Silent LinkedIn Generation

UPDATED 10 FEB 08: Facebook offers one of the best shop windows for people online.

SEVERAL IRISH PUNDITS dismiss LinkedIn for the vampires of Facebook or the herd factor of the latest flavour of social networking. Their dismissive approach papers over their youth. Because many of the social networking gurus strutting their stuff did not use e-mail before 1990. I have a collection of e-mail addresses that stretch back to 1987 and when one of those light up my in-box it means some life event has occurred. I put some of those occurrences on my blog and today I would note another legacy contact who dropped a short note my way--this time via LinkedIn. He runs a data warehouse that serves a region of the US health care system. Like three other long-lost friends this year, he dropped by via LinkedIn, connecting to my profile.

Behind the scenes, LinkedIn is quietly acquiring members whose details port from their very exclusive electronic social networks to LinkedIn. In fact, most don't know that they are in a social network. They just know that they see the names of old friends--real friends--who have often reached the top of two different careers. My LinkedIn mail this year informed me of a head of research of a pharmaceutical firm. a CNN bureau chief, a Boeing 777 instructor pilot, a top-flight university conditioning coach, a biomass engineer and the head of social services in a major capital city. All of these people would offer more than a couch in their homes if I came calling because they are real friends. Try as I might, I don't get that feeling from Facebook.

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Paul Walsh -- "Please, no more LinkedIn Invites" and "Facebook vs LinkedIn in 2008.
Damien Mulley -- "Yes, every business should join Facebook."
Michele Neylon -- "LinkedIn doesn't try to amuse you with ghouls, vampires, poker or other distractions. It does, however, work very well as a networking tool."
Tom Raftery -- "LinkedIn is probably the social networking business tool with the greatest penetration here" (in Ireland).
Bernie Goldbach's LinkedIn profile.

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