"Every success story is a tale of constant adaption, revision and change. If everybody followed the rules, nothing would ever change. Without change, there would be no progress" ~ Richard Branson

I feel it necessary to begin by stating this isn’t an article on the changes in LinkedIn’s functionality and features. That’s a whole other article and not my strong suit at all!

And I’m not trying to write something in the hope that it will go viral and I’ll get loads of likes, views or generate more connection requests (though a few thumbs up would be gratefully received!).

My reason is to share the journey I have recently been on and how LinkedIn has been an important part of that journey. Why? Because having been encouraged, motivated and inspired by so many on LinkedIn, I just might help someone myself! (It’s all about the ‘share’).

As a freelancer/small business owner (and dream-chaser!), I’ve learnt over the past year how business growth goes hand in hand with personal growth. As I started setting up my business and deciding which ways to best promote and market my services, all avenues led to the same destination – social media. The choices still seem endless and the various apps and how-to’s – it’s enough to drive a person back onto the 9-5 treadmill!!

It’s true, many travel into the world of social media and find a platform they’re comfortable with and stay there. Some have more skills, knowledge and experience and can happily jump between the various platforms. But from what I’ve read, everyone has a preferred platform and LinkedIn’s mine.

Initially, I started using LinkedIn years ago as a sort of business directory and later as a job site. But LinkedIn has changed recently. Some don’t like the changes and admittedly, change can often be frustrating. I have read many posts that say it is becoming more like Facebook and the reoccurring posts stating, “LinkedIn is not a dating site” and the frequent “Millennials are ruining LinkedIn!”.

What’s happening is LinkedIn is evolving and stepping up its game. Conversations and engagement have become progressively more expressive and meaningful and it’s evitable you’ll get those that manipulate the evolution process.

It would seem B2B & B2C is becoming a thing of the past being replaced with H2H. And it’s true, the Human2Human analogy is becoming increasingly popular as more people utilise hashtags such as #genuine, #authentic and of course #human. It’s essential that we are able to socialise in both a professional and human manner and engage more. And this is what LinkedIn is great at providing. I love that I have a platform where I’m able to express my thoughts and experiences as I am doing now.

LinkedIn is great for networking not just for business but to connect with like-minded people across various industries. I have met some great people on LinkedIn and the opportunities for personal as well as business growth are endless. It is possible to establish mutually beneficial, sincere and genuine connections here and that’s why I appreciate the active LinkedIn community.

Ultimately, it's all about relationship building and remote working can be quite isolating. Social media can also generate feelings of loneliness and although I’ve been stung a few times, I’ve made some great connections – and that’s my focus.

I believe you reap what you sow and it’s vital to maintain a positive attitude… and that karma will get those that exploit it for their selfish ill-gotten gains.