LinkedIn™ is well known as a social network for expanding and maintaining professional relationships. Lately, many LinkedIn users have also been turning to the social networking tool as a way to connect directly with brands that frequently update their LinkedIn profile and groups with product updates, company news, and information about events.

In case you haven’t done so already, two great ways to connect with Research In Motion® (RIM®) on LinkedIn are the Research In Motion company page and the BlackBerry® for Business discussion group. Follow RIM on LinkedIn by clicking on the “Follow” button on the right side of the Research In Motion company page so that you don’t miss any important news or updates.

If you are already connected with Research In Motion, many thanks! Our Company Page is a hub of information that focuses on providing updates on our company, products, resources, sales contacts, and more.

To be more specific, on the main page, you’ll see that we’ve been using status updates to share news, product information, and case studies. In addition to this, the Products and Service tab is full of fantastic information that provides product descriptions, sales contacts, and customer reviews for many of our products. If you’re in the market for a 4G LTE™ BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, a new BlackBerry® 7 OS smartphone, or looking to upgrade to BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion, take a look at the Products and Services tab and see what others are saying about our products — there are over 600 recommendations! You can provide your own product recommendations on this page and let us know which features you love too.

Another way to connect with RIM on LinkedIn is through the BlackBerry for Business group. This group is a community comprised of business professionals and IT decision makers who contribute to an information hub of best practices, advice, case studies and knowledge sharing, all relating to using BlackBerry for and within business.

Some of our recent discussion topics include: smartphone functionality twenty years from now, concerns in business mobility, and BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. I really cannot say enough about the insightful information and tips that this group shares with each other. To become a member, click the “Join Group” button at the top of the BlackBerry for Business group homepage.

We love talking to members of our community and hearing their stories, feedback and advice. Join us on LinkedIn and share you experiences!

Connect with RIM through social media:

• Follow our Research In Motion company page on LinkedIn
• Join our BlackBerry for Business group on LinkedIn
• Follow @BlackBerry4Biz on Twitter®
• Subscribe to the BlackBerry Channel on SlideShare®
• Subscribe to the BlackBerry Channel on YouTube®

Hello all! You may recognize me – I’m Luke, a community manager on our BlackBerry® for Business LinkedIn® discussion group. I just wanted to take a moment to share some of the exciting things that are currently happening in our LinkedIn community!

The discussion group has been growing very quickly, with new conversations, ideas and members popping up every day. I’ll highlight two discussions in particular that have been really neat to be a part of, but first I just want to take the opportunity to thank the members of our social communities. It’s great to have a group of people who are using our products and who are willing to engage with us in feedback and discussion. It’s definitely encouraging to see these social properties grow and thrive.

Check out the following two discussion highlights and once you’re finished, head over to the BlackBerry for Business group on LinkedIn to join the conversation!

“BlackBerry PlayBook in Business”

This thread was started to get a feel for how the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet is being used in real-world, everyday business life. We always hope to understand how the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is being used by end users, learn new areas of application and to be aware of how various companies and industries are making use of our products in general.

The result has been phenomenal – many users have shared their personal experiences, discussed the variety of tasks performed and given their thoughts on the variety of features. I believe that there’s something here for all of us to learn in terms of how the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet can be used and how it is being used by individuals, groups, consumers, and professionals.

“What feature would you most like to see in future BlackBerry PlayBook tablets that has not been already promised?”

This is where corporate social media gets really exciting. This discussion thread is user-generated, and holds a goldmine of feedback on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Many group members have shared what they already enjoy, but also what they hope to see in the future.

This feedback is constantly being consolidated and made visible within Research In Motion® (RIM®). In this group, everyday device users can have a say in the products that they’re using! The perspectives have been really great to be aware of, stemming from a wide variety of industries and use demands that individuals have as they apply the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to their specific line of work.

These are just two of many great discussions occurring daily on the BlackBerry for Business LinkedIn group – and elsewhere on our social channels. I just wanted to share this piece with you to drive awareness and to thank everyone involved in these conversations that are helping to spread knowledge and improve the BlackBerry platform products of the future.

What are you waiting for? Head over and join the conversation.