Comments on: LinkedIn: Old-School Social Network Isn't Short of Fans

By: Monday Special: A Resource for Your Most Valuable Resource – You | Manage My Practice.com

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:19:59 +0000

[...] LinkedIn: Old-School Network Isn’t Short of Fans [...]

By: Alana Post

Alana Post — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:26:31 +0000

To placate Chris, let me begin by saying that I have no affiliation with LinkedIn aside from simply being a user with a relatively small network.

That said, I think it’s the best professional-grade OSN/online social network out there. It discourages frivolous connections, which increases the value of one’s network exponentially. Although its focus is more serious (mature?) than other sites, it’s still great to spy on former coworkers and periodically track how many hops you are from your “dream job”.

I also use it as my resume (web and print), which isn’t really best-practice but still saves time that would otherwise be spent maintaining a NeoOffice file somewhere locally in addition to a webpage remotely.

Lastly, I really like LinkedIn’s design. It’s beautiful, standards-based, and incorporates a ton of microformats (which every other relatively popular OSN ignores).

By: friarminor

friarminor — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:48:35 +0000

Can’t really help getting punk’d by bogus comments in this open net, Chris and like with all contrived things, it really is a pest.

But I also am patient enough to see thru the clutter and find real gems within the network. 1 in 20 or 50 (don’t even have that network number) is all worth it.

Best.
alain
http://www.mor.ph

By: djacobs

djacobs — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:58:19 +0000

@justelise
If you didn’t compare it to something people know, they would have a hard time getting an idea of what LinkedIn is about.

By: Chris Bootdale

Chris Bootdale — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:35:29 +0000

Forget rolodex… LinkedIn is nothing more than Monster.com with a social networking twist. When you’re not looking for a job, where’s the value?

Let me guess. There will be 5 positive LinkedIn comments to follow this one. Check out any article ever written about LinkedIn. It’s common practice at LinkedIn HQ to have employees sit around and post bogus comments to refute anything negative being said about the company.

Don’t believe the hype.

By: Avonelle Lovhaug

Avonelle Lovhaug — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:36:49 +0000

I like LinkedIn, but I think it shines best when documenting existing connections and helping me to reconnect with people I’ve lost touch with. Also, it has had some performance and stability issues lately…I hope they continue to improve in that area.

By: Fine Print » Blog Archive » Toyotas: Robots In De Skies

Fine Print » Blog Archive » Toyotas: Robots In De Skies — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:02:09 +0000

[...] hardly call LinkedIn an old-school social network, as referenced by Web Worker Daily. Been using it since it started, it’s free, led to some great freelance gigs and I’ve [...]

By: John Carson

John Carson — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:34:56 +0000

Brian,

How do you see it not being interactive?

I can see who is linked to my immediate connections and ask for a referral, based on trust. After (hopefully) providing a good service or business to that former stranger, they can then provide a testimonial for my work for others to see.

I feel that I’m interacting with people on there all the time. Throw in the questions and answers section, and the job search facilities (with the option to apply through LinkedIn) and it becomes very easy to find a potential employer or contract.

Cheers,
John.

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:25:53 +0000

I agree with another comment about LinkedIn being a glorified Rolodex. It does have a purpose, but it is not very interactive. This article references somebody who had multiple job offers in hours, but that person was probably the 41 year old who makes $109,000 a year. They have tons of experience and have no worries in finding a job. What about the people who are 25, 27, 32? Are they going to have job offers in hours? Not likely.

I think that is a limitation of LinkedIn and its format.

Brian
http://www.konnects.com

By: Dan McComb

Dan McComb — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:21:01 +0000

Biznik differs sharply from LinkedIn in two ways: one, it's designed to connect small business owners, not employees. And two, Biznik's real focus is on bringing members together face-to-face, not just online, at member-hosted events. That's why it works so well in Seattle, where it started, because members are hosting like 70 events a month there now and that adds up to a lot of business getting passed around.