Linked In?

[girlyswot]

Over the last few months, a small trickle of people (mainly RL friends, one or two LJ friends) have invited me to join their Linked In* networks. I've always agreed. But I don't really know what Linked In is for or how it works. Should I be more active in building a network? Does anyone here find it useful?


*Am I the only person that struggles not to read it as the unpronounceable Linkedln?

Comments

[tdu000.livejournal.com]

What is a Linked-In network. I think I may have got invited to join one (by RL friend) but I ignored it as something beyond my comprehension.

[nundu-art.livejournal.com]

Don't feel bad about not knowing about it. Until your post, I'd never even heard of it!

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

I turned down the only offer I got as I barely knew the person and couldn't see any benefits in signing up.

[amamama.livejournal.com]

No, you're not the only one who struggles not to read it as Linkedln, I think I do, every time. I've got a few invitations, but I haven't joined because I'm already on Facebook. Facebook is a mostly social network, whereas Linked In is primarily professional, as far as I know. I know loads of people who're building their professional virtual network on Linked In, but I find I'm using enough time on LJ and Facebook (which I rarely update) as it is, so so far I've opted out. Those Soul Coaches who've been marketing Linked In on the Yahoo group, all claim it's a great resource, and that they gain loads from it. So maybe I should join too?

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

I have no idea what Linked In is at all, but I keep wanting to read 'Linkedln' to rhyme with 'You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din'.

[owl]

I also attempt to read it as Linkedln, probably through the influence of println.

[megan29.livejournal.com]

LinkedIn is supposed to be a higher quality version of social site, b/c it's invitation-based and targeted at professionals who want to make job-related contacts.

I'm not sure how well it works. I only used it once, as I was trying to locate a friend and Google directed me to her LinkedIn page. In my field, we generally know where our colleagues are and what they're up to, and who to contact for whatever questions we might need help with. But I assume that is not the case in many fields, so it might be quite useful to form a network of contacts, especially if you're in the job market. What do you have to lose? Give it a try and see.