LinkedIn: Your Network

I've been signed up at LinkedIn for ages. I didn't really give it much credit and thought: "A buddy site for yuppies".

I was right - and I was wrong. It is so much more than that. Yesterday morning I had two contacts. Today I have 15. But that's not the key point. You'll get the point below.

LinkedIn: "Your Network of Trusted Professionals"

You are at the center of your LinkedIn Network. Your connections can help you make contact with 364,800 professionals — here’s how your network breaks down:

Your (MY) Connections

• Your (MY) trusted friends and colleagues: 15
• Two degrees away, Friends-of-friends;
  each is connected to one of your connections: 181
• Three degrees away, Reach them through a friend
  and then one of their friends: 14,200
• Four degrees away, The broadest group,
  reach them through a chain of referrals: 350,400
• Total users contactable through a trusted referral: 364,800

I think that's powerful and I have already discovered links to influencial professionals that I never knew I had.

Am I paid to propaganda this? I wish. No, I just genuinely think this is a powerful online networking tool. A bit like Blogger.com is powerful when it comes to weblogs. Have a look at their website, but realise that its true powers will not become evident until you have made some contacts of yourself on LinkedIn.