If you have not found Jigsaw that is by far the best direct networking tool for Business Development.

– also the light hasn’t been shed enough on the Goog, Y! mashup of all the social networks (coming soon)

- Later, RB

I have yet to be convinced that an accumulation of shallow “apps” like SuperPoke are going to evolve the internet, let alone create a new “platform”. And as many point out here, there’s plenty of room on the web for multiple social networks that address different demos.

LinkedIn has its demo, and the more juvenile “apps” that emerge, the less Facebook looks like a competitor to LinkedIn for that market.

Although I see the growth of facebook users increasing, the frequency of their log-in’s are greatly going to decrease.

Spam is starting to become an issue with FB. I get many spam friend requests on a daily basis.

No one mentioned that high school kids make up a large percentage of FB.

Wow. Marc really lays out what he thinks about the current state of Linkedin:
1)  NO SERVICE.
2) BUSINESS MEMBER? – STILL NO SERVICE.
3)  BAD DESIGN.
4) RELEVANCY.
It’s good reading! I’d add some things to his list:
A)  Data cleansing…

I stumbled on to your site from a fellow advertising industry blogger and I have to say I could not disagree with your hypothesis more.

As many of your readers have pointed out, LinkedIn appeals to the more serious business user precisely because it is NOT Facebook. People like it is the first site of its type that allows you to keep your business life separate from your social life.

I think you severely underestimate how crucial this is to a demographic that has no desire to ever mesh the two. It’s why LI is able to get the sort of senior executives who’d never dream of exposing themselves on a Facebook.

Now Facebook does have an opportunity to capitalize on its popularity by creating a Fabebook/Workplace type site which would allow people to keep their social lives out of it.

Jared Sandberg, who writes “Cubicle Culture” for the (unlinkable-because-it’s-a-pay-site) Wall Street Journal, had a very funny column last week about the pitfalls of business networking on Facebook.

But a site that allows users to strictly keep to business is going to have huge appeal to professionals in every industry. What we all need to remember, however, is that the percentage of people working in professional jobs is still a relatively small one.

TT

Duncan Riley, writing at TechCrunch asks LinkedIn Traffic Up, But Is It Enough? … and once again, all the action is in the comments.
For me, it’s a no-brainer: LinkedIn is a different beast to Facebook. Its “niche” is business …

On the other hand LinkedIn is constantly used by me for business purposes. For example for developing new business relationships, re-connecting with colleagues, and adding new business contacts for my network. I see that people from Poland, Germany, and Turkey always add me to their network after we establish a relationship via other media. Needless to say that ALL my previous employers small and big are listed in Linked in.

Bottom line- I think Linked In is still the standard social network for business users outside the US.

Shouldn’t this be a comparison between LinkedIn and Xing? It’s LinkedIn vs. Xing as it is Facebook vs. MySpace.

let’s guess:

facebook = 30m users, 50% active, 5% business = 750K business users
linkedin = 12m users, 25% active, 100% business = 3M business users

i’m making up the numbers, but maybe i’m not so far off? in any case, theory aside i’m noticing a lot more facebook invite requests from older / business types i would normally have thought would send me linkedin requests.

however, i think the [correct] point you make is that LinkedIn has a lot of business-focused functionality that enables more business use. but with Facebook Platform, perhaps it’s not so insane to think someone else could provide that feature set.

which is why i think LinkedIn should build a business networking app for Facebook (not the hiring one they already tried out).

- dave mcclure

ok, so i’m starting the rumor. (note: i’m not talking about the hiring app they already launched). whether or not it’s true, it’s what LinkedIn should be doing… along with fixing LinkedIn Groups, creating an API Platform, and adding pictures to p…