LinkedIn has recently upgraded its home page and functionality to be more in line with the competition, like Facebook. However, I’ve never really perceived Facebook as direct competition for LinkedIn because they focus on different markets completely. As you may know, Facebook is more of a student hangout, and LinkedIn has always been a place for business people.
So recently, Bill Gates created a profile on LinkedIn and also posted the following question on the fantastic LinkedIn Answers service: How can we do more to encourage young people to pursue careers in science and technology?
So far, it has attracted over 3,500 answers, and it’s still open, and you can post your answer to his question directly on LinkedIn. There has since been a lot of debate because he also deleted his Facebook account after being bombarded by friend requests from fans. What’s amusing is how many questions have been posted about his question. A favourite of mine is: What is the best strategy to get invited to join Bill Gates’ network on LinkedIn?
Anyway, what does it mean when one of the most powerful men in the business world makes such a public move? Think of chess, where every move counts, because Microsoft recently bought 1.6% of Facebook for US$240 million. LinkedIn is privately owned, and there is speculation about Microsoft buying into LinkedIn. LinkedIn would be a much cheaper purchase and in my opinion, a better one because of its business focus. Bill Gates has always been Microsoft’s best salesman and and his personal moves will always be associated with their corporate strategy.
There’s so much more to say about this, but for me, the key here this move by Bill Gates confirms that LinkedIn is the best social networking website for business people.