LinkedIn

With nine million users, LinkedIn is the clear leader among pure business networking sites in terms of subscribers. Professionals can manage their online CV while also using the information contained within it to connect to others. Likened to a more robust Plaxo, LinkedIn appears to be focusing on the job market as a primary source of its subscription revenue. Around 60,000 recruiters pay an average of €2,500 a year for premium features such as sending messages to LinkedIn members outside their own networks. Corporate members have coughed up six-figure fees for access to the network. LinkedIn limits the amount of social content its users can add to their profile – videos and podcasting are a no-no. However, it recently decided to allow profile pictures, which indicates that it is prepared for the new threat from Facebook. Many commentators seem to believe that LinkedIn can stand up to the competition. One poster on the popular Marketing Pilgrim blog notes that "both are useful in different situations and neither one can effectively replace the other". LinkedIn, he says, creates a more professional presence as there aren't as many distractions. Another poster describes LinkedIn as "a road map of your relationships. When you want a value-added referral to a busy person, LinkedIn is the only tool."