LinkedIn’s Strength in Weak Ties
http://www.statista.com/statistics/274050/quarterly-numbers-of-linkedin-members/
https://www.cs.cornell.edu/home/kleinber/networks-book/networks-book.pdf
Networks play a powerful role, a bridge between the local and the global, offering explanation for the way nodes and links interact in a complex world. LinkedIn, a business oriented social network service, has been connecting people for the past 13 years. The number of users has increased from 37 million in early 2009 to 450 million in mid-2016. The growth in the number of users has allowed LinkedIn to collect information about the individual and their network, where LinkedIn can sell this information to corporate recruiters for a fee. One may think that the ties that you make on LinkedIn are essentially useless. The article from Bloomberg discusses the surprising effects of social networking and the job market. The first surprising piece of information is that LinkedIn has earned over $1.5B in revenue over the past four quarters, selling information from its network to employers and corporate recruiters. A second surprising piece of information is that “online talent platforms,” like LinkedIn proudly displaying one’s past experience, may spur a growth of $2.7 trillion to the nation’s GDP. The network allows people to more effectively hire and match job prospects with job openings. LinkedIn is connecting people within a few degrees of each other to efficiently hire and manage job prospects, network with individuals with similar careers and interests, and keep up to date with job changes.
The strength of weak ties within a network displays itself in the success and growth of the business oriented social network service. The site allows people to see 2nd degree (or local to global) connections, and suggests connections to people you may know (or want to know) a degree or two outside your initial connections. The power of this connection is well documented in the Bloomberg article above, and the concept is one backed up by computer science and sociology research. Mark Granovetter, observed that when applying for a job, close friends were not the most likely culprits in association with the position. Most people identified their personal contact as an acquaintance (check out the third link) rather than a close friend, suggesting that weak ties may be extremely important to securing a job position. Before social networking, many encounters happened in conversation and then people make a connection naturally. Social networking eases the weak tie encounter and gives the user open access to information about the user. LinkedIn streamlines the search within someone’s network for an individual with specific talents, and gives a way to contact that individual. The tie for job creation is easy and more frequent with networking information and data.