1. Post an Article on your News Feed

This may be the quickest way to keep a conversation going with your professional network. LinkedIn has a status update feature similar to other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter—you can post interesting and relevant articles from the front page by clicking  "Share an Update". Then, simply copy and paste the URL of an article you'd like to share, view and approve a thumbnail preview of the link, and add your own commentary in the text box below.

Tip: for each post on LinkedIn you have the option to share with Everyone, Connections (only 1st degree connections) or Everyone + Twitter (which will conveniently push a post to Twitter and draw visitors to your LinkedIn page).

2. Share in Response to a Thought Partner's Post

Engage with conversations in your network by sharing in response to a post in your LinkedIn feed. This is an opportunity to contribute your expertise and perspective in a way that is visible to followers of your thought partner.  This kind of sharing should be done tactfully and in moderation. Be sure that your post is relevant to the current discussion—if not, consider posting it to a different group or your own feed instead.

Tip: Mention the author of the original post in your comment to grab their attention. Ending with a content-related question is a good way to keep the conversation going.

3. Share to a Group

Groups are a great place for discussion among thought partners in and across your industry. Use groups to share posts relevant to group members and actively participate in discussion by commenting on other members' posts.

Tip: Click Discover in LinkedIn's recently overhauled Groups page to find groups which your connections participate in.

4. Post an Original Article

Articles and long-form posts are a great way to offer more in-depth content to thought partners. You may write about emerging trends in your industry, challenges facing those in your field, or changes you see looming on the horizon on a broader scale—for example, the future of work or digital enterprise.

Learn more: Check out LinkedIn's Tips for Writing Long-Form Posts on LinkedIn.

5. See Who Has Viewed Your Posts 

Tracking who is reading what you write and share is a great way to find new potential thought partners. In the LinkedIn main menu, select Profile > Who's Viewed my Profile to visit the analytics page. From there, you can select Who's viewed my Posts to see the demographics of your readers (Industries, Job Titles, Location, and Traffic Source), as well as individual profiles of those who responded to your posts.

Read more: New Analytics for Publishing on LinkedIn