Connecting the professional way
By Binu Paul, SiliconIndia   |   Friday, 19 November 2010, 13:53 IST   |    1 Comments
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Connecting the professional way
Bangalore: The career networking website LinkedIn claims that it is adding a member a second, which is just another example of the pace in which the professional networks grow today. As the world economy is recovering from the recession, professional networking sites see a surge in traffic with increasing advertising and recruiting fees. Fearing another economic downturn, professionals across the world are trying to widen their 'safety networks' through these sites. In professional networking sites, it is not about sharing photos or other contents, instead it's all about sharing users' knowledge. While social networking sites focus on building and reflecting social relations among people, professional networking sites focus solely on interactions and relationships of a business nature rather than including personal, nonbusiness interactions. Professional networking sites enable business professionals to collaborate and network with their peers by their business interests or industry by which one can share knowledge and stay informed. It helps people to know the corporate world better and connect to both their friends and rivals. The business model for professional networking sites vary from each other. Some of these are optimized for use by free members in order to attract as many members as possible while others focus on premium accounts. Professional networking sites are growing in popularity in India as the corporate world is getting very competitive and more people are seeking the experts' advice nowadays. It's not just start-ups, but many big brands such as Times of India and Info Edge are involved in this business. The "Social Media" survey by Indiabiz News & Research Services reveals that LinkedIn is the second most popular site among the youth in India after Facebook. Linkedin, SiliconIndia, Brijj.com, apnacircle.com and wapr.com are some of the most popular business networking sites in India. Freemium model, network effect, profile security and permission marketing are some of the few things common for professional networking sites. To stay in the forefront, the professional networking sites apply many groundbreaking innovations and trends. Providing increased ability to leverage network, availing group discussion and Q&A sections, creating a platform where recruiters, job seekers and salespeople can connect each other are the main trends followed today. Providing timely and cost effective methods to connect to the right people, or in other words, providing knowledge-based connection is the key for all the professional networking sites. Above all, one should be prudent enough to select the right network whereby he/she can connect to the right people. The features that a professional should be looking for in these sites should be the business opportunities, clients and customers; ease of use; relevance of members or audience; scope of mentoring or seeking advice and chances of building business relationships. Thus, professional networking sites are the best way for professionals who want to be informed, updated and equipped enough to survive and succeed in this highly competitive corporate world.

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