Social Networking!

Wow, here are some fascinating new statistics about social networking:

• 96% of Gen-Xers have joined a social network
• Social media has overtaken porn as the #1 activity on the web
• It took radio 38 years, tv 13 years, the internet 4 years, and Facebook 9 months to reach 50 million users

Sounds like this phenomenon is becoming quite important in our "communication & connection" circles. My favorite social networking site is LinkedIn because it's all about business and ditto for me. Here are the primary objectives in maintaining a LinkedIn networking account:

• Control your professional identity online
• Stay connected to contacts and your industry
• Find the people and knowledge you need to achieve your professional goals (such as landing that fabulous new job or getting to know someone outside your local area and inside your industry)

Interestingly, as contrasted against Twitter, LinkedIn is NOT:

• An unending diary stream (i.e. "what I'm doing" every 3-5 minutes)
• Spam (no unsolicited and unwanted promotions from total strangers every 5 minutes)
• Pictorial ruination (no photos of last weekend's kegger and associated antics)

I would encourage anyone who either has a business or has a presence in the business world to open a LinkedIn account. It has amazing functionality that allows you to search for jobs, connect to people, research companies, connect to folks in those companies, and communicate with others to build your knowledge base and credibility in your chosen profession.

If you'd like to receive a document from me that outlines specific instructions for opening a LinkedIn account and how to work the basics, please post or send me your email address (to cleavitt@infowest.com) and I'll send it out to you. Good luck with your social networking!

-Carol