CONTINUE TO LOOK AFTER YOUR POOL

Anything else is a false economy; When summer hits, you’ll have to spend even more time & money to repair the damage caused to your pool by ignoring it over winter……….

Here are a few suggestions to help you (& your pool) through the Winter:

             CLEAN FILTRATION EQUIPMENT – including

• Empty baskets, skimmer & pump lint pot
• Backwash the Sand Filter – OR
• Hose out the Cartridge Filter – OR
• Take apart the D/E Filter & clean
• Clean Chlorinator Cell if Required

             RE-BALANCE CHEMICALS:***

• Adjust alkalinity level to between 80 & 120 ppm.
  • To increase the alkalinity, add Sodium Bicarbonate to the pool (never more than 2 kilos per day)
  • The re-balancing of alkalinity (to lower levels) will be addressed when re-balancing the pH levels.
• Adjust pH to between 7.2 & 7.6
  • To reduce the pH Level, add Pool Acid (no more than 500mls at a time)
  • To increase the pH Level, add Soda Ash

             SUPER CHLORINATE YOUR POOL (applies to all :

• Shock Dose your pool with Chlorine with:
  • 500gms of Granular Chlorine for a 50,000 litre pool OR
  • 10 litres of Liquid Chlorine

             ADDITION OF ALGAECIDE

• Add a Long Life Algaecide, at the recommended dosage, for your specific Volume of Pool Water.

             RUN POOL FILTRATION EQUIPMENT:

• For at least 8 hours to thoroughly mix chemicals during the process of re-balancing.
• Adjust filter  timer to operate between 3-4 hours per day, to maintain over the Winter.

             USE A POOL BLANKET/COVER:

• If installing a Pool Cover, over Winter, wait until the Chlorine Level has reduced to between 2ppm & 3ppm.
• Reduce the Chlorine Production Output (CPO on your Chlorinator).  The Pool Cover will maintain 90% of the Chlorine (produced by your Chlorinator) in the Pool, as opposed to losing 70% of Chlorine in an uncovered Pool.
• Check the Chlorine Level after one (1) week.  If the result is between 2 & 3ppm, you will only need to check levels every two (2) weeks thereafter.  If the Level is higher, you will need to reduce the Chlorine Production (via CPO), re-checking levels one (1) week later.
• Check & adjust the pH Level every two (2) weeks.

             CHECK WATER LEVELS 

• The water level must sit half way up the skimmer box.

             REPEAT ABOVE CHECKS REGULARLY

Or phone us on 1300 544 393 & we’ll take care of it all for you.

***IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WHEN MIXING POOL CHEMICALS, WITH WATER – IN A BUCKET –

YOU ALWAYS FOLLOW THIS RULE:

ONLY ADD CHEMICALS TO WATER

NEVER ADD WATER TO CHEMICALS

Phone: 1300 544 393

Fax: 07 3892 4296

Email: admin@thepoolplanner.com.au

Postal: PO Box 3087, Tarragindi QLD 4121 Australia

Teach Your Child How To Say No

Of course children need boundaries, both to feel secure and to learn socially acceptable behaviour. They need to learn that “No means No”, not that “No will eventually turn into Yes” if they persist long enough.  However, once out of the ‘Terrible Twos’, it’s time to teach them that sometimes saying no to an adult is very important, and absolutely OK.  Teaching them to respect and value their bodies and personal space, and to trust their gut instinct about what is right and wrong, will help protect them against sexual abuse, and against bullying.  Sometimes a strong “No” is absolutely the right thing to do.

This self respect, and ability to say No, and mean it, will stand them in good stead through their teenage years when there can be strong peer (& adult) pressure for sex, binge drinking and drugs.  Each time we take a considered stand, and say No, and mean it, our self-confidence improves, as does our ability to make choices and have control over our lives.  The trick for parents is to step back and consider their teenager’s perspective, and accept that, sometimes, a No is an appropriate response.  

Just Say NO!

