Rob’s yawning over FaceBook and asks “What does it offer over LinkedIn?”
They’ve got different purposes, that’s for sure.
LinkedIn is great for professional appearance and job networking. I don’t think I’d try to find contacts through FaceBook for a new job. FaceBook, for me, is a fun way to connect with people, much less seriously than LinkedIn.
FaceBook is also a place to connect with the yet-to-be-professional crowd – i.e. my sons and their friends who’ve also become our friends – It’s a way to keep in touch as they move out of our immediate circle (high school, marching band, church youth group, scouts, etc) and into a wider realm (college, mostly). There’s a whole generation out there that thinks email is pretty lame, and this is how to connect with them.
I don’t see LinkedIn and FaceBook as competing, just serving different purposes.
I like congoo for contacting profesionals (for free) within specific verticals and I like Yahoo groups for discussions.