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New way to add contacts to your LinkedIn account follow this blog post

posted by on March 6, 2007
I was poking around on LinkedIn and figured out that they now allow you to scan your webmail accounts to check and see if any of your webmail contacts are already on LinkedIn.
 
What? I can scan my Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail and AOL email for contacts?
 
This is way cool!
 
I used it and found 72 first degree contacts - people I know well and email regularly! I had no idea I was not connected to them because we communicate via our personal email accounts and had just not "found" each other on LinkedIn... yet?
 
Of course, since they are webmail messages, my LinkedIn Outlook ToolBar had not picked them up either. I invited them and they all accepted, bringing with them 27,000 new second and third degree contacts into my network (and yours as well if you are connected to me).
 
 
You have to select each of the accounts one at a time, but its worthwhile. It will ask you for your login and password, then log you in and scan your email on Gmail, Yahoo, AOL and/or Hotmail. It will then upload all thoe contacts to your "Other Contacts" folder and ask you which ones you want to invite. Those with a little icon to their left already use LinkedIn.
 
Go ahead, try it! You will be surpirsed how many personal friends and other contacts are already using LinkedIn and you didn't even know.
 
Cheers,shally
Shally  LinkedIn | Bio | MSN | Skype | ERE
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6 comments

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  • 1 point 2 years ago

    Thanks Alot Shally ! Thanks for the GREAT info !

    Michael Ford

  • 1 point 2 years ago

    That was a fast way to add to my LI connections count, thx!

  • 1 point 2 years ago

    Hi Shally,

    I thought I?d wait before commenting to see just how many people accepted my invitations. 50 since I uploaded my gmail contacts.

    Thanks!

    Simon

  • 1 point 2 years ago

    If you go to my web page www.jobmachine.net you can still see it, and as far as I know it still works but I expect it to stop working soon. I think they don't like it because people who click the button just automatically use up one of their invites and if they didn't know they were doing that the may complain to LinkedIn.

    I have no problem with this and have used the button on other's blogs etc, and of course created one for myself. What I didn't do is put it on my LinkedIn profile because that is where I think people get the wrong idea and think its something that LinkedIn builds.

    I hope they don't end up blocking it but if they do, well, I bet others will find a way still. You can't get in the way of progress and people are always going to figure out ways to find each other ;)

    Cheers, Shally

  • 1 point 2 years ago

    Shally,

    Have you seen the URL that lets you click it and an invitation is automaticlly set up to the user who set it up. Some people put it on their profile so others could click it and send the "poster" an instant invite. The link read, "Send me an invite" so there was no bait 'n switch. I thought it was great, but LI pulled it from everyone's profile and is updating their software to prohibit it.

    Thoughts?

  • 1 point 2 years ago

    as of today linkedin is now advertising this feature on the home page when you log into your account

    but you found it here first :)