So if you are finding yourself stretched to the limit, stressed, always catching colds, and feeling like there aren’t enough hours in the day, where do you need to start saying “No”?   Are you on call 24/7 for some friends or family who drain you emotionally and/or physically?  Could your teenagers use public transport or car pool with other parents?  Do you work outside the home and still do all the housework, washing, cooking etc?  Does your partner insist you are always with him/her?  Do you always say yes at work, even when you know you can’t give your very best to even more tasks? Are you on every committee you’ve been asked to join?  Do you spend more time with others than your core family?

No one respects a doormat, not even you.  Some people find it easier to lean on others (you!), rather than learn to stand on their own two feet, and take responsibility for their choices.  Sometimes you’ve hidden your stress so well people simply have no idea they are handing you the straw that breaks the camel’s back. It’s not about being selfish, it’s about self-care, self-respect and keeping yourself well and strong enough so you can be there 100% in time of real need. 

Of course, those who are used to you always saying yes will be baffled, perhaps even angry, at a pleasant firm no, so that’s when it’s important keep your boundaries as set.  If they persist and you eventually give in, then, like toddlers, they will learn that “No” just means “Keep asking.”

If you’d like to use some quick and lasting NLP processes to empower yourself so it feels comfortable to say no, and to calmly keep your boundaries firm, call me to book yourself a time to change. Telephone  Sue Lester  0428 128679. Telephone/Skype appointments are also available Australia-wide.

Sue Lester

B.A. Dip Teach. Master Practitioner NLP, Hypnosis, Results Coaching.  

Facilitator of Conception Coaching and Stress Less For Success Workshops.

Ph 0428 128679

 www.growingcontent.com.au

www.paddingtonclinic.com.au

Have a Relaxing Easter

• From the weekend before start To Do and To Take lists to write down items as you & the family think of them.  Tick off as completed.
• Likewise have a designated To Take corner (perhaps in each bedroom).  You can always cull when actually packing.
• Decide what YOU need to relax on holidays e.g. time to read or shop or walk or sleep by yourself and negotiate with your partner when and how that will happen, BEFORE you go.
• Map out a family timetable so children know the general routine and which days their special activities are on – saves on hundreds of questions and pestering as they know they won’t miss out.
• Have an activity bag, including snacks and treats, for each child in transit, and on holidays.
• Do one final walk around the house to reassure yourself everything is locked, turned off, fed, watered, and packed.
• As you lock the door, mentally shut all of your work and other worries inside.
• Breathe, smile, enjoy!

(c) Sue Lester.  

Growing Content: Smoothing Your Path.  

 www.growingcontent.com.au 

sue@growingcontent.com.au

Not only do we need friends and supporters in our personal lives, we also need them in business. There are several reasons for this, and several types of relationships that need to be built.

Making money isn’t always the reason. If you are currently in business you know the going can get tough and it’s the community and relationships you build around you that can make the difference between keeping your doors open or having to close them. Another primary reason for relationship building is mutual support and contribution – education and guidance you both give and receive. Every person you meet has something to teach you. Likewise, you have something to teach them.

Sometimes, it can be a good idea to get clarity about where you are in your business by making a list of the peripheral people that help, edify, teach, refer, or otherwise help you to grow your business. Who are the people who believe in you and are willing to tell you the truth even when you may not want to hear it? These are your business friends. These people are a very important foundation for your business, especially if you are in small business.

People used to refer to the ‘old boys network’, a group of mates, who referred their buddies for future business. There is a difference in the marketplace today though. Where once people referred friends and colleagues without considering the effectiveness of these contacts, I now believe people work more on the level of ‘trust’ rather that just the ‘like’. A referral is a reflection of you in the marketplace so make sure you give one that will be successful if followed up.

The most important thing in any business is your attitude and the extent of your daily communication skills. This will show how you maintain your integrity and reputation. Consider all your business communications as a stepping stone to not only the person you are communicating with but all the people they know as well. Word of mouth is a powerful tool to harness. Referral is the easiest way to build a good and solid foundation for any business, and the repeat business that comes from it strengthens it. It is far easier (and cheaper) to keep an existing client than look for a new one!

Nurture the opportunities that come your way by providing something of value. It never hurts to be the first person to put something on the table. It builds trust in a world where trust is often challenged. While you do need to look after your cash flow, it can be a good idea to sometimes consider opportunities that won’t make money, because sometimes these opportunities build dynamic pathways to larger financial avenues.

