tips to get started with social networking

Swimming is an excellent form of exercise and low impact because it’s ideal for those who are athletically inclined as well as for those who aren’t. If you’re physically fit and looking for an alternate workout, the natural resistance that occurs while moving through water tones muscles and gets your heart pumping. Those who haven’t exercised in a while will also find swimming to be ideal because the buoyancy of the water supports body weight, making exercise easier and gentler on the joints. Whether you’re a novice or a water fitness buff, learning to swim better makes the activity more effective and enjoyable. Here are five means and methods that can help you improve your swimming technique.

Swim More. Without regular practice it’s difficult to improve anything. Swimming at least three times each week keeps you acclimated to the water while providing you with the opportunity to practice and improve your technique. Don’t be tempted to substitute frequent water workouts with one or two long ones. It’s better to swim for three or more short sessions per week than it is to try to squeeze all your swimming workouts into one long one.
Swim Smarter. Swimming laps is a great workout but after doing the same thing time and again the workout becomes boring and less effective. Organize your swimming workouts and make them more effective with Swim Planner, an app for iPhone and iPad created by Tri Faster. Enter the distance you wish to swim along with your swimming ability and, within seconds, Swim Planner generates swim workouts for you to use so you can plan your exercise in a more organized manner. You can also use the iSportsCalendar to help you organize a swimming schedule.
Improve Technique Before Speed. It does you no good to be a fast swimmer if your technique is sloppy. While you’ll still burn calories, swimming with poor technique is a waste of energy. Study up on one or two techniques you’d like to improve, such as your kick or backstroke, and spend five to ten minutes of each workout on drills to help you improve these techniques.
Use Proper Swim Attire. It might not sound important but what you wear while swimming will affect how you’re able to swim. A bikini or your favorite board shorts might be perfect for sunning or surfing but they’ll inhibit you in a swimming workout. You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on a professional-type swimsuit, but purchase one that allows you to move through the water unencumbered and without worrying about your swimsuit falling off.
Get Organized and Get Feedback. Even if you don’t take swimming classes it’s wise to work with a coach or teacher once in a while to make sure you’re technique and form are correct. With many other types of workouts you can observe yourself and make sure you’re doing the exercises correctly. It’s hard to do this while swimming. Once a month, enlist the help of a teacher, coach or expert swimmer to observe you as you swim and provide you with helpful feedback and advice.

As your form and technique improve you’ll find that your stamina and speed naturally follow. In addition to being an effective workout, swimming can also be very peaceful, making it a great stress-buster. Use one or more of these techniques to learn to swim better to increase physical fitness and enjoy your time in the water.

In the world of digital networking, LinkedIn is King. Between its robust job searching capability, job matching tools and group connectivity, if you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re missing out. But it’s more complex than just creating a profile. First, since LinkedIn shows up very high in Google searches, it’s likely one of the links a potential employer will click on when searching for more information about you. Second, it’s a more professional view of your life than any Facebook profile you’ve ever edited or created.

LinkedIn doesn’t replace your Facebook profile and Facebook definitely doesn’t replace your LinkedIn profile. Instead, together they work to create the most complete and professional view of you.

Chances are you might already have a profile on LinkedIn. But keep reading because we have ways to optimize and professionalize that profile. Start with the picture. Is the picture professional? Are you the only person in the picture? Are you wearing clothing that could at least be considered business casual? If you can’t answer yes to all of those questions, you need a new picture.

After picking the perfect pic, check out your summary section. This shouldn’t be a dry and boring reason why someone should hire you. Instead it should show some of your personality including what you love to do, what you’re passionate about and some qualities that set you apart from the job competition.

Building out your LinkedIn profile will also require detailed and accurate past employment experience. Even internships and volunteer jobs should be added before you’ve had multiple full time positions. Since companies have LinkedIn pages as well, linking yourself with the company will create an immediate, searchable network to help you begin connecting with people on LinkedIn.

After the picture, summary and past employment experience, work on joining groups and making connections with other LinkedIn members. Start with college alumni associations and college friends and move to professional acquaintances and colleagues.

You’ll notice that the more information in your profile, the more relevant the job recommendations to the right of the page become. LinkedIn uses information you’ve added to find jobs that seem suitable for your field and areas of expertise.

And another benefit of joining those alumni associations on LinkedIn? They each have job boards that are open and free to members to use. Whether you’re looking for employment or have a job to post, this is a great place to start.

One of the most fascinating things about LinkedIn is the “first, second and third degree” connections. It’s the epitome of “I know somebody who knows somebody.” You’ll notice if someone is a first degree or second-degree connection. This is another great way to search for jobs. If there’s a company you want to work for, see if you possibly have a first or second degree connection who already works there.

For additional resources about LinkedIn and setting up LinkedIn profiles, check out these two articles on technology and business site, Mashable.

How to get the most out of LinkedIn and How to Optimize your LinkedIn profile.