How to Join SOCAP on LinkedIn

Joining LinkedIn  |  Adding Connections  |  Joining the SOCAP International Group

SOCAP has a LinkedIn community for current members. Accessing the SOCAP LinkedIn group is easy. Just follow the simple instructions below and you can be linked with other SOCAP members.

1. Joining LinkedIn

If you do not already have a LinkedIn account, go to www.linkedin.com and set one up. Just fill in your first name, last name and email address, then click Continue. (See image below).

Image: LinkedIn—Join Page

You will be asked to fill out a profile. Think of the profile as a work in progress. You can put as much or as little into it as you like. You will always be able to come back and change it.

2. Adding Connections

Once you've set up your account, you can start to connect with your associates. LinkedIn provides a number of tools for this purpose, and you can make these connections at any time - either before or after you join the SOCAP International Group on LinkedIn.

To get started with adding connections, look for the "Contacts" link in your left sidebar (outlined in red below). Click on that link and then click on "Add Connections" (also outlined in red below).

Image: LinkedIn—Contacts Page

The default setting for "Add Connections" allows you to add connections manually. However, as you can see from the tabs in the image below, you can also import contacts from a Webmail account or your Outlook address book, and you can add colleagues or classmates who have worked at or attended one of the companies or schools listed in your profile.

Image: LinkedIn—Add Connections Page

To import from a Webmail account, simply select the account and follow the prompts (see right sidebar of image above).

To import contacts from Outlook, export contacts into a .CSV (comma delimited) file and then upload them to LinkedIn.

Here's how you create the export in Outlook 2003:

Step 1: Open up your Contacts, select "Import and Export" from the "File" menu, and then click "Export to a file" and click Next:

Image: Outlook 2003 Import/Export Wizard

Step 2: Create a file with "Comma Separated Values," either Windows or DOS, and click Next:

Image: Outlook 2003 Export to File—Create File of Type

Step 3: Select your "Contacts" as the folder to export from and click Next:

Image: Outlook 2003 Export to File—Select Folder to Export From

Step 4: Choose your filename and path and click Next. Make note of the path. You will need it for locating the file when you are ready to upload.

Step 5: Once you have exported your contacts file, you can click on the "Import Contacts" tab on the "Add Connections" page and upload the file to LinkedIn. You will then be prompted to select which contacts you wish to invite to connect with you.

If you click on the "Colleagues" or "Classmates" tabs on the "Add Connections" page, you will be given a list of people who have companies or schools that match one of the companies or schools in your profile. You can then select which colleagues or classmates you wish to invite to connect with you.

3. Joining the SOCAP International Group

Membership in the SOCAP International Group is open to all current members of SOCAP. Click here to join the group.

If your LinkedIn email address matches the email address in the SOCAP membership database, you should be automatically approved for membership in the group. If the address does not match the database (for example, if you use a personal email address on LinkedIn), you should send a message through the LinkedIn interface, requesting approval of your membership.

Once you've joined the group, you will be directed to the SOCAP Group landing page (below). From there, you can participate in the group and make new connections with SOCAP members.

Image: LinkedIn—SOCAP International Group Landing Page

Here are some of the things you can do from the SOCAP Group landing page:

• Use the Overview tab (above) to get an overview of topics being discussed as well as recent group updates.
• Use the "Discussions" tab to hone in on group discussions.
• Use the "News" tab to upload or read articles submitted to the group.
• Use the "Updates" tab to see group activity.
• Use the "Members" tab to find SOCAP members you'd like to connect with. You can then invite those members to connect with you if their settings allow group members to contact them.
• Use the "Settings" tab to create and update your settings for the group. The settings enable you to choose whether to display the group logo on your display page, how often you wish to receive email from the group and whether or not other group members can contact you if you are not already connected to them.
• The "Manage" tab is for the group manager. It should not show up on your interface.

Enjoy the discussions in SOCAP's LinkedIn Community!

Please contact us if you have any other questions about how to use the SOCAP International Group on LinkedIn.