A good example of this is the female publicist who began working with a fairly unknown author but had faith in his abilities. As it turned out, this author was a fountain of contacts within the media industry – to other well-known authors, and to additional businesses. The work performed by the publicist for free, for this one person, became the best advertising ever generated for her business. In turn the relationship she built with the author became bonded for life through goodwill.

Let’s consider the possibilities for you to find and build more business relationships. What organisations do you belong to, discussion lists, open forums, breakfast networks etc? I’ve heard too many times from business owners that they do not have time to join groups and ‘socialise’. Believe me, you don’t have the luxury not to, especially if you have a small business. It’s not only necessary…it’s vital.

The most important business-building tool is your business card. This is your shop window. It may be the one thing that makes someone contact you. I am surprised at the numbers of people who either don’t have a business card or don’t present professionally or don’t have the proper information on them. Your card must give all your contact details as well as information of what you do and what services you offer.

Another way to support your business is to find someone whom you trust to give the same service and professionalism as yourself, who has a complimentary business. You can then support each other in what we call co-operative business building. This is very effective and time saving.

If you haven’t already started to build your network, it’s time to locate the organisations in your industry and start making friends. It will pay you back one hundred fold. Building relationships in business is in effect building your business, so consider it time well spent and get started today!

A one-on-one session, mentoring, networking events, a one day course or a copy of Jennie’s e-book will give you all the basics to get your business moving forward.

www.jenniegorman.com

Jennie Gorman

07 3262 5343         0414 278 344

www.jenniegorman.com 

www.networkingchats.com

www.meetup.com/socialmediabrisbane

 “Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”

When your home is filled with clutter, trying to tackle a mountain of stuff can be quite overwhelming.

So here’s my advice: start with just five minutes. Baby steps are important. Sure, five minutes will hardly make a dent in your mountain, but it’s a start. Celebrate when you’ve made that start!

Then take another five minutes tomorrow. And another the next day. Before you know it, you’ll have cleared a whole closet or a room and then half your house and then … who knows? Maybe before long your house will be even more uncluttered than mine. We’ll have a challenge!

For those who are overwhelmed by their clutter, here are some great ways to get started, five minutes at a time.

Designate a spot for incoming papers.

Papers often account for a lot of our clutter. This is because we put them in different spots — on the counter, on the table, on our desk, in a drawer, on top of our dresser, in our car. Designate an in-box tray or spot in your home and don’t put down papers anywhere but that spot. Got mail? Put it in the inbox. Got school papers? Put it in the inbox. This one little change can really transform your paperwork.

NB – Make sure you go through the inbox on a regular basis otherwise it will be overflowing (see next point).

Learn to file quickly.

Once you’ve created a filing system, you just need to learn to use it regularly. Take a handful of papers from your inbox, and go through them one at a time, starting from the top paper and working down. Make quick decisions: trash them, file them immediately, or make a note of the action required and put them in an “action” file. Don’t put anything back in the inbox, and don’t put them anywhere but in a folder or in the trash/recycling bin.

Clear off a counter.

You want to get your house so that all flat spaces are clear of clutter. Maybe they have a toaster on them, maybe a decorative candle, but not a lot of clutter. So start with one counter. Clear off everything possible, except maybe one or two essential things. Have a blender you haven’t used since that cocktail party last year? Put it in the cupboard! Clear off all papers and all the other junk you’ve been tossing on the counter too.

Pick a shelf.

Now that you’ve done a counter, try a shelf. Could be a shelf in a closet, or on a bookshelf. Don’t tackle the whole bookshelf — just one shelf. Clear all non-essential things and leave it looking neat and clutter-free.

Schedule a decluttering weekend.

Maybe you don’t feel like doing a huge decluttering session right now. But if you take the time to schedule it for later this month, you can clear your schedule, and if you have a family, get them involved too. The more hands pitching in, the better. Get boxes and trash bags ready, and plan a trip to a charity to drop off donated items. You might not get the entire house decluttered during the weekend, but you’ll probably make great progress.

Spend a few minutes visualising the room.

