When it comes to business networking, LinkedIn is the social traffic network. It’s a powerful tool that can help you connect with other professionals, find new business opportunities and advance your career. But LinkedIn is also a controversial platform, with some users accusing it of being a data-mining operation and a tool for employers to spy on employees. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at LinkedIn and explore its pros and cons.
LinkedIn was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman, a former executive at PayPal. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California and has over 500 million members in 200 countries. LinkedIn is available in 24 languages.
The platform is free to use, but there is also a paid premium membership (LinkedIn Premium) which gives users access to additional features such as InMail (a messaging system that allows users to contact anyone on the site, even if they’re not connected), advanced search filters and tutoring resources.
LinkedIn makes money through advertising and by selling premium memberships. The company has been profitable since 2006.
LinkedIn is sometimes compared to Facebook, but the two platforms serve different purposes. Facebook is primarily a social networking site for friends and family, while LinkedIn is a business-oriented networking site for professionals.
The vast majority of LinkedIn’s users are employed full-time (85%), have college degrees (59%) and are based in the United States (38%).
Most users visit the site once per month (61%), with 29% visiting weekly and 10% visiting daily. The average user spends 17 minutes on the site each day.
While LinkedIn is open to anyone over the age of 13, the platform is most popular with adults aged 30-49 (44%).
