Facebook: From social network to business network

Oh, Facebook. You got me through my college years, allowing me to secretly peer into the lives of anyone I met, and you loyally kept me posted on where my friends were working, whose birthday was coming up, and who was having a party. When I created my account in April 2004, Facebook was simply a way to check out the cute boy sitting next to me in class; today it is a way to meet a business partner for lunch. Three years later and now open to the public, the site has revolutionized the way we view social networking and is not just for college students anymore.

So, with the many social networking sites out there, why are more and more people, especially the professional set, turning to Facebook for their business connections? Let me count the ways…

LinkedIn, another social networking site focused on helping professionals make and maintain business connections, is a type of Facebook for the working world. Users can post resumes and “connect” with colleagues. But let’s face it – LinkedIn is dull. Every so often, I get an email telling me I have a new connection, and then I remember that I actually have a LinkedIn profile. As blogger Jeff Pulver comments on BusinessWeek, “my world at LinkedIn was pretty flat, nonviral, and there was no compelling reason for me to stay and interact with the community.” Similarly, my LinkedIn profile is just hanging out in cyberspace, waiting for new connections to arrive.

Now boasting 33 million users (and 41% of them over 35), the original Facebook college crowd has graduated, and these former students no longer have the same use for the network as they once did. With the introduction of third-party applications and the ability to join work networks and groups, people can actually interact with others who have similar interests and goals in a less formal manner. According to the blog Inside Facebook, a new application is in development that will let users separate their friend lists into different categories, such as “work,” “personal,” etc., thus allowing work and play to peacefully coexist on one site.

It seems that what once started as a domain for college students is now smoothly transitioning into a professional network that the over-30 crowd and even your mom can enjoy and benefit from in the business world. So come on, take a look, you know you want to…

Posted by Jenna Lisanti