When I’m decluttering, I like to take a moment to take a look at a room, and think about how I want it to look. What are the most essential pieces of furniture? What doesn’t belong in the room but has just gravitated there? What is on the floor (hint: only furniture and rugs belong there) and what is on the other flat surfaces? Once I’ve visualised how the room will look uncluttered, and figured out what is essential, I get rid of the rest.

Create a “maybe” box.

Sometimes when you’re going through a pile of stuff, you know exactly what to keep (the stuff you love and use) and what to trash or donate. But then there’s the stuff you don’t use, but think you might want it or need it someday. You can’t bear to get rid of that stuff! So create a “maybe” box, and put this stuff there. Then store the box somewhere hidden, out of the way. Put a note on your calendar six months from now to look in the box. Then pull it out, six months later, and see if it’s anything you really needed. Usually, you can just dump the whole box, because you never needed that stuff.

Put a load in your car for charity.

If you’ve decluttered a bunch of stuff, you might have a “to donate” pile that’s just taking up space in a corner of your room. Take a few minutes to box it up and put it in your trunk. Then tomorrow, drop it off.

Create a 30-day list.

The problem with decluttering is that we can declutter forever but it just comes back because we buy more stuff. So fight that tendency by nipping it in the bud: don’t buy the stuff in the first place. Take a minute to create a 30-day list, and every time you want to buy something that’s not absolutely necessary, put it on the list with the date it was added to the list. Make a rule never to buy anything (except necessities) unless they’ve been on the list for 30 days. Often you’ll lose the urge to buy the stuff and you’ll save yourself a lot of money and clutter.

Teach your kids where things belong.

If you teach your kids where things go, and start teaching them the habit of putting them there, you’ll go a long way to keeping your house uncluttered. Of course, they won’t learn the habit overnight, so you’ll have to be very patient with them and just keep teaching them until they’ve got it. And better yet, set the example for them and get into the habit yourself.

Pull out some clothes you don’t wear.

As you’re getting ready for work, and going through your closet for something to wear, spend a few minutes pulling out ones you haven’t worn in a few months. If they’re seasonal clothes, store them in a box. Get rid of the rest. Do this a little at a time until your closet (and then your drawers) only contains stuff you actually wear.

Clear out your medicine and toiletries cabinet.

Go through everything such as outdated medicines, the stuff you’ll never use again, and then do the same with your toiletries and make-up. Be ruthless, chances are you will never wear that blue eye shadow again. Simplify to only the essential (and in date).

Clear out the kitchen junk drawer.

Just take the drawer out and empty it on a table. Then sort the drawer into three piles: 1) stuff that really should go in the drawer; 2) stuff that belongs elsewhere; 3) stuff to get rid of. Clean the drawer out nice, then put the stuff in the first pile back neatly and orderly. Deal with the other piles immediately!

Have a conversation with your partner or roommate.

Sometimes the problem isn’t just with us, it’s with the person or people we live with. An uncluttered home is the result of a shared philosophy of simplicity of all the people living in the house. If you take a few minutes to explain that you really want to have an uncluttered house, and that you could use their help, you can go a long way to getting to that point. Try to be persuasive and encouraging rather than nagging and negative.

Celebrate all your hard work by doing something you love. Invite friends around for a dinner party on your new uncluttered dining table, take a long leisurely bath in your uncluttered bathroom, or simply buy a bunch of fresh flowers to display on an uncluttered surface. Enjoy!

by Kerri Rodley

P:  +61 422 520 354
E:  kerri@domesticdownsizing.com.au
W:  www.domesticdownsizing.com.au

Kerri Rodley, Professional Organiser, Interior Stylist & Feng Shui Consultant with Domestic Downsizing – Declutter & Design is here to help!

What have flowers got to do with colour analysis and stylish dressing, I hear you ask!! Well, when you’ve had your skin analysed to see what colour hair, clothes, and make-up suit you the best and start using this new information and dressing the way nature intended you will not only look in harmony but feel it deep inside. You will now know what part of the garden you should be living in.

It’s like waking up from a deep sleep, finally everything feels right.  You know you look good, not only because of the compliments you start receiving but because your eyes are sparkling and your skin looks more relaxed.  You finally feel stylish, in control and excited about life again. When this happens anything is possible.

