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LinkedIn, which has become the leading social network for professionals, tripled its size last month. Europe, North America and India are the main sources for new members, and the site is adding 5 languages in a push beyond the English-speaking world.

I like LinkedIn. There aren’t any apps. No flashy pages. I can network with adults.

But is LinkedIn really worth a billion dollars? Maybe. Depends on how quickly LinkedIn can add useful intranet functions like private company groups and directories without breaking their business model.

See these articles on Portfolio.com and the New York Times for more details.

Related posts and pages on billso.com

• LinkedIn
• 23 May 2008: My social networking activity
• 17 May 2008: Please phrase your LinkedIn question in the form of a question
• 12 April 2008: Finding business contacts and passwords on the Internet
• 4 April 2008: Get LinkedIn with billso.com
• 3 January 2008: Impression management and Facebook
• 10 August 2007: Forty-somethings flock to Facebook
• 2 July 2007: CXOs face malware email attacks
• 20 June 2007: Facebook vs MySpace

Related tags on billso.com

• LinkedIn
• social
• network

Related posts on billso.com

• 19 June 2008: LinkedIn’s valuation reaches US$1 billion
• 23 May 2008: My social networking activity
• 17 May 2008: Please phrase your LinkedIn question in the form of a question
• 12 April 2008: Finding business contacts and passwords on the Internet
• 4 April 2008: Get LinkedIn with billso.com
• 3 January 2008: Impression management and Facebook
• 10 August 2007: Forty-somethings flock to Facebook
• 2 July 2007: CXOs face malware email attacks
• 20 June 2007: Facebook vs MySpace

I’ve set up a billso.com page that displays my social networking activity from several different web sites. It took a bit of coding, but SimplePie handled the RSS formatting with little effort on my part.

Here’s an example of the WordPress template code that I wrote to handle the different time zones among Honolulu, my web server and FriendFeed’s RSS server.

I enjoy using LinkedIn, especially the Answers section of the web site. Users can post questions there, and get answers from other LinkedIn users who have an informed opinion on the topic.

How hard can it be to ask a simple question?

Some LinkedIn users post statements instead of questions. How does anyone answer items like these?

• European Business Improvement Network
• Local governments in NYC, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, Washington, Tampa / St. Petersburg, Baltimore and St. Louis
• I am forming a concept fast food restaurant, based on Asian Street foods. I appreciate any comments, critique and inputs
• Any Excel Experts Out There
• If you are out there and cant get your book published, just send me a email. james
• Where can i get cheep laptops.

I’ve seen questions that look more like headlines:

• Contract or Nothing?
• Silverlight video player error
• Best job for travelling the world?
• Resumes & Online Gaming
• For you mortgage professionals out there
• Motivating People
• MBA in Finance Management
• Christine Johnson - Seeking Employment

Of course, there are users who post their support questions, instead of reading the FAQ or help pages:

• importing contacts
• invitations
• How do I manually add email addresses
• who has viewed my profile
• How do I find groups to join?
• How can I best use Linkedin to promote me service

My favorite question:

• How to edit a question if it is posted wrong?

In the current version of the site, users cannot edit their LinkedIn question once it has been posted. This is probably a safety feature, to keep users from completely changing their question after a few answers have been posted. The user can either close their question, or add a clarification to the questions.

Related posts on billso.com

• 12 April 2008: Finding business contacts and passwords on the Internet
• 4 April 2008: Get LinkedIn with billso.com
• 14 March 2008: Social media in action
• 3 January 2008: Impression management and Facebook
• 10 August 2007: Forty-somethings flock to Facebook
• 2 July 2007: CXOs face malware email attacks
• 20 June 2007: Facebook vs MySpace

On 31 March 2008, Hawaiian Telcom’s Cliff Miyake published an article in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin on how to find business contacts in Google. It’s not that hard to do, especially with the growing acceptance of social networking by professionals.

LinkedIn is another good way to track down contacts. The free service is limited, but most users find that it’s enough to get the job done. I like LinkedIn because its user interface is much cleaner that other social networking sites. No music or video players, no flashy graphics - LinkedIn seems like a better way to make a good impression on professionals.

Have you revealed too much?

As I’ve mentioned before, some people and companies need to address security concerns. Many social networking sites want users to reveal their lives in detail, to create compelling profiles and additional links among users.

But what if a user inadvertently reveals their password on their profile? it can happen. I’ve met people who use their children’s names and birthdays as passwords. Place of birth is a common security question that banks and financial services companies ask as part of a multiple authentication scheme. Social networks also ask for that information - as part of user profiles.

Related posts on billso.com

• 4 April 2008: Get LinkedIn with billso.com
• 14 March 2008: Social media in action
• 3 January 2008: Impression management and Facebook
• 10 August 2007: Forty-somethings flock to Facebook
• 2 July 2007: CXOs face malware email attacks
• 20 June 2007: Facebook vs MySpace
• 11 January 2007: How to create a secure password