out to your LinkedIn connections and ask them what they think about the groups that they belong to. This gives you a solid reason to reach out and connect with your network.


LinkedIn group search is extremely powerful for discovering the right groups to join.
#2) Review the “Groups You May Like” Suggestions from LinkedIn


The easiest way to navigate to the “Groups You May Like” feature is through your to navigation menu bar under “Groups”. There you will see these options. (The Groups Directory option is the primary search area for LinkedIn Groups)


When you click on the “Groups You May Like” feature, LinkedIn will list suggested groups for you to check out based on your network connections, profile information, skills and expertise, and existing group memberships. (You may also notice some groups (or subgroups) on this list that you already belong to.
#3) Evaluate the Quality of a LinkedIn Group


How do you know if the LinkedIn group you are interested in joining is going to be a well run, quality group?


In some cases, you may just have to join the group and spend some time there to make that determination. However, here are a few ways to evaluate the group for quality:


Is this LinkedIn Group a Quality Group?


-Who is the group manager, and are they engaged and visible?


-What are the group rules? (hint: if the group rules don’t exist or they are not well written, chances are the group is not well-managed)


-Do a good majority of the discussions involve questions and dialogue?


-Are there lots and lots of promotional links or an abundance of “self-promotion”?


-Are the top influencers in the group credible?


-Is the group manager among the top influencers?


In a well-managed group, you are going to most likely see a manager who is visible throughout the discussions and a strong set of rules.


The quantity of membership and the activity level of a group aren’t always correlated to whether or not the group a quality group. I’ve seen some very large groups that are very well-managed and some very small groups that aren’t managed at all!


Be sure to evaluate the stats of the LinkedIn group you are interested in as well. There you can learn more about member demographics, activity, how long the group has been around, and more.
#4) Consider Joining Corporate Sponsored Groups


There are a number of corporate sponsored groups popping up on LinkedIn. This is where LinkedIn has officially partnered with brands or corporations to help them build robust groups. Within each of these groups, the organization can drive member visits and discussion participation while also controlling the ad display space within the group site.


Examples of these corporate LinkedIn Groups include: Intuit (small business group), Citi (Professional women’s network), Staples (small business network), and Capital One (Business traveler network).


What I love about corporate sponsored groups on LinkedIn is that they are very well-managed. The discussions tend to be in-depth with rich dialogue amongst members. These brands/corporations have a vested interest in making their groups successful, and in every case there are dedicated group managers in place who facilitate the dialogue and keep the groups spam-free.


I have found as a member of several of the groups listed above that the discussion questions submitted weekly (and delivered via email) by these group managers are intriguing and enticing. They make you want to jump right in and give your own insights and opinions!


If you run your own LinkedIn group or you’re thinking about starting one, you could learn some terrific strategies as a member of these corporate sponsored groups.
#5) Adhere to LinkedIn Group Participation Best Practices


In order to make LinkedIn Groups serve as authentic forums for discussions and dialogue, we can all do our part to maintain the integrity of the groups we belong to. This will make the LinkedIn Group experience better for everyone.


Additionally LinkedIn is doing its part by helping group managers fight promotional posts. If you are thinking about posting a discussion that contains the words me, my, or I, don’t count on it showing up. Most likely it will end up under the “promotions” tab where it’s highly unlikely that anyone will see it.


In order to successfully build influence in LinkedIn groups, your best bet is to authentically engage in discussions and contribute value-added insights.


Below are some best practices to remember as you find the right groups to join and start engaging with members:


-don’t just drop into groups and promote your products or services


-don’t auto-post your blog articles into LinkedIn groups (Instead, provide links to reputable sources of information within the context of discussions that can help members. This can include your blog articles if they truly serve that purpose.)


-ask questions and provide thoughtful answers


-contribute to ongoing discussions and new discussions consistently


-share meaningful, helpful, interesting, and reputable content


-send invites to connect with mutual group members only after you’ve spent some time participating in the group (Ideally the best time to send the invitation is when you’ve interacted with members in a discussion!)


I hope that these tips will help you make the most of your LinkedIn groups experience. LinkedIn groups provide an amazing opportunity to position yourself as a thought leader and an influencer. If you lead by example with your participation, others will follow.


Are you spending time in LinkedIn groups? How do you find the right groups to join? What are your thoughts about the value of LinkedIn groups? Leave your comments below.

Make Money Online: 100+ Tools and Resources

Making money online is a dream for many, but the simple fact is that it's often just as tough as making money offline. Due to requests, we've put together a list of the most popular money making methods today, many of them focused on blogging and peer production.


A word of caution: for the sake of completeness, we've included a small number of sites that have been criticized for their ethics. If it sounds too good to be true, it generally is. Commenters are welcome to share their experiences of the various sites.