As a busy mother of 3 small children I know how it feels to be so busy, that some days you don’t even have time to check your reflection to see if your clothes are clean. Let alone looking in harmony or stylish. Well this is where this information is invaluable because dressing and shopping becomes easier and takes less time; you take away this information and have it for life. You can use it to decorate your home, style your garden, actually use it for anything involving colour. Imagine walking into a store or a boutique with that new confidence and passion again.

Happy shopping!

Contact Laura at laura@colourharmonystudio.com or 0412 561 344 or visit her website – http://www.colourharmonystudio.com

Laura Stafford

Before entering into a contract to purchase a property:

If no pool safety certificate is in effect before entering into a contract of sale for a property with a pool, the seller must give the prospective purchaser a Notice of no pool safety certificate—Form 36. 

Form 36 advises that the pool may not comply and the steps that must be taken to comply.  Form 36 is intended to help prospective purchasers make a more informed decision about purchasing the property.

Before settlement

If a pool safety certificate is in effect, the seller must give the buyer a copy of the certificate before settlement.  If a pool safety certificate is not in effect before settlement, the seller must give the purchaser a Form 36 with the settlement date on the form.  A copy of the form must also be sent to the Department of Infrastructure and Planning.

Leasing A Property:

 Under Queensland’s residential tenancy laws, if a new fixed term lease agreement is not signed or extended, it automatically becomes a periodic agreement.  Similar to the model adopted for replacement and testing of smoke alarms, the pool safety laws do not require a pool safety certificate to be obtained in this scenario. 

However, if the original terms and conditions of the agreement change at any point (e.g. a rent increase), a pool safety certificate will need to be obtained before entering into the new or renewed lease.

 POOL SAFETY FACT SHEETS:

The Queensland Government has released the following fact sheets, outlining the key requirements for compliance:

New Pool Safety Laws – Leasing a Property with a Pool

New Pool Safety Laws – Selling a Property with a Pool

New Pool Safety Laws – Overview

Tips to Make your Pool Safer.

FREE PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSIONS:

Are being held across Queensland.  To find out where and when they are being held, log onto:  http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/pool-safety/pool-safety-laws-information-sessions.html

POOL SAFETY REGISTER:

The Department of Infrastructure and Planning has released updated information regarding the commencement of the Pool Safety Register:

The pool safety register has been developed under the new pool safety laws. The register is being populated with Local Governments’ records of regulated pools across Queensland.

Pool owners should check the register after 28 February 2011 to ensure their pool has been registered. If your pool is not on the register after this date, you have until 4 May 2011 to register your pool. Penalties of up to $2,000 will apply after this time.

If the register shows that there is a current pool safety certificate for a property this can be relied on for any sale or lease of a regulated pool.

For more information, contact The Pool Planner on 1300-544-393 to organise your Pool Safety Certification.

Or if you’d like to find out how we can make the process of building a pool stress-free and cost effective visit our website

The Pool Planner

 admin@thepoolplanner.com.au

The Pool Planner is a premium solution for your Pool, Spa, Outdoor Living & Lifestyle needs.  You now have access to an easy, stress-free & cost effective process of planning, designing, building or renovating your Swimming Pool, Spa & Outdoor Living Space.

No one knows exactly how Google calculates the rank a website or page will receive for a particular search term, but it is common knowledge that regular updates have a positive effect on your rankings and duplicate content (that is content that appears elsewhere on the web) has a neutral or negative effect.

This need for fresh content has seen an explosion of blogs over the past couple of years. Businesses of all sizes have realised the benefit of creating a blog or Latest News section for their corporate websites and many of the most successful websites started out as blogs with articles from a range of authors.

If you visit one of the popular blog/news sites, for instance mashable.com or socialmediaexaminer.com (you probably have different sites to put in there, but these are two of my favourite technology sites), you will often see posts from “Guest Bloggers”. So what is this?

Put simply, a guest blogger is a person who has his or her own web presence but makes occasional contributions to other sites.

Why do guest bloggers give away original content like this?

If the article is well written and authoritative, it can be a huge boost for the author’s credibility. Also, if your website has 50 visitors per day and another site with 1000s of visitors per day asked you to contribute an article; you can see the benefits this additional exposure brings.

