Why am I on LinkedIN? Well, it seems either someone wanted help with how to use it or someone else was looking for a job and wanted a recommendation or I felt that I was socially compelled to accept the invite. For whatever reasons I’ve maintained my profile all of these years, I’ve never taken it that seriously until a couple of months ago.
I used to describe, and for the record I think it is still accurate, LinkedIN as an organic resume. That is, it is living and active, and I sought only to connect with people I actually know or worked with. During a conversation on Twitter with @PamAnnMarketing I was told that LinkedIn isn’t a resume, it’s a business card. I realized that I better get my custom URL.
Well, that was a huge chore and for all of the benefits of LinkedIN, it’s user interface could use a bit more work. (Maybe now that they’re on NYSE, they will fix this.)
Kill Two Birds With One Stone. Manage your public settings right in the same spot where you are given the option to customize your URL. Now, if your intent is to use LinkedIN as a business card, then you should have a photo that is visible to the public. I am in agreement with Sean Jackson at Copyblogger about the photo:
Don’t get clever with your picture
No one will recognize you if they can’t see your face. The best pictures have solid color backgrounds with your face taking up as much of the frame as possible. Sean Jackson | Copyblogger
You can click and unclick some of the other options and massage your public profile to your own delight, but let’s get down to the URL.
Why? It’s a lot easier to say linkedin.com/in/bridgetwillard than linkedin.com/pub/first-last/abunchofnumbers. It just looks nicer written out.
Customize your URL on LinkedIN:
- Click this link: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/public-profile-settings
- Sign into your account (if you were not already signed in).
- At the bottom right quadrant of the screen you will see “Your Public Profile URL.” (sceenshot below)
- Click the blue words “Customize your public profile URL.” (screenshot below)
- A popup box will come up and you can put in your desired name.
- If your desired name is taken, LinkedIN will offer other choices.
- Click “Set Custom URL.” (blue button)