Best social bookmarking sites about business…

Posted on September 28, 2006
Filed Under Internet tutorials, Online business, web 2.0 news |

I have recently come across some social networking websites that are particularly useful for business professionals… let me share my impressions on them and details available on the net:

1. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a business oriented social networking site, mainly used for professional networking. As of September 2006, it had more than 7 million registered users, representing 130 industries.

Registered users maintain lists of contacts of people they know and trust in business (these are called connections). These lists are then used to provide a network of contacts which can be used in a number of ways. Each person’s network consists of their direct connections, each of their connections connections (called 2nd degree connections) and also the connections of 2nd degree connections (called 3rd degree connections).

This network can then be used to find jobs, people and business opportunities recommended by the user’s direct contacts, or by individuals connected to a contact at the 2nd or 3rd degree.

The “gated-access approach” (where contact with any professional requires either a pre-existing relationship, or the intervention of a contact of theirs) is intended to build trust among the service’s users.

Employers can list jobs on LinkedIn and search for passive candidates and job seekers can review the profile of hiring managers, HR professionals and/or recruiters, and then discover which of their existing contacts can introduce them.

Alumni and professional organizations use LinkedIn for Groups, members-only areas on LinkedIn that facilitate networking among their members. Many of these organizations have groups that also exist under the Yahoo! Groups domain.

LinkedIn participates in the EU Safe Harbor Privacy Framework and is certified to meet the strict privacy guidelines of the European Union. All relationships on LinkedIn are mutually confirmed, and no one appears in the LinkedIn Network without knowledge and explicit consent.

Mark: 8/10

2. ActiveRain

The ActiveRain Real Estate Network is a social networking service for real estate professionals in the US and Canada. The Network was launched June 2006, and currently hosts over 5,000 real estate professionals from across the United States and Canada. The ActiveRain Real Estate Network allows its members to blog together in a group blog, as well as discuss real estate related issues in forums, and via direct messaging.

Mark: 6/10

3. OpenBC

openBC (short for “Open Business Club”, new name XING to become effective soon) is a social software platform for enabling a small-world network for professionals. It is used by people from over 160 countries, albeit the majority of users are Germans. openBC is the only multilingual social business network allowing professionals to establish networks internationally. Languages currently available include English, German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Chinese, Finnish, Swedish, Japanese, Turkish and many more. By displaying how each member is connected to any other member, it visualises the small-world phenomenon.

The platform offers personal profiles, groups, discussion forums, event coordination, and other common social community features. Basic membership is free. But many core functions, like searching for people with specific qualifications or messaging people whom one is not already connected to, can only be accessed by the premium members. Premium membership comes at a monthly fee around 6 USD. The platform uses https and has a rigid privacy and no-spam policy.

openBC started in November 2003 in Hamburg, Germany. It gained high attention in German media and is used a lot as business-network in German-speaking countries. Membership from other countries throughout Europe and the Far East helped growing the network platform to more than 1 million members in January 2006[1].

OpenBC offers the system as well for closed communities, i.e. private clubs, academic clubs or corporate clubs with own access paths and own interface designs.

4. Passado

Passado is the largest social networking website in Europe, with 4.5 million members.

Passado was founded in May 2001 by two school friends who thought it would be interesting if people who left their school or university could just keep in touch. Passado then expanded rapidly and became the most successful European reunion platform for school friends and work colleagues.

In December 2004, Passado launched a new comprehensive social and business networking service covering both the past â€” with schools, childhood friends and former companies â€” and the present â€” with current friends and contacts, current workplace, industry, profession, hobbies, and more.

Members can reunite with old friends, make new friends, buy and sell, find new jobs, hire staff and establish new business contacts.

Passado is partnered with major European and local Internet service providers and portals all over Europe, like MSN, Yahoo, Lycos and Terra.

Mark: 5/10

5. Neurona

Neurona.com is a business networking web site that has been operating in Spain since August 2003. Today, Neurona is the leading business networking site in Spain with more than 570,000 registered users.

Neurona is a powerful networking tool where users can build their own professional network and…

Market themselves as professionals with a personal & unique URL (F.i. my-name.neurona.com) which can be indexed in Google.
Control the privacy level of their professional profile.
Get in touch with other professionals by knowing different degrees of separation with other members on their network.
Participate in Professional Communities or create their own private community.
Get qualified leads and answers by asking to their trusted network with NetMail (a qualified network broadcasted message).
Neurona is located in Barcelona, Spain, and is funded by Grupo Intercom (http://www.grupointercom.com) and Bonsai Venture Capital.

Mark: 6/10

6. Ryze

Ryze.com is a free social networking website designed to link business professionals. The site claims to have over 450,000 members in 200 countries, with over 1000 external organizations hosting sub-networks on the site. Both paid and unpaid membership levels are offered. Founded in late 2001 by Adrian Scottin San Francisco, it was the first of the new generation of social networking services, and was a heavy influence on Friendster, which was founded by early Ryze member Jonathan Abrams in 2002.

Mark: 7/10