By ERIC A. TAUB
If you’ve ever attended a local business networking breakfast in hopes of making new contacts or finding a new job, you’ll be excused for wondering why you were there.
But there are alternatives to chatting with a dentist and a criminal lawyer and a few other people unrelated to your line of work (that is, unless you are a dentist or a lawyer).
LinkedIn, the networking site for professionals, has become a vast business gathering place. With more than 259 million members in over 200 countries, LinkedIn offers users, most of whom pay nothing for the service, a chance to hone and increase their contacts. Users can also limit their connections to others who can best help them professionally.
It is, essentially, the networking breakfast moved into a virtual world, and available virtually to the entire world.
“People need resources to find a job and contribute to their community,” said LinkedIn’s co-founder, Allen Blue. “We want to create an economic opportunity for every professional.”
But that promise won’t mean much if….