ComputerWorld.com has published an interesting test of two popular social networking sites Facebook.com and LinkedIn.com to find out how they rank against each other for business-related purposes.<\/p>\n
They compared the two social networks on 6 different measurements.<\/p>\n
Here is a summary of the areas tested and results:<\/p>\n
1. The ability to look for a job without your boss knowing —<\/p>\n
Winner: TIE<\/p>\n
Computer World Opinion:<\/p>\n
LinkedIn seems to offer better job search services, especially if you’re a professional, because of its more businesslike atmosphere, its emphasis on business networking and the resume-like profiles that each user provides. However, if you’re nervous about your boss finding out about your job search, Facebook offers much more anonymity, since you can create an alternative personality just for that purpose. LinkedIn’s format actively discourages anonymity; you can create a false ID, but then you’d lose all your connections.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
2. Research information about a job you’re interviewing for —<\/p>\n
Winner: LinkedIn.com<\/p>\n
Computer World Opinion:<\/p>\n
Both LinkedIn and Facebook are great for networking, and if your “friends” at Facebook are employed at a variety of companies, they can offer as good a chance of finding contacts at a company you’re interested in as LinkedIn.<\/p>\n
However, LinkedIn does provide more chances of contacts via its InMail service, which lets you contact friends of friends \u2014 very handy when you’re looking for contacts in a specific organization. It does cost an extra $20 a month, but if you’re interested in a well-paying position, the ability to network at that company is more than worth the cost.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
3. Locate a contract worker for a three-month Web project —<\/p>\n
Winner: Facebook.com<\/p>\n
Computer World Opinion:<\/p>\n
While LinkedIn does offer a job board, it’s not inexpensive to use, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll get any better results than through some other job board. (You are able to get some feedback on applicants from contacts who have worked with them, but that’s chancy.) Facebook’s networking abilities \u2014 sans added fees \u2014 gives it the win here.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
4. Solicit ideas and discussion from team members —<\/p>\n
Winner: Facebook.com<\/p>\n
Computer World Opinion:<\/p>\n
No question here: Facebook is the winner. Its setup was created for communication within groups of people, while LinkedIn is more about the individual.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
5. Get feedback on a IT problems from peers outside your company —<\/p>\n
Winner: LinkedIn.com<\/p>\n
Computer World Opinion:<\/p>\n
Again, no contest. Facebook isn’t really a place where you can jump in to easily find professional IT staffers (or tech enthusiasts) unless you know where to look. Assuming you don’t care who knows that you can’t solve a particular problem, LinkedIn is the better place to find an answer.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
6. Stay in contact with former coworkers and associates —<\/p>\n
Winner: TIE<\/p>\n
Computer World Opinion:<\/p>\n
This one ends in a dead heat. Networking is what both these services do, whether it’s the informal “friending” of Facebook or the more formal search for colleagues at LinkedIn. Either way, you can find old associates by searching through school and organization networks, contacting your existing friends\/colleagues, and using social networking the way it’s supposed to be used.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n