Facebook is, by some distance, the world’s most popular Social Network. (Still it wasn’t worth $1billion!) And while it can be great at losing you your job it isn’t the best one to use when looking for one or connecting with like minded professionals.

This title goes to LinkedIn. The place to be for all business professionals. It is without a doubt the king of business networks. With membership of over 200 million and growing, it is becoming ever more important to have a stand out page. There are even people who make a living offering services on how to do this!

Let me save you some money with a few tips.

Firstly you simply need to be prepared to put time and effort into creating a good profile that will get you noticed. This time and effort, of course, need to be focused in the right direction otherwise it will be wasted.

So here are the golden rules:

• It may seem obvious but you must create a full profile.  Incomplete profiles will reflect badly on the author. If they cannot even be bothered to fill in their own profile what does that say about their work ethic? Their attention to detail? Their own self-worth?

• As always Content is King. Quality content. You need to sell yourself in the introduction. Create an attention grabbing headline and remember to use plenty of key words. Potential employers and client swill take a peek at LinkedIn so make sure your key skills are covered

• Recommendations. Get good clients, colleagues (not mum) to tell others they enjoyed working with you and what you are particularly good at. It is important to keep these current. Out of date will have a negative effect. If you last recommendation is over two years old what’s happened to you in the meantime?

• Join Groups.   Groups offer a great way to network with like minded individuals in you area. Both professionally and more often than not geographically as well. Many groups hold physical networking events allowing people to meet face to face. Be proactive in the groups. Comment on themes. You could even start your own group. This is a great way to earn even more exposure

• Connections. Make as many connections as possible. Don’t make irrelevant connections or unrelated links. Keep focused on your key skills.

• Update you status!  There is nothing worse than an old out dated profile (it would be better to delete it). Make sure your details are up to date. That all information is correct. It never does any harm to continually tweak your profile making small improvement. In no time  it will start to stand out! Remember: make the effort and you will be rewarded.

Looking for inspiration? Not sure where to start. One of the best methods is to look at other profiles. Check out people in your niche and see what you like and don’t like. How would you improve on what they have. What did they do well ?

Some stats:

LinkedIn was launched in 2003. Here are some members by country with the US leading the way:

• USA: 74 million members
• India: 18 million members
• UK:  11 million members
• Brazil: 11 million members
• Canada: 7 million members

Do have an awesome profile? Why not share it. What tips have I missed?