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LinkedIn - Source: Supplied
The world's largest social network for businesses is booming in New Zealand, thanks in part to the poor economy. LinkedIn.com has just released numbers which show that it is being used by more than 232,000 Kiwi business people, a rise of 23% since February this year.
Lisa Ison from the Ad2One sales network said that LinkedIn is growing at a rate of more than 4,000 new members a month. She says a lot of the growth is due to "professionals wanting to strengthen their networks in times of economic uncertainty".
LinkedIn is a social networking site, similar in many ways to the larger, better known, Facebook. Yet, while people share their personal information on Facebook, LinkedIn focuses on career and professional information. Users are more likely to network with colleagues, clients and potential employers than friends or family.
Ison says that business people are using the site as a tool to find new commercial opportunities. However one long time local user, Kath Dewar, owner of marketing company GoodSense, says it is as much about maintaining relationships with clients as it is about finding new ones.
"I use LinkedIn's discussion groups as a way to talk to connect with 'communities of interest' - professionals who are concerned about the subjects I am concerned with," she said.
"It also helps me to strengthen relationships with clients by keeping them up to date on relevant issues".
Dewar refers to LinkedIn as the sleeping giant of social networks and expects the growth to continue as functionality improves.
Data supplied by LinkedIn shows that in New Zealand:
- Telecom employees make up the single largest user group on the site
- 63% of users are male versus females at 37%
- More than 90,000 users identify themselves as managers, owners or directors
- The largest single occupational group is in IT with over 25,000 members.
While computer based roles tend to dominate, the network is broadening its appeal. Almost 4,000 current New Zealand members work in agriculture and fisheries.
