Linkedin may be the worlds largest professional networking site ,but you can also grow your personal network with these 8 LinkedIn alternatives.
Linkedin is a huge professional networking site.
Intact is the worlds largest professional network ,with more han 610million users in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.
I tend to use LinkedIn as a virtual rolodex and try to connect with all of the individuals that i work with , so I always have an updates means of contracting them.
for one ,because of the size and the number of users, my feed doesn’t always feel personal and the content isn’t always hyper relevant.
although i cant see myself leaving LinkedIn and i m not suggesting you should, either there are a number of sites and platforms that can add supplemental value.
HERE ARE 8 PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING ALTERNATIVES TO LINKEDIN
1.MEETUP
meetup is a cool platform that allows you to seek out local meetups .when you register, you mark your interests.
meetup will then notify you of any local meetups that you might be interested in, as they are created.
if you don’t find one that you are interested in ,or one that works with your schedule ,you can set one up and meetup will notify anyone that has identified your topic as something that is of interest to them.
it is great way to bring like minded people together, locally
2.XING
Xing is aa professional network that is similar to Linkedin. after signing up ,you can join groups with link minded professionals to network and share ideas.
you can stay on top of the latest news in your industry and identify relevant seminars, conferences,and trade shows.
you can posts jobs, search jobs, and research companies. xing is more prominent in europe than in the U.S, but is used by people in over 200 countries.
it is free to use but you can unlock additional features with a premium membership, similar to Linkedin .
3.BARK
bark is designed to connect local professionals with people who are seeking their services.
bark will reach out to professional in your area and circle back with estimates.even more valuable, you can set up your own profile and be paired with prospects that are seeking out the services that you offer.
4.OPPORTUNITY
opportunity is a networking site that prides itself on professional matchmaking .it strives to connect people based upon their needs.
users can be notified each time someone in their target market indicates that they need what the user offers.
likewise, users can be notified of relevant employment opportunities.in addition professionals can discover other professionals based upon the preferences they select
5.JOBCASE
Jobcase is pretty unique in that it has been powering over 100 popular jobs sites since 2009.
because of that, jobcase has access to wealth of data about open roles and the companies that are currently hiring for roles that you might be interested in.
so how does it work?
with jobcase ,you can set up a profile and get access to a huge database of jobs, in addition ,you can join groups or pursue the community to participate in discussions.
Jobcase boasts over 80 million users ,so there are plenty of discussions to join in on
6.LUNCHMEET
lunch meet is a mobile app.this is a valuable tool to identify local professionals with similar interests
what makes lunch meet unique is that you use it to identify one other local professional to meet for coffee or lunch, as opposed to pulling in a crowd.
with lunch meet, you can set up your availability for an important meeting and find other local professionals with availability during those time slots.
7.COMMUNITY FORUMS
one of the easiest ,and yet most overlooked ,networking opportunities are in community forums.
the forums are a great way to ask questions and to share your experience with others that are seeking input.the forums stay active and are frequently updated by many knowledgeable people.
8.TWITTER THREADS
Believe it or not, some of the best industry networking that I’ve been privileged to stumble upon has come from some really great Twitter communities!
The especially great thing about these is that: they are public, they are free, they are active, and they can be really supportive.
