What are LinkedIn plugins?

Plugins are apps or programs that can be added to websites for users to use in their own unique way. Some are designed specifically for social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram while others have been tailored to work with other platforms like Google Maps, Pinterest and YouTube.

You may not know it but there are actually thousands of different types of plugins available – some which are completely free and others which will cost you money if you want to purchase them outright. It's worth researching each one before installing any as certain ones might clash with other software installed elsewhere on your computer.

But what about LinkedIn? What is it? And how does adding a few of its best plugins help me connect better with people online?

It was originally founded by Stanford University students Reid Hoffman and Chris Hughes back in 2003 and has since grown into an incredibly useful platform for connecting with potential business partners and clients. With over 800 million members worldwide, it's easily the largest professional networking site out there.

LinkedIn allows you to create profiles where you can upload pictures, videos, links and much more information about yourself. You can also share this content through email, text message and even post updates directly onto your wall (as well as all of the above via various social channels). The service includes tools for finding jobs, connecting with recruiters, following companies, getting recommendations from colleagues and friends and much more besides.

So whether you're looking to network professionally or simply explore new opportunities, LinkedIn makes it easier than ever to find those who need your services or products. So let's take a look at some of the top LinkedIn plugins you should consider using to make sure you're maximizing every opportunity offered by the site.

Does LinkedIn allow Plugins?

Yes! If you have a premium account then your options are endless. For example, you could install the LinkedIn Follow Company Plugin and set up targeted alerts when someone posts something relevant to your industry. Or you could install the LinkedIn Sales Navigator Applet which lets you see exactly who viewed your profile, along with their location and interests. This helps you decide whom to contact next time you're selling your product.

The possibilities are truly limitless. However, many of the more advanced features require a paid subscription, including things such as "InMail" messages sent between two users and the ability to send invitations to join groups and events. These are usually only accessible to businesses, though they do offer limited functionality without paying.

If you don't already have a LinkedIn Premium Account, you'll probably find that signing up is very straightforward and won't cost you anything extra - just click here to sign up now.

Are bots allowed on LinkedIn?

There are no known bots currently being used on LinkedIn, nor are they likely to become a problem anytime soon. In fact, LinkedIn recently announced plans to block automated messages and accounts created solely for spamming purposes. While we can never rule out future threats to the integrity of the system, right now bots aren't really considered a threat to user security.

However, if you'd prefer to stay safe rather than sorry, you can always disable notifications whenever you receive a message via the settings page within your LinkedIn account.

How do I add a LinkedIn feed to WordPress?

WordPress is a great choice for bloggers because it offers tons of customization options and plugins which can extend its capabilities significantly. One of the most popular ways to customize WordPress is by integrating a feed reader which displays RSS feeds from other websites.

While there are plenty of RSS readers available for WordPress, many of them come bundled with additional themes, widgets, plug-ins and advertising which isn't ideal if you want to keep costs down. Fortunately, there are several different Feeds & Links plugins which provide simple yet powerful solutions for displaying news stories inside your blog.

For instance, the Alltop RSS Reader WordPress Plugin gives you access to hundreds of blogs across dozens of categories so you can browse and read whatever topics interest you. Meanwhile, the Linky Blogger Theme brings similar functionality to WordPress itself. Both plugins include support for customizing layout styles, choosing background images, setting font sizes and colors, and more. There's even a chance that both plugins are still active today, meaning you can continue reading content without having to pay for another extension.

Another option is to use either the Feedburner API or the FeedBlitz API instead. These APIs act similarly to RSS Readers, but give you complete control over the code behind the scenes. As long as you've got enough coding knowledge, this means you can build your own customized version of the theme or plugin and tailor it however you wish.

How do I add a LinkedIn button to my website?

A lot of people struggle with creating compelling calls to action and persuading visitors to interact with their site/blog. But the good news is that LinkedIn buttons are pretty common nowadays thanks to the popularity of the site and the fact that they integrate seamlessly with nearly every major CMS.

Just search for "linkedin button" or "linkedin integration" on Google and you'll quickly discover loads of results. Once you've found an appropriate solution, ensure you put it somewhere prominent on your site – ideally near the footer or sidebar area. Then you can link to your LinkedIn profile straight away and encourage viewers to visit your site.

And if you're interested in learning more about marketing and SEO, check out our article showing you everything you need to know about optimizing your LinkedIn presence for success.

Which LinkedIn plugins would you recommend? Let us know below!

