About UPA Membership
Network on LinkedIn
Since the establishment of the UPA, one of the primary goals of the UPA has been to provide a networking opportunity for usability professionals to meet and exchange ideas. The primary method of completing this goal has been through the annual conference, which is where friendships and partnerships have been started. To extend these networking opportunities outside of the week long conference, the UPA is pleased to announce a new "community building" tool through LinkedIn.com.
LinkedIn
is a free web service which facilitates online networking for ~1.2 million
business professionals. This allows each person to post as much (or as little)
information about themselves and their professional history as they would
like. Members of LinkedIn can network with each other through trusted contacts,
so we get not only the networking value within UPA, but also the larger
LinkedIn community. UPA members have a special relationship to each other,
and are identified with a UPA logo. Many of our UPA colleagues are already using this service and have given us great feedback on its value. We hope that you will be able to use it to increase your own professional network and help us create a more visible presence for usability professionals in this network of business professionals and IT people.
The free registration process takes less than 5 minutes to complete, and will open the door to meeting and interacting with other usability professionals in your industry. To understand the value this brings to UPA members, it is important to first understand the fundamental purpose of LinkedIn.
How Does LinkedIn Work?
The LinkedIn community currently consists of approximately 1.2 million business professionals. Each individual in the service has a network of "trusted" friends, who each then have their own friends, and so on. For example, if you established a network of 20 individuals who you personally know and trust, and each of them created a network of 20 trusted friends, you now have access to 400 individuals across many different industries who all share a very high degree of trust. If you are then looking for a person to help you with a specific need, you can use the search feature of LinkedIn to see if you can find anyone through your network of trusted friends. If you find someone you wish to contact, you submit a request for your mutual friend to make an introduction. Through this "virtual handshake", you now have access to someone you need, with an endorsement from a mutual acquaintance. This is the core philosophy that allows LinkedIn to function and why they say, 'Your network is bigger than you think'.
How
Does LinkedIn Work with the UPA? Since the basic core principle of LinkedIn is based on establishing a networking through trusted friends. LinkedIn for Groups , extends this principle with the thought that anyone who belong in a similar association, should not require an introduction through a mutual acquaintance. So in essence, if you find someone you wish to contact, and they are a UPA member, you no longer need the mutual friend to make the introduction. Searching and making contact with any fellow UPA member is now a fundamental advantage of using the system.
Benefits of using LinkedIn with UPA:
-Quickly and easily find other UPA members with similar backgrounds and needs
-Search the entire LinkedIn community, or limit your search to only your fellow UPA members. -Select your city and/or state, to find other usability professionals in your area
-By indicating you are open to "Requests for information or expertise", you and your fellow UPA members will nurture an environment aimed for communication and networking
-Changes the traditional membership directory from a standard "phone list" to a much more personalized approach
-When outside business executives are reading your profile, your work in the usability industry and your affiliation with the UPA will be clearly visible
Please note, to make this process seamless, we highly recommend using your same contact information on file with the UPA office (e.g. First name, Last Name, and Email address).
So how do I sign up?
If you are interested in joining the LinkedIn for UPA community (it's only one step away), sign up at the UPA invitation on the LinkedIn site. Once you fill in the request, the UPA office verifies your membership, and the UPA logo appears on your profile.
Thank you,
Nicole A. Tafoya
Director - Membership and Sponsors
Usability Professionals' Association