What is it? You upload your contacts and/or enter people you know. Once you’re connected to them you are able to network with their contacts. It’s very business oriented – as opposed to personal nature of Facebook.
LinkedIn lets you know where your connections are now– even if you’ve lost touch or are out-of-the-loop: once you upload your address book, it checks to see who’s on board and you could reconnect with people for whom you have outdated emails:
It gives you the ability to (among other things):see who your contacts and friends are connected to in a business sense (e.g. who do they know well and have worked with).research people/companies (”What’s that person like to work with? Should/could I work with them? Looks like some people I know have worked with her – I’ll ask them.”)see public recommendations if you want a new hire
Mention what you are up to (using the “status”/”what are you working on?” update.)Generate interest.
ask for advicefrom the Linkedin populace as a whole, or from your friends.
LinkedIn also has an “Events” feature – and you certainly can see (and be apprised of) the events your friends are attending – but there’s more. It trumps the usual events features by offering:“…recommendations based on the contents of your profile” in your newsfeed. (Marshall Kirkpatrick on Mashable.)
Who You Know. Connections. Introductions request a contact make an introduction to someone in their connections with whom you’d like to establish contact.
Efficient – Not too social – in and out – you don’t hang out