1) FollowUp

FollowUp is an app which allows you to follow up on people's activities on LinkedIn by sending automated messages when they update their status.

The idea behind this plugin is to encourage all members who sign-up to connect with each other through LinkedIn. Once connected, you will receive updates from anyone you're following as well as any new activity from those you've followed. You'll also see updates about the person you're following if they post something interesting.

FollowUp has two different versions - one for iPhone/iPad and another for Android devices. Both versions require iOS 5.0+ or Android 2.3+. If you're using a device running older than that version then it won't work.

Once installed, simply open the application and select 'Connect' from the menu at the top right corner. You may need to enter your email address and password before connecting. After successful connection, you should now see a bar displaying how many notifications you have received since last time you checked.

To view all of your notifications click on the notification icon located next to the search box (see image below)

When someone posts anything interesting, you'll receive a notification letting you know. Clicking on the notification takes you to the original article where you can read what was posted.

If you'd rather not receive notifications via email, just change the settings under Settings > Notifications.

There are three different types of notifications available depending on whether you want to receive updates based on your network, specific contacts or both. To set up either type of notification go to Settings > Notification Preferences.

You might have already heard about LinkedIn - it's one of the world's largest social networks, used by over 400 million people worldwide (and growing). It offers a wealth of opportunities for those who use it well, including job leads, business networking and even building up their personal brand. And there's no shortage of ways to make sure that LinkedIn is at its best when you're using it.

But sometimes, what you really want from LinkedIn isn't another view of your network or an update in your inbox. Sometimes you just want something very specific: a little extra functionality added to your account that makes things easier. If this sounds like you then we've got some great news.

There are plenty of apps and plugins available which will give you access to all sorts of useful features that can be integrated directly onto your LinkedIn page, without having to leave the site itself. They'll also help you keep track of everything that happens around your account, whether you're trying to land new jobs, build relationships with potential clients, or simply improve your professional image.

So if you've been thinking about signing up for LinkedIn but haven't yet done anything about it because you don't know where to start, here's our guide to adding any of these tools to your LinkedIn profile. We've sorted through the most common options and picked out some of the best ones that will suit different types of users. Let's take a look...

How do I add LinkedIn plugin to WordPress?

If you use Word Press as your blog platform, there's a good chance that you've already installed a number of plug-ins, giving you lots of additional functions beyond the standard blogging software. Many of these will work across platforms too, meaning they can be easily transferred between websites.

LinkedIn is one such tool, and many developers have created versions specifically designed for Word Press users. You should find several in your search results, although not every version will support all elements of the service, so check before installing.

The first thing to consider is whether you need to install an app or a plugin. An App allows you to perform actions within the same window as the original web browser, whereas a Plugin gives you full control of the code behind the scenes. The latter option means that you could potentially extend the capabilities of your own website, while the former is often limited to simple actions.

Once you've decided which way you'd prefer to go, you'll need to decide which type of app/plugin you need. There are two main kinds, both of which come with their pros and cons:

A Chrome extension will load straight into your browser, allowing you to interact with LinkedIn without leaving the page itself. This does mean that you won't be able to see exactly how other members respond to your messages, however. Some may require a bit of learning though, since Chrome doesn't offer much assistance when it comes to programming.

An Inline Extension requires you to click through to a separate webpage, rather than loading into your current tab. Once loaded, you'll still have to log back into LinkedIn yourself, making it slightly less convenient than a Chrome extension would be. However, it has the advantage of being completely unobtrusive, which is ideal if you don't want others to notice that you're using LinkedIn outside of the official interface.

How do I get my LinkedIn feed on my WordPress website?

One of the best reasons to sign up for LinkedIn is to gain exposure for your online presence. You'll receive updates whenever someone adds you to their list, shares content you post, or comments on items that you write, and you can choose to share your posts automatically. But did you know you can actually put this power right beside you on your homepage?

It's called a Feed Widget, and it lets you display recent activity from anyone else who uses LinkedIn. As long as you've enabled feeds for your account, you can select from either public profiles or private ones, and set the frequency of updates accordingly. Then you can customize the text displayed in the box to show whatever information you wish, and insert links to relevant articles that were shared by your contacts.

This particular feature is handy for bloggers looking to create traffic, or businesses who rely heavily on referrals to generate revenue. If you've ever wanted to find out who was talking about your products on Facebook, Twitter or Google+, now's your chance to do it for real.

How do I integrate LinkedIn into WordPress?

