In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask and answer questions that give you valuable feedback from the LinkedIn community and develop your reputation as an expert in your field.
LinkedIn Answers is an interactive feature that enables you to ask questions, receive input from a worldwide network of peers and experts, share your own expertise, and develop your platform as an expert.
Caution: LinkedIn Answers Is for Professional Discussion, Not Promotion
Understand that LinkedIn Answers is for genuine information sharing among professional peers. It’s not the place for sales pitches (overt or disguised), open requests for help in getting a job, and so forth. That said, asking intelligent, relevant questions and providing useful answers with real value can help develop your expert image on LinkedIn.
To view questions and answers, click the Answers link on the top navigation menu. The Answers page opens, shown in Figure 12.1.
On the Answers Home tab, you can view the following:
• A box with shortcuts for asking and answering questions. LinkedIn recommends five categories based on previous questions you’ve answered. If you haven’t answered questions, this section displays the Answer Now button.
• A list of recent questions from your network.
• The week’s top experts, based on the number of questions they’ve answered and the number of times their answers have been selected as best answers.
• The My Q&A box listing your open questions, if any.
• A complete list of LinkedIn Answers categories.
• Links to questions in French, Spanish, German, and English.
You can ask and answer questions that relate to professional topics in more than 20 categories, including Management, Marketing and Sales, Professional Development, Finance and Accounting, Technology, and more.
Your activity on LinkedIn Answers also appears in the Q & A box on your profile, shown in Figure 12.2.
This box lists your questions, answers, and expertise. If you’ve received any best-answer votes, a green square with a white star appears in this box. To remove the Q&A box from your profile, click the Change This Setting link. For example, if you answer questions that don’t relate to your professional experience, you might not want to display these on your profile.
LinkedIn members with at least five connections can ask as many as 10 questions a month on LinkedIn Answers. LinkedIn imposes a limit to avoid the problem of “question spam” and to encourage members to ask questions of value to the LinkedIn community.
To ask a question:
- Click the Answers link on LinkedIn’s top navigation menu.
- Click the Ask a Question tab to open the Ask a Question page. Figure 12.3 shows the Ask a Question page.
- In the first text box, enter a one-line question. Make sure your question is clear and concise. Vague, open-ended questions rarely receive good feedback. For example, asking LinkedIn members for suggestions on online invoicing applications suited to a small business is a good, focused question. Asking members how to make lots of money with your new website, which you promote in the details section, is not the way to use LinkedIn Answers.
- If you want to send your question only to specific people (up to 200 of your connections), select the Only Share This Question with Connections I Select check box. For maximum response and visibility, it’s best to post your question to the public LinkedIn Answers section.
- In the Add Details box, provide pertinent background information to clarify your question further. Be careful, however, of adding too much detail. Although you can add content up to 2,000 characters, many people skip over very lengthy questions.
- Categorize your question based on the available categories and subcategories. You can add a second category if desired.
- If your question is location-specific, select the My Question Is Focused Around a Specific Geographic Location check box. LinkedIn asks you to select a Country and Postal Code, if applicable.
- Specify whether your question relates to one of the following:
• Recruiting
• Promoting Your Services
• Job Seeking
Note: Alternatives to LinkedIn Answers
If your question relates to recruiting, promotion, or a job search, LinkedIn offers links to other features that might be more appropriate than LinkedIn Answers. For example, consider posting a job using LinkedIn Jobs or promoting your services in LinkedIn Service Providers directory instead.
- Click the Ask Question button to post your question.
LinkedIn’s 40 million members now have the opportunity to view and answer your question, providing valuable feedback and information.
LinkedIn automatically closes your question in seven days, but offers you the choice to extend the question another week or close it manually before seven days. See the section “Viewing and Modifying Your Questions and Answers” later in this lesson for more information.
One final step is to select a best answer to the question you posted, if you feel one response provided the most value. LinkedIn members who receive the best answer designations are recognized in the LinkedIn Answers list of experts and on their profiles.
In addition to viewing questions to answer on the Answers Home tab, you can find more questions on the Answer Questions tab. When you select this tab, the Browse Open Questions page opens. Question summaries appear in the order of their author’s connection to you. For example, questions from your 1st degree connections appear first, and so forth. Click the Date link to sort questions by date instead.
Tip: Answer Questions in LinkedIn’s Recommended Categories
On the Answers Home tab, LinkedIn recommends question categories for you based on your profile and any questions you’ve previously answered.
Figure 12.4 shows a sample question summary.
In addition to the question title, LinkedIn displays the number of answers the question has received, its author, the date it was posted, and its categories.
To browse questions relating to a specific category, click one of the links in the Browse box on the right side of your screen. Most categories have subcategories you can use to narrow the subject matter of posted questions.
