LinkedIn is a professional networking site over thirty six million members across two hundred companies. This site serves as a platform for all professional people to meet and build relations with each other online. LinkedIn offers a common platform where your you can meet your classmates, colleagues of past and present and clients and know professional details like their expertise and company they are associated with.

Just by providing few simple details you can be a part of LinkedIn family. First step after joining is to make your profile telling about your area of work and other related accomplishments. You can also enhance your profile by using LinkedIn tools. Since Linked in a gated community you have to know the people beforehand either directly or indirectly through some contact to start inviting them (or in LinkedIn term making a connection with them).This gated approach infuses trust among its member users. By using a drop down menu you can select school or company (taken from your profile) and look for a connection and send them invite. You need not know their email address to send them invite .For other friends you can send them an invite with their email address. LinkedIn provides visibility up to third degree connections which means you can see your connections, your connections’ connection and further your connections’ connections’ connections. You can use the social graph provided by the site to know how you map to your third degree connection. You can send an invite through your friend (i.e. your connection) in case you want them to be your direct connection as well.

One of the most important uses of LinkedIn is that it can be used to find jobs, potential partners or future clients and service providers. Employers can use it as a medium to post their job openings and find suitable candidates. With your network of connection you can be informed of the various openings in your contacts’ company and in this way you can get an insider take on various job opportunities.

You can be part of LinkedIn communities and discussion forum and increase your knowledge by interacting with subject experts in your area of work. You can also leave a question in the LinkedIn answers section and get an answer for your business queries.

LinkedIn also provide an application to add your blog to the LinkedIn site. You can also create your own public or private online directories to store documents.