In this lesson, you learn about the tools that enable you to access LinkedIn data from other websites and software.
LinkedIn offers several tools, toolbars, and widgets that enhance your LinkedIn experience, both on and off the site. Options include
• Browser Toolbar: Search and access LinkedIn data from Firefox or Internet Explorer.
• JobsInsider: Discover members of your LinkedIn network who work at companies whose job postings you’re viewing. JobsInsider is included with the Browser Toolbar.
• Outlook Toolbar: Manage your LinkedIn network from Microsoft Outlook.
• Email Signature: Create a customized email signature from your profile data to use with popular email systems.
• Google Toolbar Assistant: Add a LinkedIn search button to the Google Toolbar.
• Mac Search Widget: Search LinkedIn from your Mac Dashboard.
• Mobile: Access your LinkedIn network via mobile devices, such as the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Palm Pre.
• LinkedIn Widget for Lotus Notes: Integrate your LinkedIn content with Lotus Notes. You can access LinkedIn tools from the Tools link on the bottom navigation menu.
The LinkedIn Firefox Browser Toolbar, also called the LinkedIn Companion for Firefox, is available for a PC or Mac running Firefox versions 2.0 or 3.0. System requirements include Windows XP/Vista or Mac OS X 10.2 or later.
Another option for Mac users is the Mac Search Widget, which enables you to search LinkedIn from your Mac Dashboard. The widget requires OS 10.4. To download the widget, click the Tools link on LinkedIn’s bottom navigation menu, and then click the Download It Now button in the Mac Search Widget section.
To install the LinkedIn Firefox Browser Toolbar, follow these steps:
Firefox displays a welcome screen and the toolbar now appears on the menu (see Figure 8.1).
Figure 8.1. Use the LinkedIn Firefox Browser toolbar to locate information on LinkedIn.
If the LinkedIn button doesn’t appear on your browser toolbar, try one of the following:
• Verify that you meet all the listed system requirements.
• Click the View menu, click Toolbars, and then click LinkedIn to display the LinkedIn toolbar on Firefox.
• Click the View menu, click Toolbars, and then click Customize. In the Customize Toolbars dialog box, select Icons and Text from the Show drop-down list, drag the LinkedIn Companion icon to the toolbar, and click the Done button.
Click the LinkedIn button on your browser toolbar to display a drop-down list of options. These include
• Recent: Displays links to your recent profile, recent searches, and job page views. To clear this data, click the Remove options.
• Bookmark LinkedIn Page: Lets you create a Firefox bookmark for an active LinkedIn page. This option is available only if you’re viewing a LinkedIn page that you can bookmark, such as a profile, search results, or a job listing.
• LinkedIn Home: Takes you to LinkedIn’s home page. This section also includes direct links to Find People, Find Jobs, Find Services, My Profile, My Contacts, and Add Connections.
• LinkedIn JobsInsider: Opens the LinkedIn JobsInsider window. See the “Using the JobsInsider” section later in this lesson for more information.
• Preferences: Opens the Preferences dialog box, shown in Figure 8.2, where you can enter your LinkedIn account information, specify how much information to show on the Recent menu, specify when to open the JobsInsider, and activate the InfoBox in Web email option.
Figure 8.2. Specify what you want to display on the Appearance menu of the toolbar.
• Help: Opens a help file in which you can search for more information.
• About: Displays information about the toolbar.
The toolbar also includes the Share on LinkedIn button, which enables you to share web pages in a LinkedIn update. See “Sharing Web Pages with LinkedIn Members” later in this lesson for more information.
To uninstall the toolbar, select Tools, Add-Ons from the Firefox menu and click the Uninstall button in the LinkedIn Companion for Firefox section.
The LinkedIn Internet Explorer Toolbar is available for the PC only. Although LinkedIn lists official support for Microsoft Windows 2000/XP, with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 and 7.0, you should be able to install this app on Windows Vista and Windows 7 as well.
To install the LinkedIn Internet Explorer Toolbar, follow these steps:
Figure 8.3. Setting up the LinkedIn Internet Explorer Toolbar.
Internet Explorer opens with the toolbar installed, shown in Figure 8.4.
Figure 8.4. Search, access, and bookmark pages from LinkedIn while using Internet Explorer.
If the LinkedIn toolbar doesn’t appear, select View, Toolbars, LinkedIn Toolbar from the browser menu (the exact menu location varies by operating system). Also verify that you meet the system requirements to install the toolbar.
Click the down arrow to the right of the LinkedIn button on your browser toolbar to display a drop-down list of options. These include
• LinkedIn Home: Takes you to LinkedIn’s home page. This section also includes direct links to Find People, Find Jobs, Find Services, My Profile, and My Contacts.
• Preferences: Opens the Preferences dialog box, in which you can enter your LinkedIn account information, specify when to open the JobsInsider, and activate the InfoBox in Web email option.
• Help: Opens a help file where you can search for more information.
• Check for Update: Checks to see whether there is a more recent version of the toolbar.
• About: Displays information about the toolbar.
