1. I agree that Linkedin is a great way to keep track of your biz contacts but not a place I actively visit. If I was looking for a job or business connections I perhaps would check in more often
Lynda
HipsterCards--alternative eCards

Posted at 8:04PM on Dec 18th 2005 by Lynda

2. Opening up your network for viewing is a good way to get more out of it. Since LinkedIn is all permissions and opt-in based, it doesn't expose your network to spam, but it does increase the potential that connections might happen both with you and through you.

Posted at 8:04PM on Dec 18th 2005 by Charlie O'Donnell

3. I'm starting to use LinkedIn for a corporate alumni network (for former Cisco employees). Group forming on LinkedIn is a bit harder than on Orkut or Tribe - you have to be vetted by them before you can attach a logo to your name - but the process has been very worthwhile.

Posted at 8:04PM on Dec 18th 2005 by Edward Vielmetti

4. In my experience, whenever I actually wanted to contact someone 2-3 degrees from me through LinkedIn (the only thing I actually find useful there), I found that it works better to actually contact my 1st degree person by phone or email directly and ask. Using LinkedIn seemed to me a bit too "cold", a feeling you probably don't want to transmit when you're trying to reach out. LinkedIn still serves its purpose by drawing the path to follow but that's about it.

Posted at 8:04PM on Dec 18th 2005 by RBA

5. I have to admit that I use LinkedIn very selfishly. When I was job hunting I visited daily, and I invited former co-workers like mad. Now I visit maybe once every couple of months, to dust off my network.

I am glad to hear that industry leaders have faith in LinkedIn's sustainability. I've found it very valuable for making and requesting introductions.

Posted at 8:04PM on Dec 18th 2005 by Carole McManus

6. On the contrary, i find i'm using LinkedIn more and more these days, most especially now that i'm working for a startup again and no longer at PayPal. I still use a direct email for folks who are in my 1st degree network, but it's very helpful to reach folks a few jumps away and provides a structured way to make connections.

Of course since we just did a partnership with them i'm biased, but aside from the Simply Hired / LinkedIn mutual benefits, i think the service has reached a tipping point. Definitely more & more people i know who are using it nowadays.

Posted at 8:04PM on Dec 18th 2005 by Dave McClure

7. I have found LinkedIn to be very useful for MBA school projects. Using LinkedIn, I was able to make a contact with a person in Germany who gave me an insider's perspective to working at BMW that I could not find in any other resource. To help my friends get started with LinkedIn, I've written some LinkedIn tips.

Posted at 8:04PM on Dec 18th 2005 by Richard Upton

8. ...the LinkedIn tips mentioned in the message above can be found at http://www.rickupton.com/linkedin-tips.htm.

I've signed up with a number of other networks, professional and otherwise, which are listed at http://www.rickupton.com/contact-rick-upton.htm. For professional purposes, I think LinkedIn is by far the best, but http://www.openbc.com is prety nice too. If you can't find a particular contact in LinkedIn, you might want to try openBC, particularly if you're looking for a contact in Germany, though openBC, like LinkedIn, has users around the globe.

Posted at 8:04PM on Dec 18th 2005 by Richard Upton

9. Two of the three links above don't work because apparently the automated conversion of text to hyperlinks doesn't leave off the period. So here are links that work:

For LinkedIn tips: http://www.rickupton.com/linkedin-tips.htm

For list of other networks: http://www.rickupton.com/contact-rick-upton.htm

Posted at 8:04PM on Dec 18th 2005 by Richard Upton