What does the green circle mean on LinkedIn? Short Q&A

n one of its surveys, the linkedin.com team published information that 80% of the portal's users consider networking essential for a new job. The Nection crew is sure that these numbers have not changed now, or have only gotten higher. That's why people should pay more attention to some of the features and statuses on this web resource. Here in this article, I will tell you what does the green circle mean on LinkedIn and how it is helpful for networkers.

How can you tell if someone is online on LinkedIn?

In order to find out if your connection is online or not, it's enough to look at its current status. But how can you do that? There is no icon on whether the user is active or inactive on the general page with contacts. It is elementary!

Next to the name of those users who are now online, there is a small green circle. That is the indicator of the person's activity on the LinkedIn (LI) website at a given moment. So, you can start a conversation with him or her and get a response to your message.

Here's how it appears on the LI professional social networking site:

Well, if it's that clear, why do people ask ,«What does the green circle mean on LinkedIn?». The reason for doing this is exactly what I mentioned earlier. You won't see the activity status of LI members on the Connections page. It shows up on absolutely different pages.

Where can you see a person's activity status?

• in the Feed (if you scroll down the newsfeed, you'll see that some people's avatars will have a circle colored green or green with a white dot);
• on the page with messages (if you go to the Messaging pop-up window or directly to the horizontal menu tab of the same name, you can see people's statuses).

Here's what else you might notice in your Messaging tab:

The green circles or lack of them, next to a person's picture is what helps you understand their activity status. And it's beneficial for making new social contacts.

Why is it valuable for networking to know what does the green circle mean on LinkedIn?

Working hard and being incredibly lucky are not the only things vital to success. The art of being timely also helps significantly in career growth. Let's say you want to make friends with a new person in your industry, but you couldn't find a way to approach them.

You have two possible scenarios:

1. Write first at any time and hopefully wait for an answer. If the specialist is not too busy and open to communication, most likely, they will answer within 1-2 days. Perhaps even earlier. It all depends on the workload and activity in the professional social network.
2. Wait for the right moment and send a personalized icebreaker, which is unlikely to go unnoticed. How do you know when the moment is right? Just know what does the green circle mean on LinkedIn and contact the individual while they are active on linkedin.com.

I'd be willing to bet a quarter that 9 times out of 10, a user who is active on the web resource will respond almost immediately. When the member is online, you can comment under their latest Feed post, and they will reply promptly. You can also write a thoughtful message in personal messaging. In this case, the answer speed will be faster.

The main thing is not to be pushy and annoying. If you don't get a response, then either the person is too much in demand and busy or not interested in broadening their circle. You can find ideas for communication in one of our blog articles with five networking scripts. Also, don't forget to nurture your network of contacts properly. Communicating with people in the right way also positively affects professional growth. You can use a personal CRM as an assistant for this. Download Nection to properly manage your contacts, stay in touch with people and not waste all your spare time on networking.

FAQ

What does the green circle with a white dot mean on LinkedIn?

You won't always see a green circle next to your connection name (active status on linkedin.com). Apart from that, there is another status, which can be helpful for professional networking or work. This status shows you that the person is using a mobile device. And if the contact has not disabled notifications in the settings, LinkedIn (LI) will immediately notify the user about a new message, etc. Information about the active statuses of LI members will help you better choose when to start a conversation and build stronger relationships within the professional community.

What are other LinkedIn statuses useful for professional networking?

Besides active statuses of contacts, you also need tags like «Found you via ...» and connection degrees like 1st, 2nd, 3rd. The first one shows how the user got to your LinkedIn.com profile page, and the second one shows how close you are to them. The 1st label indicates that you and the other person have added each other to your network. The 2nd degree of connection tells you that you have shared contacts with that particular person. And the label 3rd says that this individual is in contact with someone in your second-connections circle. So, in addition to what does the green circle mean on LinkedIn, you'll definitely find this information valuable.