May 15, 2003
Linked In - Six Degrees of Schmoozing
After some gentle prodding, I have finally registered at Linked In, a new online social network that promises to link people together and increase your odds of making the connection that will get you that job, that deal, that venture capital funding, etc.
The easiest way to get over the initial barrier-to-entry is to request a connection with someone that is already part of the network. Once that's been confirmed, you can browse through the social network for your friends and colleagues and continue to request more connections. I found the search tools to be pretty rudimentary, but I'm sure they will improve over time.
My biggest complaint with the site is that it's purely superficial. There's nothing there but mini-bios of each person in the network. There's no cumulative knowledge, no writing, no forums, no educated opinions, no links - in short, no community. Without something to keep me coming back to the site, why should I bother? The goal of the site should be a social network that facilitates reputation management. It's just another online Rolodex, otherwise.
I would love to see some discussion areas on the site, or some kind of content that's going to bring me back. After I've gotten past the initial ego-boost of sending connection requests to everyone I know, there's not a whole lot else to do. With this many smart people in one place, it'd be foolish to watch them all get bored and wander off to find something more exciting to participate in. You've built a network; now where's the community?
Posted by Cameron Barrett at May 15, 2003 02:36 AMI was completely disappointed. All I could manage to do (and maybe I missed something) was sign myself up and invite someone else. No way to see who else was on there beyond what was my network. I've been playing with Ryze for a few months and there's lots of tactical and seredipitious ways to discover people and grow the "network" you participate in. LinkedIn seems to want me to take my existing network and set it up there. What on earth is the value-add for me to doing such an impossible task?
Posted by: Steve Portigal at May 15, 2003 11:40 AM
Like virtual communities before them, these oddities lack an explicit purpose.
And if they manage to pin down what the site is actually for then it will be clear that the people who are members are probably the last people you want to be members.
For example, if you are looking for new business, then a network of competitors and colleagues is not who you need to talk to. Am I cynical or is there something dodgy about networking for the sake of it?
Posted by: Tom Smith at May 16, 2003 07:34 AM
If you felt this community did not deliver on your expectations perhaps a more open community that invites all to participate and collaborate for the good of each other could be a refreshing change.
It's free to sign up and all the content is available except clubs set up by individuals who have selected to make them private.
Enjoy!
www.ecademy.com?xref=20390
Posted by: Ed Daniel at May 19, 2003 12:44 PM
