Are you - LinkedIn?

(pronounced /ˌlɪŋkt.ˈɪn/) (NYSE: LNKD) is a business-related social networking site. Founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking. As of March 2011, LinkedIn reports more than 100 million registered users, spanning more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. The site is available in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, Russian and Turkish. Quantcast reports LinkedIn has 21.4 million monthly unique U.S. visitors and 47.6 million globally.

Individuals and companies use LinkedIn for networking, job searching, hiring, company research, and connecting with affiliates, including alumni, industry, and a variety of other business related groups. LinkedIn members can search for jobs, join groups, research companies, and network with members of their network.

Want to know more? Catch this YouTube video called: What is LinkedIn?, then keep reading...

Fast Facts

> During the second half of 2010, LinkedIn’s membership base grew, on average, by 1 million new members every ten days!

> In October 2010 Silicon Valley Insider ranked the company No.10 on its Top 100 List of most valuable start-ups. As of December 2010, the company was valued at $1.575 billion in private markets!

> LinkedIn filed for an initial public offering on January 27, 2011. The IPO occurred on May 19. Shares, initially priced at $45, rose to $122.70 in the first day of trading. The stock closed up 109% in its first day of trading, making it the fifth-largest first day gainer in the post bubble era!

> Registered users grew from 55 million at the end of 2009 to 90 million at the end of 2010. Page views grew from 2.8 billion to 5.5 billion!

> By the end of 2010, 50% of members were located outside the U.S. LinkedIn’s international headquarters are located in Dublin, Ireland, and they have offices in Canada, India, Australia, the Netherlands and the U.K.

> LinkedIn’s membership includes executives from every company listed on the 2010 Fortune 500, and their user demographics truly reflect a diverse and global realm!

LinkedIn has taken its time to achieve its growth but, as comScore pointed out recently, the business network site reached the number 2 spot for social networks in the U.S. in June (as measured by unique visitors). LinkedIn kept a low profile for years when it was seen as a bulletin board for job seekers, and owes its growth over the past three years to the recession. As people lost jobs they went to LinkedIn as a useful resource, a fascinating demonstration of how people opted to self-manage during the economic decline. LinkedIn has also done great work in turning the job-seeker site into an increasingly useful content site.

LinkedIn blasted through the 100-million-user mark in March, making it an even more powerful resource for finding a job, keeping up with colleagues and promoting a personal resume. It's growing so quickly that it’s adding a new member each second! As the size of its network grows, LinkedIn is steadily getting more useful. But how are people really using the fast-growing service? Researchers at Lab 42 asked 500 LinkedIn users that question and many more, and came up with a variety of answers as shown in this infographic:

Are you - LinkedIn?

Is your business - LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a resource to BUILD effective relationships and partnerships – with YOU and YOUR business!!

Your competitive edge starts NOW. We’re here to help you get your customers talking…