LinkedIn vs. Facebook — It’s on!
July 17th, 2007 by Doug
VS.
Ever since Facebook opened up to all users a few months ago, one of the topics is that Facebook will replace LinkedIn. One wag suggested that Facebook should buy LinkedIn, IIRC. If anyone knows who said that, leave it in comments and you win a dollar. Now, Jeff Pulver, VON bigwig and Batman to Chris Brogan’s Robin (or is that the other way around? hmmm) , says he is abandoning LinkedIn altogether and concentrating solely on Facebook for business networking. Brogan is actually opening up that idea to debate.A couple of thoughts:
- As for Facebook buying LinkedIn, linkedIn better hurry. Once the LinkedIn network is largely replicated on Facebook– and I think this will happen soon– LinkedIn will be worthless to Facebook. Sorry.
- The full-switch works for someone like Pulver because he is the sort of person that others will follow over there. That’s not going to work for me so easily.
So, I will keep one foot forward in Facebook, and one firmly behind me in LinkedIn, where the not-so-early adopters are still doing a lot of business. As I said in my recent post, the best social networks, like a good stairmaster, are the ones with people on them. Don’t start hanging your wet laundry on LinkedIn just yet.
Technorati Tags: LinkedIn, Facebook, Jeff+Pulver, VON, Chris+Brogan, social+media
This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 17th, 2007 at 12:38 pm and is filed under News & Commentary, Social Networks, Web. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
July 17th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
LinkedIn’s biggest advantage is its ability to make connections between people who do not know each other, but who know someone in common. That’s why high tech sales people have found it so very useful. You can do this on Facebook too of course, but YOU have to do it. If Facebook can solve this piece of the puzzle with a little elegance, it may indeed be a LinkedIn killer.
July 17th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
I agree that FaceBook may buy LinkedIn but it will be financed to be almost a reverse merger where LinkedIn execs move over and become the ‘adult supervision’ a’ la X.com and PayPal.
Also, I wrote about the same topic here:
http://donteattheshrimp.blogspot.com/2007/07/facebook-vs-linkedin.html
July 17th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
I think Facebook’s biggest challenge at the moment as a business networking site is that it is still known in most circles as a socializing tool for college students, whereas LinkedIn has the reputation as being a business networking site first.
That being said, I think Facebook is overwhelmingly more known to those outside social media geek circles because of its infamy as a “post-collegiate career killer” for its college aged members…
July 29th, 2007 at 8:45 am
Can’t facebook and LinkedIn just stay separate, why all the talk about a merger or a competition. I love them for different reasons – LinkedIn is great for work relationships and makes me feel a bit professional where Facebook has a bit of a blurred world with my work and social friends mixed up – i’m not sure i want a 24/7 social network for everything. I hope they both stay around and stay separate.
July 29th, 2007 at 8:23 pm
I definitely did not put it the same way you did Ryan, but I think you agree with my point. these are still different animals with somewhat separate audiences– no need to declare the death of LinkedIn or to exclude either.