That smart Sam Medalie said, yesterday, over on ERE:
Two months ago, I was searching for a great account executive on LinkedIn in Baltimore. I came across an office for a company that was well known and not in the technology arena. It only had (1)one Baltimore employee on LinkedIn. I contacted that candidate and while he was open to my opportunity, he wasn't interested in relocating. Two months later, I revisited that same Baltimore company and there were now 5 employees on LinkedIn. What does that tell you about where LinkedIn's going and what's happening to passive candidates?

Sam is asking for your ideas and though you're not asking for mine - here it is:

Although it may seem to some of us that LI is approaching hyper-warp speed in its growth there still is a very long way to go - the Universe is a mighty big space. Yesterday's LI birthday page (LI was 5 yesterday) stated LI had 22million members as of May 5. Though it is tempting to allow your eyes to pop out of your head at the number bear in mind that it is only a number - in five years I'd venture to say a good percentage, maybe even the majority of the information on LinkedIn's member profiles (and this will only increase as the network ages as all Internet info "ages") IS WRONG!

The fact of the matter is LI is a social network and many who "sign up" for the flavor of the month GO AWAY, never to return; consequently they do not keep their profiles updated, etc. Even though they've had the foresight to list themselves, they don't understand the power inherent in how the system can work for them; that in fact if they keep their own information "current" their own stock will go up faster than even LI's!

LI should be viewed as a means to an end - that's all - never an end product and if you allow yourself to use it in only that way your "results" are going to drop over time. As that may be "good enough" for the average recruiter who stays in the industry less than three years most assuredly it will not be good enough for the recruiter who stays in the business over the long haul, and I believe the majority of these will agree with me.

Here's another billion dollar idea guys, and I've been yoo-hooing about this for years: When someone (LI, will it be you?) figures out how to TRACK people who sign up at their networks in REAL TIME and in REAL SPACE (will this be done through cell phones? Through an opt-in Tracker system?) THAT someone will make a gazillion dollars because THAT real-time information will be priceless.

But even that will devolve as competitors move in and refine their offerings and sites like LinkedIn will seem so "yesterday" in the public consciousness. Remember AOL (one of the first social networks, as far as I'm concerned) in the 90s? Where are they today? Don't get too fixated or dependent.
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