Ken Webb initially joined LinkedIn for the same reason anyone would want to join a social networking site -- to keep in touch with friends and former work colleagues.

By the time Abagail Kanter was 2 ½ months old, she had friends her age from around the country. She has never met these infants, but she has received messages from them on TotSpot, a social networking site for babies.

LinkedIn and Facebook have become the "go-to" places on the web where corporate decision-makers go looking for experts, including experienced talent to hire. In the next session of Experts Connection ( www.experts-connection.com), "LinkedIn and Facebook Essentials for Executives: Using Both Platforms as Professional Networking Tools," Jason Alba, well-known career author and founder of JibberJobber.com, will explain how to make the most of LinkedIn and Facebook for professional networking and show executives how they can be found by hiring managers.

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LinkedIn has recently adopted a policy of allowing market researchers to survey its members.  This should make it easier to find out who they are and to target them for both research and marketing.  An article in Advertising Age, November 10, 2008 is being made available by Tom H.C. continue reading

IBM today is making available a new social networking tool called Pass It Along to help organizations take a more user-friendly, collaborative approach to knowledge sharing. The new technology expands the notion of social networking for employees and learners -- and includes advanced features such as learning paths, visual mapping and expertise profiling.
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I heard from Scott M. a couple of months ago. I went to college with the guy and I’m relatively sure that since I graduated in 1989, I haven’t seen or heard from him. While Scott M. was a nice guy, he was more of an acquaintance than a friend category. So why did I hear from him? It’s part of the new craze toward social networking that is sweeping the nation ­– and that may eventually redefine how people in the kitchen and bath industry do business. Social networking breaks down just as easily as it sounds: it’s networking socially, online.

A year ago Mark Zuckerberg was riding high as CEO of the world’s largest social network, Facebook, with his company valued at as much as $15bn (£9.5bn). Twelve months later, things look a little different. Not only are some fans claiming disenchantment with the site but, perhaps more importantly, Facebook appears little closer to turning a profit.

I stumbled upon this article by Anthony LaFauce that talks about apprehension and setting goals (amongst other things) for new social media users. Career professionals in particular need to establish a predetermined set of goals for what they hope to accomplish with social media. Rather than focus on anything short term, prepare for long term success. Regular participation is the key ingredient for success with social networks. Over time, social media can you help you develop your brand and online reputation.

E-mail invitations to join online social networks have become nearly as common as offers for debt reduction and get-rich-quick schemes.

The big difference is that social networking can be a powerful business development tool, said Amy Hoppenrath, president of AH Marketing in Liberty. Hoppenrath, a marketing consultant, trains clients in the effective use of LinkedIn.
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As the economy slows, more and more businesses, small and large, are looking for new ways to offset the revenue slump through creative online marketing. Many have been tapping into social network marketing as a cost-effective and targeted alternative to traditional marketing. While creating a commercial presence on networks such as MySpace and Facebook has been the new web 2.0 trend for the past few years, others are taking social network marketing to a new level by creating their own unique, customized social networking websites.