It’s hard to believe I’ve had a profile and participated in the professional social network site LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com ) for nearly 5 years now (since Jan. 21, 2004, according to my account profile). I don’t consider myself real cutting edge when it comes to the online social scene, but LinkedIn has always promised a professional place to hang my online hat, with the potential for searching for people at companies and maybe garnering some job prospects. I admit to using it only sporadically over the years. But this year, the number of LinkedIn invitations coming to my inbox has increased dramatically. The traction is really there.
The company claims to be the world’s largest professional network with more than 31 million members and boasting strong growth—up from 18 million at the start of the year. And, not surprisingly, reports indicate that the current economic crisis has caused a spike in use of the professional networking sites for job searches—not just LinkedIn but also Plaxo, XING (Germany-based), Viadeo (Paris-based), and others. During times of instability, professional networking—online and offline—is a necessity. (Even LinkedIn recently announced it was cutting 10% of its work force—calling it a preemptive move—despite raising $22.7 million in venture capital in October.)
While Facebook attracts a lot of attention and users—and I’m also participating there with some professional groups and conferences—it’s more about being fun, trendy, and sociable. LinkedIn is still more of a business tool (no photos except a professional headshot)—and it’s becoming increasingly useful, IMHO, with all its recent improvements and enhanced services. The company has had a continuous string of important announcements of late.
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