anyone using LinkedIn?

[robphelan]

what is it & why do i keep getting invites?

i know it's some sort of networking site.. i joined b/c a coworker invited me into to it.. now, i'm getting an invite from a seller on craigslist (who's in the IT industry, though).

does anyone actually do anything with linkedin?

 

[Drakkon]

Its prettymuch a myspace for adults.
I used it to find contacts for my last job. My cousin added me and he has something like 21k connections (hes a salesperson for cisco in CA) so I've created quite a network to draw from. Its useful if your in sales or looking for talent to recruit from or have a sort of job with networking from others from your field is advantageous. Other than that its just another myspace without the tweens.

 

[UNCjigga]

The trick with LinkedIn is to *ONLY* allow people you actually know and WANT to network with--otherwise it'll snowball pretty fast with spam and teh stupids. I keep getting invites from some telecom guy in Israel--no idea who he is or what he wants with me so I ignore them.

 

[GasX]

Yes, it can be a powerful networking tool. It's best to keep the connections with professional colleagues you want to keep in touch with. Growing a "buddy list" with friends and acquaintances is not what it is good for.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: UNCjigga
The trick with LinkedIn is to *ONLY* allow people you actually know and WANT to network with--otherwise it'll snowball pretty fast with spam and teh stupids. I keep getting invites from some telecom guy in Israel--no idea who he is or what he wants with me so I ignore them.

Who'd network with strangers that didn't expect this? You network with people you know unless you are concerned like MySpace people of having the least 'friends'.

LinkedIn is pretty big in corporate circles here.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: robphelan
does anyone actually do anything with linkedin?

I use it if there is something I need from someone in my connections.

If I need something and I see a connection that can offer it...I call the friend closest to this person that I know and get the lowdown and an introduction.

I can then proceed reasonably forward knowing a higher level of trust than coldcalling a vendor.