Of course, you don't always need to download a whole new piece of software to make changes to your LinkedIn page. Instead, there are loads of options that let you tweak certain aspects of your profile without needing to open a second program. These include customizing your About section, adding tags to photos, changing your cover photo, updating your CV, and so much more.

As with the previous example, some of these tweaks won't affect the overall appearance of your LinkedIn page. Others will. For instance, you can change your status message from "Looking for Work" to something more appropriate depending on your situation. Or maybe you'd like to switch off the "I'm Interested" button altogether, instead focusing entirely on sharing content from your network. Whatever you're after, you should be able to find it somewhere on the internet. We've found a few sites dedicated to helping you find plugins that fit your needs, but if none exist you can try searching for keywords related to your requirements.

And remember that you can always use the mobile version of LinkedIn to browse and edit your account wherever you are.

How do I get a LinkedIn widget?

While widgets aren't quite as powerful as apps or plugins, they provide similar benefits for displaying information on your blog. Like the above examples, they're usually fairly straightforward to set up, and you can use them to promote events, services or products that relate to your interests.

Most widgets run within your regular theme, so you'll probably need to adjust some settings to accommodate them. That said, they're quick and painless to implement, so we recommend grabbing a couple if they sound interesting. A lot of companies release their own widgets that you can use on your own site, but these tend to be geared towards promoting themselves rather than yours.

For instance, if you like music, you might be interested in checking out the Spotify widget. If you're selling goods, the Amazon widget is worth considering. Alternatively, you could grab the LinkedIn Sales Navigator, which provides a detailed overview of your connections' buying habits. Just enter a keyword into the search bar below your address bar to find the perfect match.

Which brings us neatly to the final question: How do I ban LinkedIn extensions?

If you find that you've become addicted to a specific application, plugin or widget, you can remove it permanently from your LinkedIn profile. To do so, head to Settings & Privacy & Security under Account Management, then scroll down to Extensions. From there, you can toggle each individual item to On/Off, or delete them individually if necessary.

Alternatively, you can block the entire category via Filter Options, which prevents you from seeing future applications within that area. Unfortunately, once blocked, you won't be able to reactivate them unless you contact the developer. So think carefully before taking drastic action.

In short, you shouldn't expect anything fancy from LinkedIn, and you certainly shouldn't expect it to replace your existing social media accounts. Its biggest appeal lies in being the easiest place to link up with old colleagues, friends and family, especially if you're working remotely. But beyond that, it's mostly just a collection of personal details and a bunch of recommendations.

You've heard about how great LinkedIn is (and it really is). But what can it actually do for you if you're not already on the platform or using one of its apps? Well aside from helping to find jobs, connect with other professionals in your field, and potentially land some extra business leads, there's another aspect that many people don't know about yet - LinkedIn has become a social network where you can share information, post articles, make videos, join groups, etc. And while this may seem like just a niche thing for those who have been on LinkedIn long enough, there's still plenty we haven't even scratched the surface of. 

It doesn't take much effort to see why people are flocking to the site every day - the number of professional contacts available to us through our networks alone means that having someone else on the same page as us could lead to a lot of opportunities. So here we'll look at some of the best ways to leverage the power of LinkedIn, whether you want to boost your own visibility by adding new content and followers, or simply want to learn something new about the site itself.

But first, before we dive into any of that, let's start off by looking at what exactly "LinkedIn" stands for. It was originally called The Professional Network when it launched back in 2003, but now refers to the world's largest professional network online, boasting over 500 million members across 200 countries. There's also a whole host of different sections within the app, such as Groups, Jobs, Company Pages, Events, and Blogs, all of which will be familiar to anyone who uses it regularly.

So without further ado, let's jump right into the top 10 LinkedIn plugins everyone should install. We won't go into detail on each individually, because they're pretty self-explanatory, but instead focus on their main purpose and features. If you're interested in learning more about the individual plugins themselves, check out our guide to the best LinkedIn plugins.

How do I add a LinkedIn feed to an Elementor theme?

If you'd rather not deal with installing a separate plug-in, then you can always create your own custom LinkedIn feed inside Elementor and display it anywhere on your WordPress site. This way you can control everything yourself from the backend, including setting up automatic updates, choosing between multiple feeds, and tweaking the layout to suit your needs.

We've created a video tutorial showing you exactly how to set this up in Elementor, complete with screenshots, step-by-step instructions, and answers to common questions along the way. You can watch it below:

What do people Use LinkedIn for?