Some people may ask “Why would I write an original article and then publish it on someone else’s site?”

To those people I would say – if you have 50 visitors per day to your site and you are offered the chance to be published on a site with thousands of visitors a day, where would you rather post your original content?

When you contribute an article as a guest blogger you will be able to include an author bio box at the bottom. This tells readers why you are an authority on the subject and provides your contact details and website address.

The benefit to the hosting site owner is that if the content is a good fit for the site and meets the editorial guidelines, this can really add value to the visitors’ experience, without too much input from the site owner.

If you’re given the opportunity to be a guest blogger on a site, I say go for it. If you want to promote yourself and establish credibility as an expert in your field make a plan today to be published as a guest blogger on some sites you admire.

Sue Deans owns and operates Aptitudo, an online marketing consultancy based in Brisbane.

www.aptitudo.com.au

sue@aptitudo.com.au

0404 769 762

We all love a Bargain!

Everybody loves a good bargain! No surprise there. The growing popularity of ‘Daily Deal’ sites such as Spreets, Cudo, Jump On It, Our Deal and such, shows us just how much consumers are ready to snap up a great offer when they see it.

So are you getting in on this action? Before you go printing off hundreds of coupons, have a think about what you want to offer and how it will reflect on your business. A simple 10% off will not get customers beating down your door. It really doesn’t represent a great saving to the average purchase and isn’t likely to get people excited. It is always better to ‘Add Value’ than reduce price. Discounting can lead to a perception of lowered standards and we are all a little jaded by it these days. Think of the never-ending 80% off ‘Closing Down Sale’ rug companies always promote. Do you see those ads and think ‘Oh – I must rush in and get that bargain before it is too late!’? It is never too late! In fact, I challenge you to buy a rug at full price – you can’t!

So how do you add value without ruining your profit margin? Firstly choose to a product or service that has a high perceived value, but doesn’t necessarily cost you a lot. For instance a beauty salon that offers IPL treatments – they have already outlaid the money for the machinery and although obviously they need to make enough over time to cover that expense, throwing a treatment in with a package deal doesn’t really cost them more money. However to the consumer, it is a specialised treatment that when offered for free with another service becomes very tempting.

Which leads to the next tip for value adding – offer a product or service that creates a long term customer. One IPL treatment won’t do much, however after trying it you have a greater chance of convincing your customer to keep coming back. Next time they pay full price, because you never offered it at a discount – just a freebie to see if they liked it.

Package deals create excitement and can generate word of mouth advertising. Grouping several of your products or services together and offering it at a bargain price means the customer feels like they are getting an unbeatable deal while you can hide your profit margins. Still using the beauty salon example (honestly – this works for all types of businesses – I just seem to be stuck on beauty today!) the expense for having 5 clients in store receiving 5 different services is much higher than having just one client in store receiving 5 different services. It takes less time and staff to service the one client, plus offers a better opportunity to ‘woo’ them and hopefully turn them into a regular.

Offer group deals to get more people through your door. This is the strength of sites such as Spreets and Cudo et al – nobody gets the deal unless a predetermined number of people purchase. Giving away a 2 for 1 whale watching cruise (see – I moved on from beauty!) may not be worth it to the cruise company, however if they sold 30 of these deals it is well and truly worth it.

Once you have come up with a great offer – make it easier for people to talk about it. Social media is a god-send to small businesses wishing to promote themselves. Post your deal all over the internet and encourage others to do it for you. Give people an incentive for referring their friends. Facebook has loads of sites that are happy to have people post on their walls about special deals – the Shoutout pages  , Amazing Offers  , The Mummy Tree  , Support a WAHP (Work At Home Parent)  – just be sure to check their rules for posting on the wall.

So a quick guide to the tips creating a Special Offer

• Don’t discount – Value Add

• Choose a service/product with high perceived value, yet doesn’t cost you a lot

• Offer a service/product that entices people to keep coming back

• Create an unbeatable package deal to show off several services/products

• Offer deals for ‘group’ purchases to get people talking to their friends

• Promote it EVERYWHERE!

