Thursday, March 10, 2011

The past, present and future of LinkedIn

The trend I wanted to take a closer look at is the use of LinkedIn.  What made me interested in this piece of social media is that prior to this class I was completely unaware of LinkedIn but soon learned it is a great tool for networking.  LinkedIn launched in May of 2003.  In creating LinkedIn the purpose was to allow users to come in contact and remain in contact with those whom they desire and trust in the business world.  The way individuals get to network on LinkedIn is through connections.  LinkedIn was designed to build connections, allow people to seek jobs and employers to seek potential candidates and get feedback from successful business men and women.  Currently LinkedIn has spread to more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.  As of January 2011 it was recorded that there are more than 90 million registered users.  This came as a shock to me since I had never heard of LinkedIn until I was enrolled in PR Tactics I.  After creating a LinkedIn account and getting to know how to navigate the social media website I have really enjoyed using it.  It is such a great way to network and get your name out there! 
The future of LinkedIn is looking very promising.  With the already rapid growth rate of LinkedIn it will only continue to expand.  China is currently blocked from using website such as LinkedIn and Facebook, however, there is talk about opening this up to an even more worldwide perspective.  LinkedIn is estimated to grow even more in the next few years.  The amount of college and even high school users is increasing rapidly.  LinkedIn has become a great tool for college students to network and search for a career after school.  LinkedIn has taught me how important networking is and how useful it is in today’s world, that reason alone is why I find LinkedIn so helpful.  In my opinion compared to Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn is the most beneficial social media website that I am a member of.  Spacesaver, a company that not only is local to me but my father also leads with many others is a user of LinkedIn.  From first hand, my father has told me that they have reached out on LinkedIn and found some of their current employees.  With all of the social media websites that is available today, LinkedIn is the most beneficial for companies like Spacesaver.   


http://sociallinkedin.wordpress.com/


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn


http://socialmediastatistics.wikidot.com/linkedin

http://www.spacesaver.com/spacesaver.htm

http://www.linkedin.com/company/56990





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6 comments:

  1. KatiMarch 10, 2011 at 12:35 PM

    Those were some very interesting facts about linked in. I had a LinkedIn before taking Tactics 1, but I still really didn't know anything about it either.

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  2. Courtney OmernickMarch 10, 2011 at 2:26 PM

    Britt,
    Before PR Tactics 1 I was unaware of LinkedIn too! I had no idea that it launched in 2003! The fact that there are 90 million users is a shock to me too! Do you think that LinkedIn will eventually become as popular and widely used as Facebook?

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  3. SamieMarch 10, 2011 at 4:29 PM

    Britt,

    I am definitely just as amazed by how HUGE LinkedIn has become. I did not know too much about it before PR Tactics 1 and hadn't thought about getting one before Professor Knabe told us about it. But, I am so glad I did! I think it's amazing how accessible employers are and I think it's a great way to network as well. I'm really glad we had to make one for class otherwise I may have been missing out on this great opportunity!

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  4. NikkiMarch 11, 2011 at 9:12 AM

    Britt,
    Before our tactics class I had no idea what LinkedIn was. I'm still trying to figure out how to use it. haha go figure. But I think once I finally master it, it will do great things for me:) That's crazy how old it is, but it's great that the younger generation is becoming more involved!

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  5. DavidMarch 11, 2011 at 9:15 AM

    Linked-in has become extremely popular in the last 5 years. Past generations had no idea that social media networks would revolutionize how we search for jobs and network with other people. Linked-in is still in its developmental stage, in the next 10 years I see way more people joining. With the current recession people will look online for ways to interview for jobs without having to spend money to get there.

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  6. Brittany's WorldMarch 11, 2011 at 9:21 AM

    I talked a lot about Linked In in my blog too and I think it is something that will definately help people get a job after college. I did not know so much about it until now though!

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