It's like Facebook, but for Business

Professional networking is nothing new. I personally have always been told, "it's not what you know, its who you know." I agree with that too. I've had too many experiences and heard too many stories of people getting their friends a job or internship. Personal references can make or break an employers decision and if you know someone in the company then you have an edge at getting the position. With that said, I have recently joined linkedin, one of the popular professional networks.

Though I see many similarities to Facebook and other social network sites, I had the same question as John Tinker, a research analyst at ThinkEquity Partners. He said on ABC's "Will the Web Replace the Business Lunch?", "The question I'd have is how often do people go on and use it. If it's just once to set up their account, then they're not that attractive." I feel unless the web designers can develop a way to get people to consistently visit these professional network, they may fade and be forgotten. Facebook users will admit that it has become part of their daily routine to check their updates (if not daily, very often). Since it is different than social networks, they should consider adding tools on them, such as collaboration functions for teams, a medium to talk via internet, or something else that would be approved by managers to allow their employees to use it.