LinkedIn has attracted 175 million professionals and hope-to-be professionals. It’s not only as a place to show your achievements and connect with colleagues from the past. Use it as a way of staying up-to-date with the news on LinkedIn Today and with changes in your professional field through Groups. Research companies and people to see their profiles and associations.  Here are a few articles.

10 LinkedIn Tips to Boost Your Job Search, itWorldCanada (Nov 2011) – slideshow on finding people, companies, friends, jobs and more.

6 Steps to a More Marketable LinkedIn Profile by Jeff Haden, Inc (Dec 7, 2011) – ” best social media platform for entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals.  ”

Five ways to use social media or other emerging technologies in your job search, SLA Future Ready 365 (May 2011) – calls Linkedin “your online “business card/elevator speech/resume on steroids””.

Three Ways To Use LinkedIn If You’re NOT Looking For A Job, Dave Copeland, ReadWriteWeb (Feb 9, 2012) – especially note the ability to curate news.

INFOGRAPHIC: Here’s How To REALLY Use LinkedIn, Business Insider (Nov 21, 2011) – how to use Linkedin for your business and personal marketing needs.

How to Use LinkedIn as a Research Engine, QuestionPro Blog (Nov 2010) – used creatively it can help with competitive intelligence, industry research, and markets.