Get Paid To Write








Weblogs, Inc. - Apply to blog for one of their ninety plus blogs or submit your own topic idea. They will pay you per post that you write and you must meet their minimum post requirements.


PayPerPost - Get paid as much as $500 or more a month writing articles and reviews of their sponsors on your blog.


Blogsvertise - Their advertisers pay you to mention and talk about their websites, products and services in your own blog.


Review Me - After your blog has been accepted in their network, they will pay you $20 to $200 per post that you write.


Smorty - Earn $6 to $100 dollars per post you write on your blog. Amount paid for each post depends on the overall popularity and page rank of your blog.


SponsoredReviews - Write reviews for their advertisers' products and services on your own blog. They charge a 35% transaction fee for their services.


LoudLaunch - Blog about the advertisers campaign releases that meet your interests. They pay once a month.


Blogitive - Get paid weekly via PayPal for posting stories that interest you.


BloggerWave - Select the advertiser opportunities that best suit your blog and write reviews on their products and services.


InBlogAds - Write about websites, products, services and companies on your blog and get paid for it.


BlogToProfit - Make $250 dollars or more by writing new posts on your blog.


Creative Weblogging - Write 7 to 10 posts per week for their network and they will pay you $225 per month.


WordFirm - Make money publishing books as a freelance writer from home.


451 Press - Write for a blog within their network and receive forty percent of all generated revenue.


Digital Journal - Network of bloggers that get paid to report on newsworthy articles through their blogs.


BlogBurner - Sign up for a free blog and get paid for writing new posts. Your commissions are generated through Adsense clicks.


Squidoo - Earn money by writing your new blog, or choose to donate your earnings to charity.


About.com - Become a paid guide writing articles for About.com. Compensation depends on the growth of your page views.


DayTipper - Earn $3 for every short tip you write and get published.


Helium - Earn a share of their advertising revenue by writing articles in their channels.


Dewitts Media - Get paid to write your own blog. This site requires you have a minimum page rank of 3 to sign up.


BOTW Media - Make money writing a blog for their blogging network.


CreamAid - Get paid to submit blog posts in their directory.


BlogFeast - Generate revenue from pre-installed Google Adsense ads when you blog in their network.


Mashable - Mashable hires freelancers and new staff, offering one of the largest platforms for tech bloggers.


Advertising Programs








Google Adsense - Most popular pay-per-click advertising provider. Make anywhere from $0.01 to $5.00 plus per click on site relevant ads.


Text-Link-Ads - Approve or deny the advertiser links that appear on your site. They pay you 50% of the sale price for each text link sold on your website.


BlogAds - The average blogger makes anywhere from $50 to $5000 dollars a month selling blog ads. To participate in this program you will need to get sponsored by someone in their network.


LinkWorth - Here you will find eleven different options to fit your advertising needs. Choose from text based advertisements, sponsored ads and paid blog reviews to name a few.


CrispAds - Access to over six thousand advertisers in their pay-per-click program. You choose the advertisers that suit you best.


Chitika - Offers six types of advertising to fit your needs.


AzoogleAds - Delivers targeted advertisers to their network of publishers to bring you the most profitable solutions.


Vibrant Media - Offers in-text contextual based advertisements.


MediaFed - Place advertisements in your blog's RSS feed to generate additional revenue.


Qumana - Embeds ads directly into your posts. Ads are generated from keywords that you select. Not particularly popular with readers.


PeakClick - Austria based pay-per-click provider. Provides automatic insertion of site targeted ads.


DoubleClick - Offers a full suite of products for publishers that enable you to forecast, sell inventory, serve ads and analyze campaigns online and through other digital channels.


Tribal Fusion - They offer reliable payments, free ad-serving technology, a dedicated account manager and up-to-date, real-time reporting, with a 55% payout. Must go through an approval process.


AdBrite - Approve or reject any ads purchased for your sites. Also gives you the ability to sell ads direct with "Your Ad Here" links.


ThankYouPages - Shows ads based on demographics and relevancy. Majority of traffic must originate from U.S.


Clicksor - Inline text link advertising, underlines words directly in your posts making them clickable advertisements. Once more, we'd say that inline ads are not popular with regular blog readers.


TargetPoint - Contextually and search targeted pay-per-click ads.


IndustryBrains - Place relevant contextual text listings and graphical ads on your site.


BloggingAds - Post one-time ads on your site. Pays via PayPal.


BulletAds - Performance based online advertising network.


AdsMarket - Match your traffic to handpicked advertisers with top-converting products and services.


ROIRocket - Targeted campaigns specific to your marketing needs.


AdKnowledge - Offers complete outsourcing of your advertising management. Runs ads in websites, email and search engine inventory.


Yes Advertising - Payouts for running ads from their sponsors. Also offers a referral program that pays 20% of the referred webmasters earnings.


RevenuePilot - Offers pay-for-performance and pay-per-click advertising for your sites.


SearchFeed - Integrates paid advertisements into your site's search feature.


Bidvertiser - Display text ads on your site and advertisers bid for placement.


Pheedo - Monetize your RSS feeds with this program.


ValueClick media - Generate revenue by displaying ads through banners, pop-unders and rich media. Be warned that pop-unders are unpopular these days.


OneMonkey - Another text based advertising program.


Yahoo Publisher Network - Use the internet giant, Yahoo, to display targeted ads on your site.


Q Ads - Monetize your site by placing ads anywhere you can add a picture.


Affiliate Networks and Programs








Amazon Associates - Link to Amazon's products and services and earn up to 10% of the sale price. Converts well for product-focused sites.


ClickBank - Over 10,000 products to promote with commissions as high as 75%.


Commission Junction - Promote the advertiser's products and services in exchange for a commission on leads or sales.


LinkShare - Pay-for-performance affiliate marketing network. Gives you the ability to use individual product links on your site and generate revenue from sales.


Affiliate Fuel - Serves as a middle man to bring publishers and advertisers together to promote products and services.


LinkConnector - Affiliate marketing network that offers a zero tolerance fraud policy to keep you safe while conducting business.


LeadPile - Affiliate network that allows you to generate and sell trade leads to the highest bidder.


Forex-Affiliate - Affiliate program that allows you to earn commissions from trading Forex (currency exchange) online.


incentAclick - CPA (cost-per-action) affiliate program that guarantees the fastest ROI in the industry.


AdPlosion - Earn revenue by selling leads, clicks and products from their advertisers. Also runs an incentive points program in addition to your commissions.


AffiliateFuture - Another affiliate program that pays you for generating leads, sales and clicks.


ClixGalore - Affiliate network consisting of 7500+ advertisers for you to choose from.


ThinkAction - Affiliate network that claims to have the top payouts and the possibility of earning over $100,000 dollars per month.


RocketProfit - Affiliate network, pays via check after your commissions reach $25 dollars.


CafePress - Earn affiliate commissions by selling your personally branded merchandise.


Avangate - Make money selling popular computer software titles through your site.


Paid Social Media Programs








Dada.net - Social site with a revenue sharing program that pays you for referring friends and driving traffic.


Jyve - Pays you to provide answers, advice and peer support to people in need of some help.


Cruxy - Specializes in social video, but serves as a venue to sell your digital media.


BitWine - Get paid to give advice and answer questions for people, on subjects of your interests and choice.


Ether - Make money answering questions for your peers over the phone. You set your rates and call availability.


UpBlogger - Social network site that pays you based on the amount of visits you receive to your uploaded content.


JustAnswer - Help others solve their problems and earn money for your knowledge.


MetaCafe - Upload your videos and earn money based on the number of views you receive.


ChaCha - Get paid to offer support to members of their community.


AssociatedContent - Earn money by uploading your videos, text, audio and images to their site. Earnings are determined by the exposure you receive from your content.


myLot - Pays you for posting, commenting and using their social network.


KnowBrainers - Another site that pays you to get involved with the community and answer questions. Optionally you can answer questions through the RSS feeds on your own blog.


Everything Else That Pays








Google User Research - Google Pays you money to participate in their user research studies online.


Microsoft Research Panel - Get paid from Microsoft for providing feedback on their products.


Amazon Mechanical Turk - Amazon pays you to complete simple tasks that their computers can't understand. Payments are a matter of cents.


eJury - Earn $5 to $10 dollars per verdict rendered as a mock juror for practice trials.


WorkingSOL - This company pays you to handle technical support for many large companies. You can work from home on the computer or by phone and decide what times you are available.


Appingo - Always looking for experienced copy editors and proof readers. Must submit a resume.


IntelliShop - Pays you to shop at stores in your area and write a review of your experience.


Mahalo Greenhouse - They pay $10 to $15 dollars per site you submit to their directory.


Focus Pointe Global - Get paid to join their focus groups and voice your opinion. Available to teens and adults.


Agloco - Sign up, download their toolbar and get paid to surf the internet. This site has been criticized as a "pyramid scheme", although the founders deny the allegation.


Arise - Make money providing phone, web and email support and sales for 40 plus companies in their network.


CraZoo - Earn money for starting new threads and posting in online forums.


Tutor.com - Get paid to tutor people online.


ForumBoosting.com - Make money posting in forums across the internet.


Share-A-Pic - Earn money by uploading and sharing your pictures on their website.


Opuzz Voice - Earn money by doing voice overs for their clients online.


SlashMySearch - Get paid to search the internet with their search engine.