The LinkedIn Toolbar also includes the following buttons:
• Search: Click the down arrow to the right of the search button to select search options. Options include all keywords, name, title, current title, company, current company, and jobs. Enter your search term, and click the Search button to display relevant results in LinkedIn. You can also select the Clear Search History menu to clear your searches or the Advanced Search option to open the Advanced Search page in LinkedIn.
• Bookmarks: Click the Bookmark This page menu option to bookmark an active LinkedIn page. This option is available only if you’re viewing a LinkedIn page that you can bookmark, such as a profile, search results, or a job listing. Select the Manage Bookmarks to open the Bookmarks window.
• JobsInsider: Opens the JobsInsider window. See the “Using the JobsInsider” section later in this lesson for more information.
• Share in LinkedIn: Enables you to share web pages in a LinkedIn update. See “Sharing Web Pages with LinkedIn Members” later in this lesson for more information.
To remove the LinkedIn Internet Explorer Toolbar, go to the Control Panel and delete it. The exact path to access the Control Panel varies by operating system.
LinkedIn JobsInsider is a LinkedIn Browser Toolbar feature that assists in your job search. When you’re viewing a job posting, JobsInsider lets you know about LinkedIn members in your network who work at that company and are potential inside connections for you. JobsInsider works with job postings on sites such as Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, Craigslist, Simply Hired, Dice, or Vault.
If you haven’t installed the LinkedIn Browser Toolbar yet, click the JobsInsider link on the bottom navigation menu for installation instructions. See the “Installing and Using the LinkedIn Firefox Browser Toolbar” section and the “Installing and Using the LinkedIn Internet Explorer Toolbar” section earlier in this lesson for more information.
For example, if you’re searching Monster.com for potential jobs, JobsInsider opens automatically, detecting that you’re searching a job site. Figure 8.5 shows a sample view of JobsInsider.
Figure 8.5. JobsInsider points out your inside connections at a hiring company.
When you open a job posting, JobsInsider lists the names of your 1st degree connections and includes links to their LinkedIn profiles. It also tells you the total people in your network who work at this company. Click the number to view a list of these people.
To specify JobsInsider settings, click the LinkedIn button on your browser toolbar and select Preferences from the menu. In the Preferences dialog box, you can specify whether you want to open JobsInsider when browsing a known job site, open at browser startup, or not open at all.
If you’ve installed the LinkedIn Browser Toolbar for either Firefox or Internet Explorer, you can easily share news stories, blog posts, and other interesting web content with LinkedIn members, including your connections and fellow members of groups.
To share web pages, follow these steps:
If you can’t find these buttons, click the Tools link on the bottom navigation menu and then click the Sharing Bookmarklet tab to install this manually.
Figure 8.6. Share selected web pages with LinkedIn connections or group members.
The content you share displays at the top of your profile and in the Network Activity section of your connections’ home pages, just like a regular update.
Although this feature provides a convenient way to share content on LinkedIn, it’s a powerful tool that you shouldn’t overuse. To generate a positive response from other LinkedIn members, focus on sharing only the most useful, relevant content that affects the majority of group members. For example, share a top news story or an insightful report that affects your industry. Don’t share promotional material, sales pages, or your daily blog posts (unless one contains highly useful or relevant content).
With the Outlook Toolbar, you can manage your LinkedIn network from within Microsoft Outlook. The toolbar requires that you run Windows XP or Vista and use Microsoft Outlook XP (2002), 2003, or 2007.
Also consider the LinkedIn Outlook Connector (http://www.linkedin.com/outlook), which requires the latest version of Outlook Social Connector (download it from Microsoft) and Outlook 2003, 2007, or 2010, which integrates Outlook and LinkedIn.
To install the Outlook Toolbar, close Outlook and follow these steps:
The LinkedIn toolbar and menu now appear in Outlook. The toolbar enables you to
• Receive suggestions about who to connect with on LinkedIn based on email frequency
• Send LinkedIn invitations with one click
• Update Outlook based on LinkedIn profile data
• Get notified when your contacts update their LinkedIn profiles
• Stay current with your network using the LinkedIn dashboard
• Search and access LinkedIn data from Outlook
The installation of the Outlook Toolbar might require different steps based on your browser, operating system, and configuration. Refer to LinkedIn’s online help for the latest news on toolbar updates and changes.
LinkedIn enables you to create an email signature that includes links to your profile and other popular LinkedIn features. You can use your LinkedIn email signature with popular email systems such as Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Mozilla Thunderbird, and Yahoo! Mail.
To create an email signature, follow these steps:
Figure 8.7. Create an email signature you can use with many popular email systems.
Figure 8.8. Copy and paste the code for your new email signature into your email system.
The Google Toolbar Assistant optimizes the Google Toolbar by installing a LinkedIn search button. You need to the Google Toolbar (http://toolbar.google.com) for Firefox or Internet Explorer to use this feature.
To install the Google Toolbar Assistant, follow these steps:
Figure 8.9. Add a LinkedIn button on the Google Toolbar.
Figure 8.10. Quickly search for information on LinkedIn.
To use the search button, enter a search term in the text box and click the LinkedIn button. LinkedIn displays results based on the type of search method you specified (either a keyword or a name).
To change your search method or remove the search button, right-click the LinkedIn button.
In this lesson, you learned how to install and use tools that help you integrate LinkedIn with other popular websites and software programs.
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