Tips and Tricks to Turn You Into a LinkedIn Power User

1 - You should subscribe to RSS Feed for the LinkedIn updates. This way you won't miss any.

2 - Viewing all the updates, you can "mine" connection updates. When one of your contacts connects with some one else, you'll see that notification. Maybe you also know that person and you can generate a connection request of your own.

3 - When one of your contacts provides a significant update, you can comment on that update enhancing your relationship with that contact.

If your name is often misspelled, or if you are a woman who has a maiden name or more than one married name, add a section to your LinkedIn Profile for misspellings of your name and your other, former, names.

See this article on my Website for more details: http://bit.ly/R7qNr

I would add, "be a good citizen/neighbor", i.e.:
* don't use groups for blatant self-promotion; instead, raise issues that fellow members of the group should find interesting
* don't spam group lists

Also, and I know this is a matter of some controversy, I would DISCOURAGE "open networking", i.e., establishing connections with people you don't know or with whom you have never had any contact. The value of LinkedIn is to be able to recommend or introduce people based on your own experiences - those who 'open network' are merely trying to either enhance their own self-importance and/or evade LinkedIn's fee structure for outreach to new contacts. The more people who pee in the pool, the less desirable it will be to swim in.

It is unwise to attempt to LinkIn with someone you do not already know in personal or professional life. The goal is to further your existing career through networking with people that can do you some good, or to get yourself into a new position. Keep it professional, upbeat, positive, and above all, TRUTHFUL. Getting a new friend in Facebook by being untruthful is typical... Getting a job through LinkedIn by being untruthful will likely get you fired, and also result in embarrassment and possibly punitive action for your LinkedIn buddies who give you recommendations.