On-line Professional Outlets
Separate and distinct from Web
sites focused on fostering social ties like Friendster and Orkut, Web sites devoted to professional
networking and career growth are proliferating. Some of
the top ones out there now include:
One of the most
professionally-focused net-working Web sites,
LinkedIn.com enables connections and offers job
listings with the added bonus of telling you how many
degrees of separation you are from the poster.
Similar to LinkedIn.com in its
networking approach, Ryze.com has the added dimension
of live events organized by its on-line
“communities.” Ryze members have the option
to participate totally on line, from afar, or to attend
local meetings held by community organizers with a
common interest.
Networking guru Al Lautenslager
perceives Spoke.com to be more of a sales prospecting
tool than networking enabler because it is less focused
on relationship-building than other sites. But the 24
million contacts available at the site should be enough
to get you to investigate for yourself. Chances are
good that someone in the Spoke network can make a
valuable professional connection for you
ZeroDegrees.com allows you to
search for potential contacts by name, title, or
keyword and then reach out to them directly by e-mail.
You can also supplement your personal profile with
testimonials and offer your professional services or
know-how here.
A hybrid social/professional Web
site “connecting women in medicine,”
MomMD.com offers many opportunities for discussion and
support among its female participants. The site also
has a job board with employment postings and discussion
forums where people considering a career in medicine,
or who are medical students or residents, can meet and
chat with each other.
In addition to scouring the help
wanted ads or getting career advice on Monster.com, you
can now network there, too. Search for people by
keyword, such as radiology or Kaiser Permanente, and
zip code, to find helpful contacts.
