Get Yourself LinkedIn

December 12, 2007 – 9:55 pm

LinkedIn is one of the fastest growing sites on the web, looking to prosper from the recent social networking boom. It proposes to provide a network of professionals by giving you an avenue to build your business contracts without ever really talking to anybody. Think of it as a cross between Facebook and Monster. Instead of what television shows, movies, and music you like, you provide your public profile with prolific performance descriptions and professional pursuits (man, that was a ton of p’s). It’s like a Barry Bonds resume; that is, a resume on steroids. But, how useful is this “social network for professionals”?

Recent Improvements

LinkedIn is attempting to up their ante by improving their interface. If they can acquire users and improve their interactions, they will in turn gain more page views, which provides them with greater advertising revenue. That’s their logic, at least. In the social realm, LinkedIn has already attempted to become more personal by adding profile pictures and improving their user-to-user messaging system. They are also a part of Google’s OpenSocial consortium, meaning in the near future there could be some dandy mini-apps floating around. All of these improvements mean LinkedIn could become the next big thing in social networking.

Acquisition?

This company looks poised for rapid growth, but as with all web business ventures, it is hard to tell when and how much they will explode or if they will at all. There are already rumors of other companies snatching up LinkedIn, but at this point that’s all they are: rumors. One of the “big boys” buying LinkedIn would certainly worry their competitors. As it stands now, LinkedIn’s traffic is nowhere near the major leagues, but it is improving. They’re kind of like that star high-school pitching prospect. You’re pretty sure they’re going to be the real deal, but they have a long way to go before they are in the big show.

Usefulness

All that aside, just how useful is LinkedIn? The idea seems great; I was all for it when I created my account over a year ago. Other than having a random high-school or college friend send me the obligatory “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” message every once in a while, I haven’t really used the site much. I still believe it to be a resource that could prove useful in the future; but so far, it has yet to reveal any real worth. Have you ever been offered a job or received useful feedback and/or recommendations from LinkedIn?

If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, I would still recommend you create one. Even if you don’t think you’ll be looking for a job anytime soon, it can never hurt to have a professional connection with that buddy who works for a talent agency. It could come in handy someday.

Tags: barry bonds is soooo guilty, linkedin, professional networking, Web