Your Portal to the Global Flexographic Industry
FlexoGlobalTM
Are you LinkedIn®?Part 3 – LinkedIn® Recommendations
By Mary Mekelburg, Social Media Strategist/Coach
Features
FlexoGlobalTM
FlexoGlobalTM
FlexoGlobal’s e-articles are brought to you by FlexoGlobal, your portal to the global flexographic industry.
FlexoGlobal’s mission is to deliver to the global flexographic community topnotch technical articles authored by industry experts, industry updates on an international level, and overviews of business practices to improve
operating efficiencies.
PublisherLaura Wayland-Smith Hatch
Article: 0103
FlexoGlobalEditorial, Advertising, & Circulation Office
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Copyright © 2009 Salmon Creek Publishing
Copyright © 2009 Salmon Creek Publishing. All rights reserved. None of the materials in this publication may be used, reproduced, or transmitted, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
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Would you like to join the growing list of contributing authors to FlexoGlobal? This will give you a chance to increase your visibility in the industry as a flexo printer/converter, supplier, or educa-tor and increase your business on a global basis. Your articles will appear online and in the downloadable and print-
able PDF file so that you can print copies to use within your organization or with customers.
Whether you have any potential articles or even ideas for what you would like to see covered, we would certainly like to talk about the possibilities with you.
3www.flexoglobal.comNovember 19, 2009 FlexoGlobal
WASTE NOT • WANT NOTHow much ink do you waste as a result of end-seal leaking?How much time do you waste changing seals and blades?
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4 www.flexoglobal.com November 19, 2009FlexoGlobal
Get the new Kodak Flexcel NX Digital Flexographic System and challenge the traditional boundaries of flexo printing. Now you can print jobs never before possible with flexo. And help grow your business in ways you never imagined. Outstanding results. No compromises. Just gravure class quality in a revolutionary system that will change the way you look at flexo printing. Only from Kodak. Giving you the power to get more business.
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5www.flexoglobal.comNovember 19, 2009 FlexoGlobal
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6 www.flexoglobal.com November 19, 2009FlexoGlobal
Business
Are you LinkedIn®?Part 3 – LinkedIn® Recommendations
By Mary Mekelburg, Social Media Strategist/Coach
7www.flexoglobal.comNovember 19, 2009 FlexoGlobal
While a lot of ‘cool’ things are happening in the world of communications and media, we recognize that
transmission of information, which data we analyze and how, and connecting around the globe will never quite look the same again. Virtual trade shows, webinars, Skype and ‘Go To Meeting’ have been great solutions for companies looking to reduce their travel and expense budgets.
On November 5, 2009, FTA- Great Lakes held its first re-gional meeting at Lauterbach Group, our host member site. I believe all who attended will agree that in this time of challenges and pressure from tight margins, there’s nothing quite like shaking the hand of a colleague, and taking the opportunity to re-connect and share a few laughs. We in-quire about business, health and family; offer assistance and exchange the most recent contact information. I challenge each of us to take it a step further. Do we have a colleague or acquaintance whose work ethic we can recommend from firsthand experience? That’s the ‘light bulb’, our signal to write a LinkedIn® Recommendation.
A LinkedIn® Recommendation can validate skills, serve as a testimony to a person’s work ethic, or endorse their exper-tise. It can serve as a checkered or caution flag when search-ing for a business partner or service provider; and gives credibility to the history entered into a profile. (It’s like reading the ‘comments’ under a book title on Amazon be-fore buying or downloading it). As professionals in today’s workforce are said to change companies and career paths up to seven times during their life, the Recommendation that you accept to your LinkedIn® profile stays with you as long as you choose; regardless of where your connection works or lives. Recruiters regularly troll LinkedIn® to fill their cus-tomer orders; I have seen jobs posted to LinkedIn® that in-clude a Recommendation requirement. People have asked me, ‘How many should I have?”. Six is the recommended base number. And the best way to get a recommendation is buy providing remarkable service in whatever you do.