Nowadays, the majority of users stick to LinkedIn purely for networking purposes. However, some choose to use it as well as Twitter and Facebook for sharing news stories and links related to their industry, as well as getting involved in discussions around certain topics. They might also try to build relationships via emailing others directly once they've found somebody worth contacting.

There's no reason why you can't take advantage of this too though, especially if you work in IT support or software development. In fact, we recently spoke to tech blogger and podcaster Joe Looney about his thoughts on using LinkedIn effectively. He told me he used it for finding job offers, making contact with potential clients, building relationships, and promoting himself, among other things.

Here's a list of reasons why some people choose to use LinkedIn daily or weekly:

To keep track of relevant events happening in their industry.

To stay connected with colleagues, friends, family, and old school pals.

To share interesting articles, resources, and tips with the rest of their network.

To promote their personal brand and grow their following.

To discover new companies/businesses to partner with, collaborate with, or buy shares in.

To receive targeted marketing messages.

To engage with customers and prospects on behalf of their employer.

To help spread awareness of local businesses and upcoming events.

To meet new business partners and investors.

To sell products and services.

To get hired.

What do people use LinkedIn the most for?

Of course, the above examples aren't exclusive to just IT experts or developers - everybody finds value in being able to access and share useful information, regardless of what area of life they're working in. That said, there are a few particular areas where LinkedIn shines brightest. Below we've listed five of the most important ones:

Job hunting: Whether you're actively searching for a new position or trying to improve your current employment status, LinkedIn makes connecting with employers and recruiters easier than ever. With over 3 billion searches made on the site every month, you never know whose eyes you might catch scrolling past your own name.

Professional growth: As we mentioned earlier, LinkedIn isn't only useful for keeping tabs on your career progression, it's also good for staying ahead of your competition. By joining relevant groups and reading posts written by other influencers in your chosen field, you can learn new skills and develop valuable insights into what you need to succeed. Plus, there's nothing quite like knowing that you're part of a community full of people going through the exact same process as you.

Business Development: When you consider the sheer amount of traffic that goes through LinkedIn every single day, it becomes clear that they must be doing something right. Not only does it provide a wealth of knowledge for both consumers and business owners alike, but it also presents you with countless chances to market yourself and your organization. After all, if you're selling anything, you probably wouldn't advertise on television anymore. Why would you put all that time and energy into something that's likely to fail?

Social Media Management: The ability to manage various accounts at the touch of a button is invaluable. Instead of wasting precious hours creating and posting blog articles manually, you can spend less time worrying about what your audience wants to read and more time focusing on growing your presence elsewhere.

Relationship Building: While it sounds obvious, the truth is that LinkedIn provides endless opportunities to reach out to people you might otherwise miss. From simple emails to handwritten notes, you can send messages to anybody, anytime, anywhere. Of course, you shouldn't expect instant responses, but if you've got a genuine interest in someone, you'll surely strike gold eventually.

Why are people using LinkedIn?

The answer to this question changes depending on whom you ask, but generally speaking, people use LinkedIn for two primary reasons:

As a source for obtaining new employment.

For boosting their own personal brand.

Although LinkedIn itself is primarily designed to assist with either of these tasks, it's also extremely versatile. For example, if you're looking for a job, you can easily search other profiles for similar roles, apply for open positions, or even request feedback on your CV. Alternatively, if you're a freelancer or consultant and you want to showcase your portfolio, you can upload images to your profile, write blogs, or share articles. On the flip side, if you're trying to increase your popularity and influence, you can join groups, contribute to conversations, and even start your own group.

And although we touched upon the benefits of using LinkedIn for business purposes, there are also numerous perks for individuals who want to maintain a healthy relationship with their peers. For instance, being active on the site allows you to interact with other professionals, gain insight into trending issues, and find inspiration for future projects.

Finally, it's important to remember that LinkedIn is far from perfect. Just because you're currently signed up to the platform, doesn't mean that you can rely on it 100% of the time. Although the system works perfectly fine 99% of the time, 1% of the time it could break down completely and leave you unable to log onto the account. Even worse, you could accidentally delete your entire profile and lose your hard earned reputation forever.

In short, LinkedIn is awesome, but it's not infallible. If you want to harness its full potential, you'll need to invest a little bit of time and effort into maintaining it properly. Thankfully, however, it's very straightforward to set up a basic profile, so hopefully you'll soon feel comfortable navigating through the platform again.