LinkedIn vs. Facebook

I’ve finally updated my profile on LinkedIn and now have a small network of 65 connections.  I haven’t been that proactive in using the site, just accepting invitations to connect (but only from people I know personally), and I’ve often wondered how to really use the service to its full advantage to help me further my business goals.

Now blogger Jeff Pulver has said that he’s leaving the network to focus more on Facebook. 

Read Confessions of a LinkedIn Dropout on BusinessWeek.com   

And Jeff’s original post on his blog

As well as some commentary from guest blogger Chris Brogan

Exploring Facebook had been on my to-do list for a while, but reading this article spurred me to action.  So I went to Facebook earlier this week and registered.  I didn’t find it that intuitive.  Rather than search for and connect to specific individuals like on LinkedIn, you join established networks of people by region, school, or company.  Hm, that’s interesting.

Although Jeff mentions “there are thousands of groups across a variety of business topics” in Facebook, I didn’t find any.  This would be extremely helpful as I’m more likely to want to connect with other speakers and entrepreneurs no matter where they are located, rather than to people who just happen to live in New York City.

You can also upload your address book contacts from hotmail, yahoo and aol and see if any of them are already on Facebook.  But that seemed like more trouble than it was worth considering that I use those services only for online shopping, and therefore don’t have any important contacts stored there.

I know Facebook has been getting a ton of buzz right now (did you hear about the new deal with Wal-mart?), and this is only going to help. I’ll keep poking around and eventually get my profile up, but I’m still not sure what all the fuss is about.  Or maybe I’m just too old.

Comments

[Jason Jacobsohn]

I prefer LinkedIn beacuse it is only for business. Facebook is mostly for making friends. While this is still a form of relationship building, it doesn't have the same perception as LinkedIn. I will still always use Linkedin for business.

[Chris Brogan...]

If you add me on Facebook, I can show you some of my business groups that I participate in. You can pick and choose a few. Or start a networking group. : )

[Liz Lynch]

Hey Chris,
Thanks for helping me through the process. I just added you as my first friend (!) and look forward to learning more about Facebook firsthand.

Liz