LinkedIn groups are informal communities formed around industries, professions, themes, niche topics, etc. Find and join the right groups, and it's easy to keep up with news and trends, make connections, ask and answer questions, land new clients–even start a romance. (Well, maybe that last one isn't so easy.)

Here's is a guide to help you find groups:

Start with your goals.

Groups are relatively focused; one group is more than likely not going to fit all of your needs. First you will need to decide whether you're looking to connect with potential clients, establish your credentials and authority, or to learn more about your field.

Next, start searching.

Go to the Groups Directory page and enter search terms related to your goal.

Keep in mind that searching broad terms will generate broad results; search marketing, and you get more than 52,000 results; social media marketing yields more than 2,000 results. Think about what you're looking for and use search terms that are as specific as possible.

Start looking.

You can refine your search by using the check boxes on the left-hand side of the page. One handy move is to sift search results by your current connections. For example, you can choose to see only groups that your first and/or second connections have joined. In some ways, that's handy, but given that most people hope to make new connections by joining groups, don't limit yourself to groups where you already "know someone."

Now, borrow ideas.

Searching is useful, but so is following the lead of people you respect. Go to any profile page and check out the groups that person belongs to; chances are one or two match your goals. Chances are, influential people in your industry are members of useful groups, so why not hang out where they hang out?

Then sift through the results.

A search result lists groups in descending order according to the number of members. Under each group is a brief description. Sometimes, the description is helpful. Sometimes, though, the group has veered away from its description and original purpose.

Join a few groups.

Pick a few groups that appear to meet your goals and seem interesting then join. You can be a member of up to 50 groups, and you can leave a group at any time, so there's no harm in experimenting. Read recent discussions and click the Members link to find out who else is in the group. If you find heavy hitters or people you respect, that's a good sign. Keep in mind, some groups are members only; the manager of the group must accept you before you can participate or view discussions. Members-only groups tend to be more focused, but there are plenty of open groups that stay just as on topic and spam free.

Pause and reflect.

Check out the quality of the discussions or updates. Are article or resource references relevant and valuable? Are the discussions interesting? Are there enough members to create a vibrant group? Just remember you can always leave if your initial impression turns out to be wrong.

Then chill for a bit.

No one likes the guy who walks up and takes over a conversation at a party. Watch, listen, and get a feel for how the group operates. Then start participating by responding to questions or topics raised by other people. Get a real feel for the group, and let the group get a feel for you, before you start driving discussions. Otherwise, you're that guy, and no one likes that guy.

Stay active.

You don't need to participate every day, but you should be somewhat regular–otherwise, why are you joining the group? This is especially true if you hope to establish yourself as an authority; it's hard to spark great discussions and answer questions when you're never there.

Stay small.

Sometimes you'll stumble across a group and think, Why not? Soon enough, you'll belong to dozens of groups. It's impossible to participate in a meaningful way in more than a few groups. Find a few groups that better suit your need, and leave the groups that don't. No one is impressed by a seemingly endless list of groups on a profile page.

One day consider starting a group.

Anyone can found a group. If your group becomes popular, you can drive traffic to your website and send free weekly messages to group members. However, wait until you really understand how groups operate before you found a group, and think about how you can differentiate your group from the thousands of similar groups that exist.

To view the original article, visit the My Computer Works blog.