How Useful Is LinkedIn?
Over the last couple of weeks the rate at which I receive invites to link up on LinkedIn has increased, partly because lots of my ntl:Telewest colleagues are sending me invites because they are not sure who will be staying and going as part of the merger.
For those of you who don’t know what LinkedIn is, it’s a social networking site which allows users to build and maintain a network of professional contacts. Linked In allows users to register their professional contact information and send it to their contacts, as well as keeping contact information up to date. The company offers free, advertiser-supported services but makes the lion’s share of its money from premium services, which run from $5 to $200 per month. Job listings cost $95.
My network has now grown to 209 contacts which now gives me over 1m people who can contact me who are under 3 degrees away, which is quite an impressive number, but hasn’t been that useful. I think over the last year I must have received about 3-4 business proposals, and 3 calls from headhunters who have seen my profile and work history, but that’s it.
I haven’t seen any success stories for LinkedIn similar to the numerous ones for sites like Friends Reunited. Is LinkedIn just a flash in the pan, which won’t replace tried and tested traditional methods of building networks?
If you are a LinkedIn user and want to give your network a kickstart then send me an invite at admin@connectedinternet.co.uk.
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Comment by Anonymous on 26 April 2006:
What kind of people have you searched for on LinkedIn? Like a search engine, most value occurs from plugging something into the search box. People search for experts, suppliers, partners, companies they are researching, titles of people they want to hire, people who could provide a reference on someone, people they are about to meet for the first time, etc.
-Konstantin
http://www.linkedin.com/in/konstantin