Business 2.0 has called LinkedIn, “the adult version of MySpace”. Does that mean it attracts profiles of musicians from the Woodstock era? Although it could, it would more likely contain members who promoted Woodstock, set up the deal that paid David Bowie over $50 million for rights to some of his recordings or perhaps investors that may have already found the next Apple iPod.

LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site that has more than doubled in the last 12 months to over 16 million registered users. It’s tremendous appeal relates to the ability of a member to “get to someone” in order to make a sale, form a partnership, or find employment.

Like MySpace and Facebook, the site provides a free membership. Membership includes five introductions to other members. Paid membership is also available and will cost from $19.95/mn to $200/mn (with discounts for full year plans). Given some of the membership pricing at other business sites, LinkedIn is probably one of the more affordable for business connections.

The site has attracted great interest in the business community. All 500 of the Fortune 500 companies maintain profiles on the site. The presence of these companies opens up opportunities for job seekers that were previously limited by their ability to contact those companies. The services also allow these companies access to a pool of potential employees previously of limited ability to reach.

Per Guy Kawasaki’s Blog, “How to Change the World”, people with more than twenty connections are thirty-four times more likely to be approached with a job opportunity than people with less than five.

The site can be used for a number of business networking opportunities in addition to being a place to post business profiles and resumes. Recently, the site has also launched LinkedIn Answers, a service that addresses business questions its members have. Besides obviously answering questions, this service allows business oriented persons to connect with and communicate with each other.

The LinkedIn site was launched in 2004 with $4.7 million from the Sequoia Group. Within months, in October 2004, it acquired $10 million to expand the LinkedIn service into the non-English speaking world.

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