Linkedin, the Social Network that Could
Almost two years ago or so, on the advice of my boss at the time, I joined up at Linkedin.
Since then, I have seen a slow trickle of “connection” requests, but it seemed to have considerably less uptake when compared to social media powerhouses like MyBlogLog, Twitter and most recently Facebook, all of which caught on like wildfire.
At least, until recently. My list of connections is still quite modest (32 as of this writing), mostly because I haven’t actively attempted to increase the size of my network. But lately, I have seen what could be described as an influx of connection requests, with close to a dozen over the last two weeks.
Sure, that’s still nowhere near the amount of activity I see from the likes of Facebook, but it seems as though Linkedin is worth taking another look at.
What I like about it: Detailed work info about your connections (when they choose to share it), and a “degrees of separation” metric to identify people outside of your existing network. Also, the “recommendations” feature is great for conveying one’s credibility using the endorsements of others.
What needs improving: No pictures. Not only can you not put a face to a name, but you can’t identify your company with branding of any kind either. This may have made sense in the beginning, but it’s time to add that feature. I think the level of interaction with the site would grow considerably if you could see who it is you’re interacting with.
If you haven’t already, then add me on Linkedin. It’s certainly the most widely accepted “professional” online social network, and occasionally I’ve been known to pass myself off as a professional…
June 13th, 2007 at 11:34 am
[…] Read more here: jordan@telltenfriends.com (Jordan Behan of Tell Ten Friends Marketing) […]
June 13th, 2007 at 11:50 am
Not to mention it has one of the most appealing GUI on the web today - I’m a HUGE fan and will soon be designing a site designed around the same graphical principles.
Nice post Jords!
June 13th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Nearing the tipping point, I would say. I’ve been receiving a fair number of connection requests lately too - many more than months ago when I initially signed up for the service.
June 13th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Hi Jordan,
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll pass on the kudos and the suggestions to our internal teams.
Stay tuned!
Mario from LinkedIn
June 13th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Thanks Mario, and belated congrats on the position. (folks, Mario is Linkedin’s ‘Community Evangelist’) Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Linkedin has seen a surge in popularity among my contacts lately.
Ryan…why no link? You’re back in action, baby…now drop in that link!
Rob, I look forward to your new designs, all. Keep me posted on all of the good stuff you’re turning out.
June 28th, 2007 at 12:47 am
You have mail
Adding your email address in your profile does wonders to the number of requests for a connection.
July 4th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
There’s a disconnect between two different uses of LinkedIn:
1) Connect only with people you already know and with whom you have some kind of trust.
2) “Wee! This is totally like MySpace, but for work and stuff. Let’s see who can get the most friends. I have 3100, how many do you have?”
LinkedIn (the company) wants us to use it in the first way, and that’s how the LinkedIn features are designed.
As a “type 1″ user, how do I distinguish myself from a “type 2″ LinkedIn user — highlight that my connections aren’t casual ones?
Are “type 2″ users wrecking the system, or only cheapening the value of their own connections?