Three types of recommendations are:
• Spontaneous:typicallysparkedbyreceivingorobserving remarkable service
• YoucanRequestarecommendation–forexampleat the end of a successful project
• OryoucanReciprocate:respondwitharecom-mendation after receiving one
Write a Recommendation for your first degree connec-tion:
1. From your LinkedIn® home page, go to ‘connec-tions’ on the left.
2. Select the person’s name and go to ‘Recommend this person’ to the right of their profile.
3. Select the position; then the basis for your rela-tionship and both of your titles at the time.
4. Write a short summary that includes reference to your working relationship; a line or two about the demonstrated skill, character trait or work ethic. When you are finished, click ‘SEND’.
5. An auto-generated email will notify the recipient, and redirect them to LinkedIn® where they can 1) accept and show, 2) accept and hide, 3) request a replacement, or 4) archive it.
6. Once a Recommendation is accepted, it is visible on both parties’ profiles.
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by try-ing to get other people interested in you.” Dale Carnegie
Part of that networking I talked about earlier takes place when we observe and listen to people around us; manag-ers, people in support roles, worker bees, suppliers, etc. The nicest surprise and one of the most affirming things that can happen, is to receive an unsolicited Recommendation. Who can you recommend today?
In our next installment, we’ll talk about LinkedIn® Groups.
Until next time,
Mary
8 www.flexoglobal.com November 19, 2009FlexoGlobal
Technology
About the Author:Mary Mekelburg is a Social Media Coach. She has pre-sented the mechanics and strategy of using LinkedIn to Small Business, in an academic setting and to job seekers. Hav-ing experience in the corporate world, non-profit and small business, Mary can relate to the needs, requirements and constraints of each; as well as propose strategies to help an
individual or company stand out. Mary has found that
working with individuals on their own pc/laptop is an ef-fective way to increase familiarity and build confidence in using Social Media.
Mary lives in Theresa, Wisconsin near the Theresa/Allenton Marsh with her husband Dick, and kitty, Jenga. Mary most recently worked at QuadTech, a Quad/Graphics subsidiary where Mary spent the better part of three years immersing herself in the ‘how does it work?’ segment of package print-ing. She enjoys connecting with people, following Social Media trends closely, reading and bird watching. Connect with Mary at www.linkedin.com/in/marymekelburg.
Goldstar – the ideal doctor blade for abrasive inks
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610-837-5026 novation-inc.com ScrapTracker utilizes Novation’s AF-2 automatic WebFlagger to safely and accurately flag the defective sections of a web in any printing or converting process. The flagger can be triggered via any automatic web inspection device or manually. The operator inputs the defect type by pressing one of six user defined pushbuttons. This data is used to generate reports for individual rolls. The reports can be printed or stored on a plant LAN, and the data can be used to generate shift reports, efficiency reports, etc.
Represented by: The Provident Group 15 Pleasant Street, Suite 7 Concord, NH 03301
CAUTION! ANSI defines a nip between the material and the reel, mandrel or core as a RUNNING NIP.
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To learn more, call 704.588.3371or Toll Free 800.438.3111
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13www.flexoglobal.comNovember 19, 2009 FlexoGlobal
What is print? It’s how we communicate. How enterprises are enabled and individuals influenced. Here, there, and everywhere. Kodak provides answers for a dynamic, diverse marketplace. See for yourself at Drupa. Kodak solutions are here. Print is powerful.
Visit kodak.com/go/packagingSee the power of Kodak innovation at Drupa, Hall 5.©Kodak, 2008. Kodak is a trademark.
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What is print? It’s how we communicate. How enterprises are enabled and individuals influenced. Here, there, and everywhere. Kodak provides answers for a dynamic, diverse marketplace. See for yourself at Drupa. Kodak solutions are here. Print is powerful.
Visit kodak.com/go/packagingSee the power of Kodak innovation at Drupa, Hall 5.©Kodak, 2008. Kodak is a trademark.
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47888_KGCG_DrupaAd_CM.indd 1 3/6/08 3:32:22 PM