• Offer incentives to those who pass your deal on to others

The Kitchen Table Network encourages members to offer deals within the network. If you have a great offer you’d like to promote to the women of TKTN send it in to enquiry@tktn.com.au – we have big plans in store for 2011 and this is one area we will be working hard on. So get your deals in now so we can help promote your business!

By Tatia Power

You begin by signing up with your name and a valid email address and then get to work on your profile. It is like an interactive resume – you add everywhere you have worked, your position and the length of time you spent there, plus what your career goals are for the future. Keep in mind that these details are visible to anyone on the internet, including prospective employers. It is common practice these days for employers to search online for details on an applicant, so don’t list any work places you would rather no one knew about. As it is possible to search companies on Linkedin, an employer could locate people you have previously worked with as well. So if you have been fired from a job and don’t want to disclose it – don’t list the job on Linkedin.

Once you have added your past workplaces you can look for connections – people you know. These are ranked depending on the degree of separation you have. First degree contacts are people you have added to your network – you sent them an invitation to connect with you and they accepted. Second degree contacts are people who have connected with your contacts, but are not yet connected directly to you. To explain this further imagine I added my current workplace and connected with all the employees there – these are all now first degree contacts. If a new person starts work with your company and adds it to their Linkedin profile they are instantly a 2nd degree connection for me. They become a first degree connection when we personally make the effort to add each other. Third degree connections are those that are connected to your second degree connections – confused yet? Don’t fret – that side of it isn’t terribly important in the broad scheme of things! Just keep in mind that over time, as your list of connections builds, your reputation is summed up by the relationships you’ve developed over your career.

If you run your own business create a company profile – there is a wizard program you can follow for this. Add logos, locations, blogs sites, company bio and more. Forward the link to any employees you have so they can add it to their profiles.

One of the best features of Linkedin is ‘Groups’ which allows people with a common interest to connect with each other and discuss relevant topics. This is a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field as you answer questions or participate in conversations. Remember this is a professional forum – so don’t use acronyms like LOL or IMO – keep these for Facebook. By getting involved in groups you can build your presence online and be acknowledged by people who would otherwise have never heard of you. Take some time each week to browse through your groups and you will be surprised the wealth of information you can find.

There is also an active forum for Questions and Answers that is open to participate in, giving you further opportunity to raise your profile – http://www.linkedin.com/answers

On your ‘Home’ page you are able to create status updates, much like Facebook and Twitter, however these should be relevant to your business image. Linkedin allows you to connect your profile with other platforms such as Twitter which can enrich your profile. Only link it to a professional Twitter account though – as you don’t want your status updates to fill up with the inane chatter that can be present on most personal accounts.

If you write a blog you should definitely import that to Linkedin as it is an opportunity to share your knowledge, raise your profile in your field and increase traffic to your website or blog site.

Requesting a ‘Recommendation’ is an effective way to enhance your professional image, as it works as a reference. You are able to ask your connections to write you a short recommendation which will then be visible to anyone viewing your profile, giving you more credibility and authority. Again, keep these to business contacts – no one cares that your BFF thinks you are the most wonderful person they have ever known.

A great benefit of Linkedin is that it optimises very well in Google, with your profile frequently being the first result in a search for you by name which is preferable to some of the results that could show for many people. You need to ensure you have selected ‘Full View’ in your public profile so that search engines can locate you.

Linkedin has a ‘Jobs’ section where you can search for a position or browse through the ones in the ‘Jobs you may be interested in’ panel, which will have matched your interests and past positions with similar new jobs on offer. Similarly, recruiters will sometimes scour Linkedin to find potential candidates for roles they are trying to fill. The more detail you have in your profile the greater you chances of being found in these searches.

So – some quick tips to keep in mind now that you are ready to get Linkedin –

■Keep your profile professional, but not dry – it should still reflect your personal style – this is what will make you stand out as individual.

■Add your own company to Linkedin with as much detail as possible

■Search for relevant groups to help you get connected and raise your profile

■Make connections – be proactive and send invitations to people you know

■Link relevant platforms such as Twitter or you blog to your Linkedin profile

■Participate! This is the most important one – there is no point creating a profile if you don’t utilise it. Get involved!

Tatia Power – Digital Marketing