Professionals get linked in with Web site

Professionals get linked in with Web site

"There is very little flexibility on [how you create your] profile," said Piskorski, a LinkedIn member. "I don't particularly care about how you express yourself. I don't care if you have jumping rabbits across the screen."

Another big difference: recommendations.

"Recruiters pay a lot of attention to what other people say on LinkedIn," Piskorski said.

In the not-too-distant future, Piskorski predicts LinkedIn will evolve into the Internet world's much-needed referral service.

Need a good pediatrician? Lawyer? Nanny?

"It's using your trusted connections to get to their trusted connections," Luo said. "It's similar to asking a co-worker if they know anyone who works at United Airlines."

Which brings up the case of the frantic groom.

Seems his wedding party was stuck in France, having been booted off a United Airlines flight that was overbooked. The groom, a LinkedIn member, logged onto the site and found another member who happened to be United's general manager.

The manager stepped in and booked the group on the next flight to San Francisco —- in time for the wedding. He then called the groom to let him know the group was en route.

9 million users

It's perks like these, as well as the connections to a global Who's Who list, that have drawn more than 8 million registered users in 130 industries.

When PC magazine wrote about LinkedIn in 2004, there were more than 700 vice presidents, 500-plus chief executives and 140 chief technology officers among the 40,000 users at the time.

Those stats are just a dip in the networking ocean that is LinkedIn, Luo said.

"It's been great," said LaFata, 47, chairman of the board of Metavision Inc. in Atlanta. "I'm a serial entrepreneur. I start businesses and then get out of the way."

During a 30-year career that has taken him through management consulting and software development, LaFata has made a lot of connections —- particularly during the dot-com boom of the late 1990s —- and lost touch with some.

"The contacts fell apart in the technology arena," LaFata said. "E-mail was just starting, and there was no good way to keep in good touch with contacts I'd made. Everybody was carrying Palm Pilots, but you had to pick up the telephone to update your names and numbers.

"What I liked about LinkedIn is we can keep networks in place as long as they keep their profiles updated."

An old acquaintance saw LaFata online recently, and their reunion led to a business venture together. He's also hired three people based on recommendations he got on LinkedIn and made business deals worth millions based on LinkedIn connections.

'All walks of life'

Even though there's a lot of prominent people, the site is open to "all walks of life," said LaFata, who's made connections with people in Italy and Spain who are interested in business pursuits in the United States.

"It's also kind of cool for people just starting out in business," he said.

LaFata doesn't knock sites like MySpace and Facebook. He's also a member of MySpace, where he's found professional models and other individuals for various business ventures. But, he says,"it's not a professional-type Web site with qualifications."

The professionalism is something LinkedIn executives work hard to maintain.

"If you want to be social, go to MySpace or Facebook," Luo said. "LinkedIn is where business gets done."