LinkedIn starts living up to its name

I'm one of the 20 million-plus members of LinkedIn but would be flummoxed for a good answer if you asked me why. The truth is that if I didn't need to keep tabs on what's new and groovy in the tech world, I very much doubt I'd bother.

Why? It's as captivating as a sack of russet potatoes.

The site just doesn't inspire or engage and I have no reason to visit other than to answer requests - usually from perfect strangers--to become "linked in." But reading about the rollout of the beta version of LinkedIn's business directory and I'm intrigued by the idea. To wit:

"Over 150,000 companies and organizations are indexed in the directory, working it into a Hoovers-esque database that ties into LinkedIn's social features.

A LinkedIn Company Profiles page includes a number of basic statistics pulled from BusinessWeek's database, such as company size and history. But for the most part, the rest of the business' page consists of information from employees of that company who have LinkedIn profiles, like a list of "new hires" (LinkedIn members who have recently added a current affiliation with that company) and recent promotions, other businesses that have seen people hired from that company, and demographic tidbits like median age and education information."

Now there's something in it for me, either as a prospective job hunter or simply as someone keen on searching out pertinent data on a company. The social network that specialized in boring users to tears finally makes a move worthy of notice. Good job, guys. More of this and who knows? Maybe one day your CEO--quick, anybody know the name off hand?--will become as much a household name as The Zuckerface.

[ulric2]

Linked in has always been about work. It has always been about keeping in touch with people who have worked with, and perhaps finding new work opportunities in you domain through networking. If all you're doing is accepting invites from people you don't know (except recruiters), you're not, IMHO, using the network correctly..

[linkedout]

Linkedin is garbage. Why? Well, the answer is quite clear. LinkedIn is a place for recruiters or human resources folks. They are network that consists mostly of recruiters. I hate LinkedIn. That's why I am LinkedOut.

[linkedout]

Linkedin is garbage. Why? Well, the answer is quite clear. LinkedIn is a place for recruiters or human resources folks. They are network that consists mostly of recruiters. I hate LinkedIn. That's why I am LinkedOut.

[armanikid]

Hey haven?t you heard of Virtudex.com? It?s the best business social network. Invite only so here is the pass code - 1z1code

Lets see they have Blogs, Groups, Personal File manager, Homepage news feeds with RSS, the best privacy settings I've ever seen on a social networking site...

LinkedIn is for grownups who aren't interested in the youthful Facebook or My Space. It's a good way to keep colleagues email addresses (as long as the colleague keeps their email address updated). It's easier than keeping the emails on one's own address book. Plus, I've gotten linkedin invites from people who probably never would have emailed me to do so. So when I need to look for a job - - I'll lean on my contacts on linked in plus I've appreciated hearing from headhunters from linked in. I like being sought.

I don't know why people wouldn't appreciate LinkedIn, unless they haven't had to look for a job in a very long time. It's about networking.

[WeCanDoBIZ]

Some interesting comments, but all seem to play to my belief that LinkedIn is NOT a business focused social network, it is a social networking for people in a business environment. Think about it: it isn't FOR businesses, but for the individuals. When I list a profile I include all anyone could want to know about me and my career, but nothing about why anyone would want to buy from the business I am in. Even the addition of the corporate profiles just focuses on people facts within those companies. So what if I want to know who could sell me business insurance services near where I work? I can't even get that kind of basic information out of it. That isn't a business directory.

Let's be clear, LinkedIn is kind of useful for staying in touch with former colleagues (although a part of me questions why I would want to do this with many of them) but the biggetst benefits come to guys who hire or recruitment agencies.

Ian Hendry
www.wecando.biz