While Facebook, MySpace and Twitter build friendships and followers, LinkedIn focuses on business communications and relationships. Through "LinkedIn Answers," relationships are made with peers in a professional forum. While spending time providing answers to various questions might seem like a time-waster, it is anything but that. LinkedIn Answers builds your credibility and may even lead to more business for your company.

The system will even recommend categories for you - or you can scan the entire listing of categories if you feel you have knowledge in any certain areas. The system also offers a useful button, "My Q&A" that separates all of the questions you asked and the questions you answered.

In terms of content, the sky's the limit. For example, under the "Finance and Accounting" category, various questions (as of this writing) include:
• Has anyone successfully applied for the new version of the PTIN for paid preparers?
• Does anyone prepare GAAP financials for nonprofit organizations? If so, do you separate performance revenues versus non-performance revenues?
• Which management tools are you using to forecast by cost center your need in term of FTE for budget?

While you cannot advertise or promote your firm, organization or job, it's a fact that people will reach out to you if they like your answers to their questions. In fact, if the questioner chooses your answer in a particular area as the "best," you earn a point of expertise each time in that category. As you gain more points, you can work your way up to becoming an expert and will be recognized with that status on LinkedIn.

If you are worried about your question not being answered, you shouldn't be. There are more than 80 million members in over 200 countries on LinkedIn, and to give you an idea of the intelligence and stature of some of your peers, executives from every Fortune 500 company participate in the system. With LinkedIn's goal to bring together the world's professionals and compel each one of us to be more efficient and advantageous, LinkedIn Answers does a great job of helping meet this goal, all the while ensuring each and every user's voice is heard.

In the business world, it is important to have a good reputation and be trusted by others. LinkedIn Answers helps establish yourself through candid responses and useful insight. As a result, your peers and friends of your contacts will recognize and respect your opinion. And, unlike some of the other social networking sites, there is an even stronger emphasis on privacy with LinkedIn. In terms of Answers, you can control whom you want to look at your questions. This option will allow you to target a certain audience to get your desired feedback.

About the Author
Hugh Duffy is co-founder and chief marketing officer of Build Your Firm, a practice development and marketing company for small accounting firms. Hugh teaches a series of Accounting Marketing Workshops and helps accounting firms with developing niches in their practice. He can be reached at 888-999-9800 x151, or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .