Hi, just wanted to ask if anyone had used the website "LinkedIn." I'm not familiar with it, and a magazine editor has asked if he could add me on the site. You can't see much of the site, and it seems to require a lot of information (including your Email password, bizarrely).
It seems like a good site, and a good place to make connections, just wondered if anyone had used it, found it useful, or recommended it.
Thanks for any info.
(Apologies if this is in the wrong section, wasn't sure where to put it)

Well, I'm signed up to it, but keep getting odd emails saying 'So and so has endorsed you for Photoshop skills' or weird and completely inaccurate stuff like that! I can see it has potential re being clearly networking and very much not FB, but haven't worked out how to best use it yet...

I don't know any writers who use it much - tho' I know other professions who find it very useful, including journalists. I guess it's partly about what kind of networking suits any given industry.

I think the email password is if you want LinkedIn to search your address book to send invitations out to link up. I don't trust that side of social networks AT ALL, I must say, I don't think their security is good enough, and I wouldn't ever do it. If I want to find someone on FB or whatever I just do an old-fashioned search.

As Emma says, it is very popular with other types of business. I work in advertising and research and it's amazing how often I can see that new clients have looked at my profile before we work together. I'm not very active on it but even so it's useful - in my case clients often look to see the type of people I'm linked to. I have quite a lot of high-profile (in advertising and marketing) connections and this works to my advantage as there's a kind of reassurance in seeing the company I keep professionally. I'm not sure whether it would work in the same way for writers - possible more relevant for agents/ editors/ publicists etc?

Thanks for the comments, interesting.

I wonder if it's the same magazine editor that's 'hassling' me, quite possibly unaware of how the system has taken over his inbox in a somewhat offputting manner? I wouldn't be so averse to joining if they'd let you look without signing up – looks like poor marketing to me.