Christophe LANGLOIS (first version)

www.visible-networking.com

Dear reader,

As you probably noticed, I don't post new articles on my blog, www.clanglois.blogs.com.

For the last two months, I have been working on another project, another blog, dedicated to help people better market themselves:
www.visible-networking.com.

It is still a beta version, I need to double-check the mistakes in my posts and I am still working on the videos...

wiwih: a vertical networking site for the Hospitality industry

My friend Guillaume (I recommend to visit his blog on the hospitality industry) made me aware of that networking site.

Whereas sites like Linkedin or openBC are generalists, wiwih is "vertical" and specialized in the Hospitality industry.

General vs Specialized
It leads to the very same topic of general vs specialized. What do you think?
Usually, the business models of social&business Networking websites are focused on the number of registered members: volume of contacts/members is very important.

In that case, Hsyndicate is specialized in the Hospitality industry.

I plan to register and test the interface soon.

the Wall Street Journal: good articles on Networking

I did not have time to read them all, but I would like to share with you some interesting articles on Networking (found on the Executive Career site of the Wall Street Journal): http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/networking/

Women & Networking
* Why Women Make Better Networkers
* Savvy Professional Women Promote Themselves Well
* Women Find Nontraditional Ways To Network for Advancement

Job hunting
* If You Want a New Position, Start Networking Now (I always urge people to start as soon as possible)
* Why Networking is Still The Best Way to Job Hunt
* Stay Connected With Others Throughout Your Job Search
* Savvy Job Hunters Learn to Network Nicely

Linkedin: an excellent new interface (18/03/06)

Linkedin have launched another interface, and today I am going to insist on the member homepage which has changed a lot.
As an experienced networker, every Linkedin new release is a real pleasure!

The new interface: a better support to Linkedin's business model
Linkedin Executives are clever. Indeed, the new interface gives more value to its members (improved access to useful new information), and it "promotes" their premium services better.
Linkedin business model is based on premium services, job services and avertising.
   
Thanks to the new interface I am confident they will further increase their member database, and they will make more members aware of these extra features.
    
Network updates
I have been waiting for those info for so long, and it is one of the best improvements of the new interface!
Now, you know how active your contacts (Linkedin members) are, and you know when one of your personal contact has registered on Linkedin.

You can broadcast some news to part of/all your contacts and notify them your got a new job for instance. Of course, when you choose one of the available entries, first you see an intermediate page which promotes Linkedin features and premium services.

New members
Nothing really new here: you are aware of a new member in one of your companies, groups, and among your contacts not-yet Linkedin members (providing you have uploaded your outlook contacts)
Nevertheless, the display has been improved and now you see the job title and the company of the new joiners.

Network data
They have added new stats, and they have improved their display (look of the icons and bars).

Linkedin: reconnect with you old classmates

A couple of weeks ago, Linkedin launched a new feature: now it is easy to reconnect with your old classmates.
   
The list of contacts displayed is based on the name of the institution and the dates you entered in your profile.

Blogs & Women (in France)

In a recent article posted on the blog from L'express magazine, I found list of blogs from networking groups for women.

List of blogs (in French)
* Du rose dans le gris
* Action de femme
* Administration moderne
* Arborus
* HRM Women
* EPWN

European Professional Women Network (EPWN)
If you are a professional woman I would advise to check the website from the excellent networking group, EPWN.

I know this network very well: the members are bright, open-minded and available, the team is great, and the events are always excellent!
Moreover, it is a real pan-European network with chapters in Paris, London, Oslo, Geneva, Vienna, Amsterdam, Sophia, Brussels, Milan, Madrid.

EPWN: interview with Malika on ZDNet.fr

Malika Mir-Silber, réseau EPWN: «Notre club de dirigeantes veut montrer des réussites au féminin, sans être féministe» Par Sylvaine Luckx
ZDNet France - Mercredi 8 mars 2006 (full article)

Earlier today, I was looking for blogs about EPWN on google: I found that article posted on ZDNet.fr.

I met Malika a couple of years ago at an excellent EPWN event in Paris. Malika is very dynamic and successful, with an impressive career in IT and at Microsoft. Congratulations for that interview!

Linkedin: "Post a job" is quick & easy

Today, I had the opportunity to use the "Post a job" feature on Linkedin.

It is very easy and quick: you fill a couple of fields to customize your ad in terms of look and information available (please note you can save a draft at anytime)

The cost for one ad for 30 days is $95: you pay online with a credit card.

Then, you can make the most of the excellent Linkedin and use your portfolio of contacts: you can push the ad to all (or part of) your contacts.

Passado: Europe's biggest social networking site?

I registered a couple of months ago, but I must admit I am not using Passado.

I have received an email earlier today, and they claim to be Europe's biggest social networking website with 4.5m members.

Members: registered vs active
One more time, I would be curious to find out how many of those members are active users. How many profiles are accurate?

Remarks
* I did not have enough time to properly test the interface: I would say that it is Very Slow... to update your profile or upload pictures.
* There are loads of bugs
* They claim to provide "now a totally FREE service": I will find out what their business model is!

High Potential Network

The High Potential Network
I have been aware of that website for some time now. I would like to share it with you.
It is a website about networking: it provides useful resources such as a directory of the best online networks a calendar of events...
The website is available in English and in German.

Moreover, on regular basis, they release a good newsletter called networking.impulse.

The high potential of networking blasts all limits.
The HIGH POTENTIAL NETWORK is an international online media, focusing on the high potential of networking. It reports on the"best of" networking, and therefore offers the best information for networking people.