Boost Your Professional Karma

Ever wonder how people become social media masters with scores of followers and hundreds of likes and comments on each of their posts? Well it all comes down to one simple principal: you have to give love to get love.

Not sure how to get started? You donâ€™t have to spend all day on the internet to get engaged. Youâ€™d be surprised the difference a few minutes of online activity every day can make on your online reputation.Â Take fifteen minutes a day to climb the ladder of engagement from novice to social media maven.

Levels of Engagement

1. Like, Thumbs Up, +1

The like is the simplest way to interact with others on social networks. Just click the Like button under a post and your name will appear beneath it as someone who publicly appreciates that content.Â Â

Why?

Users want to know that their friends enjoy the content they post. And the easiest way to get others to show you that they enjoy your content is to show them first. Liking is such a simple and painless activity that itâ€™s hard to find a reason not to do it. It should go without saying that you should not like any inappropriate or unprofessional content

Endorsements
LinkedIn features a special category of engagement called Endorsements. This allows users to endorse their connections for skills and experience. To do this, just visit someoneâ€™s profile and scroll to Skills & Expertise section and click the plus button next to skills youâ€™d like to endorse.

2. Comment

To comment on a post, just click in the text box beneath it and give your opinion on the content. You donâ€™t have to write a novel. Just a sentence or two is enough to show someone you care.

Why?
Commenting on a post takes more effort than simply clicking the like button. By demonstrating this level of engagement you can begin to take your passive social media relationships to the next level. Commenting shows that you care enough about what was posted to add your own two cents.

3. Recommend

LinkedIn allows you to write recommendations for your connections. These recommendations are like public references. To recommend someone, just click the drop down menu next to their picture and select Recommend.

Why?
When employers visit your profile, they want to see recommendations because they show that youâ€™re able to cultivate productive professional relationships. Recommendations are displayed next to each position, so youâ€™ll want to reach out to coworkers from each job to bulk up your profile.

4. Share

Put your own spin on someone elseâ€™s content. To do this, find an interesting article or post on the web and share it on your chosen social network. Most networks allow you to paste a URL into the text box and will automatically generate a preview summary for the content. Then write a couple sentences about the article. Do you agree or disagree with the writer? Tell us why.

Why?
Sharing content is easy and the first step you can take to becoming a content creator yourself. When your connections see you reposting informative and relevant content, theyâ€™ll begin to look forward to your posts and see you as a knowledgeable agent in your field.

5. Create

You create your own content when you write an original post about some relevant topic in your industry. This might be a blog post, YouTube video (vlog), or any other kind of media.

Why?
Publishing your own content is the ultimate way to improve your reputation and standing within your field. When others consume your content and find it useful, youâ€™ll begin to be seen as an expert in your field. Creating content takes practice, so donâ€™t be discouraged if yours doesnâ€™t take off right away. Persevere, however, and your time investment will start paying off dividends.

Looking for a quick way to get started?Â
Take a couple minutes each day to complete some of these steps to social networking success.Â