Customer Reviews

Windmill Networking: Understanding, Leveraging & Maximizing LinkedIn: An Unofficial, Step-by-Step Guide to Creating & Implementing Your LinkedIn Brand - Social Networking in a Web 2.0 World

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For a person just getting started with LinkedIn (that would be me), this book helped me in two ways. It helped me understand the basic features and functionality of LinkedIn (which, with the help of the book, I have come to see as a very powerful tool); AND it helped me capture the spirit of "windmill networking", a "pay-in-forward" philosophy of networking. Having said that, the author is not much of a business person himself, and doesn't have much to say about using LinkedIn to forward one's business. He seems more focused on accumulating names as if the more names you had in your directory, the better business person you are. The book could have been a lot better had it really covered who to include, and who not to include, in your network, and even more, HOW to make a 2nd or a 3rd degree connection work in real world business situations. There was a lot of "fluff" in this book, not a lot of substance, and yet it was still a good starting point for taking your first steps into LinkedIn.

This is by far my favorite Linkedin book. Neal not only briefly covers the basics in a very thorough and accessible way; he also- and this is where the work really shines- examines the more sophisticated elements of Linkedin, and explains the underlying logic that can anchor your knowledge. His (How, What, Why) explication on Linkedin groups is worth the price of the book alone. The strategies he presents here are invaluable in expanding your Linkedin branding efforts.

I also learned a lot about advanced profile creation, and the optimum usage of Linkedin Questions and advanced searching strategies. I have looked at other books and attended several costly webinars on Linkedin that usually promise more than they deliver and often are a rehashing of the basics. Buy, read, and reference this well laid out, well written, master work on Linkedin. You can save yourself hundreds of dollars and hours of frustration, and it the most current book out there, which is an essential element when considering information on the rapidly evolving Web 2.0, social media, landscape.

Neal says he is currently working on a new book on, the often cryptic and confusing, Twitter. I'm sure Neal will help his readers master that pesky platform as well as he does here with Linkedin.

There are so many tools available on Linkedin that provide great value to its users. The trouble is that not all of them are intuitive. Furthermore, learning the nooks and crannies of Linkedin without guidance from Linkedin gurus like Neal takes an inordinate amount of time. Thanks to the techniques highlighted in this book, my Linkedin proficiency has skyrocketed. If you want to learn how to use Linkedin to its maximum capacity without having to pay for a premium account, read Neal's book. Happy networking!

I should have known better than to buy a 361-page book about this subject. There isn't really that much to say about it, since the reader can easily find out most of this information by just exploring the site itself. There's some useful information here, but it's is buried in overexplanation of every feature of LinkedIn, much of which explanation is unnecessary (even for a non-techie Baby Boomer like me) making it a pretty tedious read (even for a bookworm like me).

As for "windmill networking," this is the author's definition:

"Windmill Networking is understanding the unique value of creating and utilizing a virtual network through Web 2.0 social networking sites such as, but not limited to, LinkedIn; Windmill Networkers build up a sometimes virtual Trusted Network of Advisors to contact for help when necessary, while helping others in their network with a Pay It Forward attitude."

That's just... networking, and his giving it a special name seems like marketing fluff.

Windmill Networking anatomizes the reasons to utilize Social Media for job search purposes, to expand your career and get connected. Your return on investment although hard to quantify could very likely achieve multiple career goals; develop your brand awareness globally, expand your network, increase your networking efficiency and maximize your visibility. Interesting and valuable reading.

I reside in Hong Kong and also a frequent traveler in the APAC region because of work, and here in this part of the world I have never found any reference book which is quite as thorough and useful as this one. Before reading this book I was an occassional user of Linkedin but now I can understand more the power of Linkedin, and appreciate how such social networking site can be helpful in terms of expanding my business connection, advertising myself and my expertise, and finally contributing to my business opportunities in general.
A thumb up to this one and highly recommend to any linkedin user (both beginner and advanced)

I chose the title like this becouse this is the mistake I have made. If I have had read the book just one month ago, I would never chose for the premium account. And this is what this book gives you, being able to get the most of Linkedin without paying anything for it. Spend the money on the book, and you will also get knowledge about personal branding and networking in general. Worth of reading it !

This book contains everything you need to know about LinkedIn, but didn't know enough to ask. For example, do you know that, if you receive five "I Don't Know" responses to invitations that you send out, your invitation mechanism is locked? Do you know that there is a limit to the number of connections that you can make on LinkedIn? Are you familiar with LinkedIn "Answers" application and how it can help expand your social networking platform? Do you know how to find the right LinkedIn Groups for you? Whether you're a LinkedIn novice, a casual visitor, or a devoted social networker, there's something for everyone who wants to use this powerful site to expand their professional platform. Neal Schaeffer's book is an excellent guide for learning how you can create your own LinkedIn brand.

This book is an incredibly useful guide on how you can make the most of LinkedIn and its many features, whether you're completely new to LinkedIn or are looking for more advanced strategies to grow your social network. An enjoyable and easy read, the book really opens your mind to the potential of LinkedIn in particular and social networking generally.

LinkedIn offers an unprecedented opportunity to grow a huge network of people you might otherwise never have had the opportunity to connect with. The author shows you not only how to do this, but also how to build relationships with your connections. Actively participating in some of LinkedIn's 300,000+ Groups and using the Questions and Answers features are two of the best ways to do this - underpinned by a 'Pay it Forward' philosophy in which you look to freely help and share your expertise with others.

In my view, this is an essential book if you want to make the most of all that Linkedin has to offer.

With the slump of the economy you have to do everything you can to stay relevant and start building your brand. The Windmill Networking Guide teaches you step by step how to utilize your LinkedIn account. I had a LinkedIn profile for a few years, but never did much with it, simply had my resume on it. However, after reading this book I learned that I have to be more active on the site in order to stand out. Still looking for that dream job, but I have definitely gotten some great leads. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for the next step in their career.