THE STORY SO FAR: YR2 PART 6: SUNDAY

THE POWER & POTENTIAL OF LINKEDIN

JASHA LEVI

When I was first introduced to LinkedIn by a friend I was still decidedly skeptical of Social Media and could see a future where I spent all day uploading content to Facebook and the like—and getting no serious writing done. Good grief! What a fate!

Well, I’m exaggerating somewhat, but I have remained cautious towards Social Media—despite their importance in book sales—because I am acutely conscious that a writer has just so much creative energy, and believe that such should, primarily, be expended on creative writing.

Still, one should always question one’s biases, and after discovering that blogging actually seemed to help my literary output—essentially by being a constant source of stimulation—I decided I should be more open minded about Social Media, and see if I could reach some kind of constructive accommodation over time.

Initially, Facebook was my focus—though it is scarcely a literary medium—but soon I began to notice that not only was LinkedIn steadily improving, but that it was the source of some extraordinarily interesting people who wanted to hook up.

One of the most intriguing to date approached me last week. His name is Jasha Levi and the following are some extracts from his extraordinary  background. It is singularly impressive.

Humanitarian, Resistance Fighter, Soldier, Lecturer, Editor, Inventor, Author—now that is a life!

Summary

Ran a school for Jewish refugee children from 1941 to 1943 in Asolo, Italy. Lived underground in Rome 1943-44. Fought in Tito's First Armored Division against German troops up the Dalmatian Coast of Yugoslavia from June 1944 to end of war. Taught journalism at the University of Belgrade in 1947 and edited daily center spread of Borba, Belgrade, on the Tito- Stalin rift in 1948. Developed 4-track, half speed cassette recordings used for a quarter of a century by, among others, the Library of Congress, before digital technology took over. Introduced raised line drawings to accompany recorded textbooks (article in Tactile Perception, Cambridge University Press, 1982.)
Working use of Serbo-Croatian, English, some Italian, French, Spanish and Russian.
Specialties:Lecturer on the remarkable humanity of ordinary Italians during the Holocaust, on the battle for the liberation of Dalmatia in the last year of WWII, and other topics.

Most Recently and Currently December 2011 – Present (1 year 10 months)Internet

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LinkedIn now has my serious attention, but I am still trying to work out how to utilize it to best advantage. My subconscious is working on it. Delegation is the secret of this writing game.