Tip: Subscribe to an RSS Feed to Stay Informed
If you’re interested in questions related to a specific category, you can subscribe to the RSS feed for that category. To do so, click the link next to the orange and white feed icon at the bottom of the Browse box. LinkedIn opens the Subscribe Now pop-up box, which enables you to subscribe using your favorite feed reader (such as My Yahoo!, Google, or Bloglines). See Lesson 4, “Customizing Your LinkedIn Settings,” for more information about subscribing to RSS feeds.
You can also browse questions in a specific language. LinkedIn enables members to post questions in English, French, Spanish, and German.
Finally, the Browse Open Questions page also offers links for viewing closed questions and popular experts.
Note: Flagging Problem Questions
If you view a question that you feel is inappropriate, click the Flag Question As link below to question to alert LinkedIn staff. Potential reasons for flagging a question include duplicate questions, open advertising, recruitment messages, inappropriate content, connection-building spam, or misrepresentation.
To post a public reply to a question, follow these steps:
- Click the question title link to view the question’s details. Figure 12.5 illustrates a sample question.
- Click the Answer button to expand the Your Answer box, shown in Figure 12.6.
- Enter your answer in the text box. Remember to provide value and true information. Don’t sell your own expertise and services. Let your LinkedIn profile do that for you.
- Optionally, list up to three web resources. Include the complete URL, such as http://www.patricerutledge.com.
- Optionally, click the Suggest an Expert button to open your connection list. You can choose up to three experts from your network to recommend for this question. The experts you suggest appear in your answer with links to their profiles.
- Enter an optional, private note to the person who posted the question. No other LinkedIn members will see this content.
- Click Submit to post your answer.
If you don’t want to answer a question directly, you can
• Click the Suggest Expert button to choose expert referrals from your list of connections.
• Click the Reply Privately link to send a private message to the person who posted the question.
• Click the Share This link to email this question to others or post to the social bookmarking sites Delicious or Digg. This is a good way to expand the visibility of LinkedIn questions.
When you answer a question, it’s important to provide an intelligent, helpful response. Responding to numerous questions with vague answers in an effort to increase your visibility won’t pay off in the long run. Focus on quality rather than quantity and answer only when you have something meaningful to contribute.
LinkedIn members who post questions can award a best-answer designation to the person who provides the most helpful answer. When you receive Best Answer votes, you increase your ranking on the list of experts.
LinkedIn’s advanced search functionality lets you search its vast collection of questions and answers for specific information.
Searching by keyword enables you to
• Find specific questions to answer
• Discover solutions to your own professional questions from LinkedIn’s large collection of information
• Determine what people are asking and saying about you, your company, or your products
• Perform competitive intelligence
To search by keyword:
- Click the Advanced Answers Search tab on the Answers page. Figure 12.7 shows your search possibilities.
- In the Keywords field, enter your search terms. The more specific your keywords, the more targeted your results will be.
Tip: Take Advantage of Advanced Search Techniques
To search on a specific phrase, use quotation marks (such as “social media” to search specifically for social media). See Lesson 7, “Searching on LinkedIn,” for more information about advanced searching techniques.
- Specify whether you want to search in Questions and Answers or Questions Only.
- Select a category and related subcategory in the Category field.
- If you want to view only questions that haven’t been answered, select the Show Only Unanswered Questions check box.
- Click the Search button to display search results.
To view only open questions, click the Open Questions tab. From this page, you can also further refine your search criteria if necessary.
To view and modify your own activity on LinkedIn Answers, click the My Q&A tab on the Answers page.
On the first tab, My Questions, LinkedIn displays a summary of the questions you’ve asked. Click the link of any question to view it; if the questions is still open, you can revise it. Figure 12.8 shows a sample open question.
If the question is still open, you can
• Click the Extend the Closing Date link to extend the closing date by seven days.
• Click the Forward This Question link to send the question to up to 200 of your connections.
• Click the Close Question Now button to close the question before it closes automatically in seven days. You can also hide your closed question from public view. For maximum visibility, it’s best to keep your question open and allow it to remain on LinkedIn Answers. If you make a mistake or no longer want to display your question, however, you can close and hide it.
• Click the Clarify My Question link, below the question itself, to open the Clarify Your Question page and add related details. LinkedIn doesn’t allow you to edit the question you posted.
On the second tab, My Answers, LinkedIn displays summaries of all the questions you’ve answered. The right side of this page lists the categories in which you’ve demonstrated expertise (based on receiving “best answer” ratings), your answer ratings for closed questions, and statistics about your activity on LinkedIn Answers.
You can modify or delete your answers to open questions only. Click the Clarify My Answer link to add clarification to your existing answer. Click the Delete My Answer link to delete your answer.