With LinkedIn, it’s becoming clear that the audience it has aggregated is creating exactly the kinds of opportunities that could be the foundation of an amazing resource soon. It currently boasts 24 million users in 150 industries. Already, LinkedIn is moving rapidly to serve its fast-growing user community:

How fast is it growing? According to these data from Nielsen, LinkedIn is the fastest-growing social networking site (as of April 2008):

Of course, LinkedIn still has a long way to go before it catches Facebook or MySpace, but the gap is not insurmountable. (An aside: interesting article on Facebook as Portal 2.0. LinkedIn is playing the same game.)

Also, LinkedIn has a different audience — professionals. An older article states that the average LinkedIn user is 39 years old and makes $139,000 per year. Facebook may have some of that audience, MySpace less. It’s the audience that matters. Applications like those listed above and others are not the defining characteristic of LinkedIn. Anyone can make the technology, but LinkedIn has the people.

The Society for Scholarly Publishing has a group on LinkedIn. Many other professional groups are starting up.

Welcome to Office Space 2.0. Anyone have a red stapler?

Related articles by Zemanta
Zemanta Pixie
Kent Anderson

Kent Anderson

Kent Anderson is the CEO of RedLink and RedLink Network, a past-President of SSP, and the founder of the Scholarly Kitchen. He has worked as Publisher at AAAS/Science, CEO/Publisher of JBJS, Inc., a publishing executive at the Massachusetts Medical Society, Publishing Director of the New England Journal of Medicine, and Director of Medical Journals at the American Academy of Pediatrics. Opinions on social media or blogs are his own.

Discussion

4 Thoughts on "The Rise of LinkedIn"

Welcome to the party! Unlike the other “social sites” LinkedIn allows me the opportunity to be connected with individuals which by other means would not be possible.

Though I have ventured else-where the “class” of participants is far more rewarding. The hidden gem is the Answer/Question section, creditable individuals from all directions share some noteworthy points on subject matters that deal with “Business” and the Business of Business.

Which is more important to my growth and career opportunities than Arsenal’s 2-1 victory…………..

I agree. I like LinkedIn although I haven’t made any great strides with it. Facebook just drives me nuts.

LinkedIn surely got me. It is hard to resist all the cool features they keep adding, and that I actually want to use. This is what happens when you really listen to your users and understand them.

I am also a big fan of Facebook, and Twitter. Each has its place.

Being a greenie, of course I wonder how could LinkedIn, and Facebook, and Twitter further improve their sites to help their members adopt greener lifestyles, without it being contrived? Groups and Causes can only go so far.

http://lamarguerite.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/two-ways-to-go-green-with-social-networks/

Comments are closed.