First of all, thanks to Marc for making this possible, others have indicated that this was on thier minds for awhile and wndered why it wasn't done sooner. In keeping with my past philosophy, I went ahead with my mantra that "it's better to ask forgiveness than permission"...;);)
Marc gave his blessing and we have formed the "Elsmar Cove Forum Users Group" as an official group of LinkedIn. Please note that the logo is not considered permanent, I just needed one to form the group. Ideas or comments on the logo can be sent to me through either site.
Thanks again to Marc,:applause:

Do you have a link or something so people know where to go and such?

Do you have a link or something so people know where to go and such?

unfortunately the only way to search a group at this time is to search members for their affiliations.

From LinkedIn:
The groups directory is not currently open. We are working on creating a searchable directory for all groups. If there are groups you wish to join, you may click on the group logo from the profile of a group member and request to join.

Anyone can link to my profile in my sig below and see the Elsmar logo there. Click it and it should take you to a sign up page.

Scott is correct. The only way to directly access the group is to click on the group logo. If you PM me with your linkedin name and your email I can add you manually. Please note, this is for Linkedin users only, it will not benefit you otherwise.

There must be an invitation link somewhere. You can paste that here in the forums and all those who wish to join can click on it.
I have seen a similar LinkedIn Group url in another forum where forum members could join by clicking the link.

Open the group page and just paste the link from the address bar- see if that works!

There must be an invitation link somewhere. You can paste that here in the forums and all those who wish to join can click on it.
I have seen a similar LinkedIn Group url in another forum where forum members could join by clicking the link.

Open the group page and just paste the link from the address bar- see if that works!

Here's the link (http://www.linkedin.com/groupInvitation?groupID=105660&sharedKey=06B95F07B6E3)

Works for me.

Thanks Jim, I just was about to post it also.

I think I've joined, but when I look at my groups, I see:

Membership status: pending

There's a "Please notify the group manager" link - do I need to do that, or is there an automatic notification sent to the group manager?

I think I've joined, but when I look at my groups, I see:

Membership status: pending

There's a "Please notify the group manager" link - do I need to do that, or is there an automatic notification sent to the group manager?


yeah - that's how all the groups work.

Tim (hogheavenfarm) will 'approve' the 'application'.
It's mostly for people who you may not know and a heads up to the group leader that you signed up.

Yes, I may take a little time to 'approve' you, please be patient. I am checking the mail as often as I can. It may take up to 24 hours in extreme cases. I will try to expedite the process as right now I am being overwhelmed and there is a small backlog. Please bear with me.

Yes, I may take a little time to 'approve' you, please be patient. I am checking the mail as often as I can. It may take up to 24 hours in extreme cases. I will try to expedite the process as right now I am being overwhelmed and there is a small backlog. Please bear with me.

No problem, I was just wondering if I needed to do anything more.

While everyone is 'Linking In', please don't forget:

OK - Where is everyone???

http://www.frappr.com/elsmarcove

and

http://www.mapservices.org/myguestmap/showguestmap.do?id=Elsmar

Marc
I've marked myself on both Frappr and Mapservices. How do I fine tune the position?
Thanks
Paul

I'm not sure about fine tuning.

Anyone here know how to 'fine tune on Frappr?

I am also a member of the Elsmar LinkedIn group. But why should discussions amongst members happen there, instead of here?

I am also a member of the Elsmar LinkedIn group. But why should discussions amongst members happen there, instead of here?
Ask me on Facebook and I'll tell you. :tg:

I am also a member of the Elsmar LinkedIn group. But why should discussions amongst members happen there, instead of here?

Ask me on Facebook and I'll tell you. :tg:

Jim, Twitter me when Sidney posts about LinkenIn on Facebook...:D

I am also a member of the Elsmar LinkedIn group. But why should discussions amongst members happen there, instead of here?Why would the Elsmar LinkedIn Group discussions offer a better media? Could someone offer a plausible explanation of why Covers should use that community, instead of this one, to discuss topics? I still don't get it.

Why would the Elsmar LinkedIn Group discussions offer a better media? Could someone offer a plausible explanation of why Covers should use that community, instead of this one, to discuss topics? I still don't get it.

Sidney,
If I post there I get exposure in a different manner.
If you look at the discussions in the various groups you will see that in a lot of cases people are blowing their own trumpet in the hope of getting recognition for other reasons.
At the cove we believe that the motives are pure.......

At the cove we believe that the motives are pure.......pure like Chernobyl's snow in some cases....

Sorry but I don't buy it. Look at one of the latest questions in the discussion group there:ISO 8.2.1 Customer Satisfaction - Whats a great way to monitor information to customer perception besides the tried and true survey?How many times have we discussed this here? There are several threads and great advice about this topic here at The Cove.

I am in no way inferring that the LinkedIn group is a problem. It serves a good purpose in my opinion. For example, in case of a server malfunction for this website, that group could facilitate communication amongst Covers. But I really don't see the purpose of the discussion groups there "replicating" exactly what The Cove does.
Just my :2cents:

As owner of the Elsmar group on LinkedIn, I can tell you my intentions, just as when I inquired to Marc about it.

1. It represents this community (Elsmar Covers) in a professional networking organization that is much more diverse than the Cove.

2. It allows questions asked there to be answered with another perspective, from marketing people, from management consultants, HR people, CEO's, the list is endless.
This is because many members in the LInked In group are NOT memebers of the Cove, as they are not "quality professionals" in the strict sense, not do they see themselves that way.

3. Linked in Elsmar was formed as a complementary addition to the Cove, to provide a different outlook on many on the problems discussed here.

4. The Linked In group was formed to NETWORK with other areas, not just quality professionals. It is a social expansion of the Cove.

I hope this answers many of the questions.