Step back Linked-In, there’s a new kid on the block. If you have not yet heard of N10, you should try it.

N10 is more than just another site to list people you know. Here are some features that make this site unique:

• Track Referrals: Ever meet someone and want to send them a referral but forget? This site allows you to link two people together in your network and then tracks how many referrals you’ve given them.
• Categorize Your Associations: There are lots of different reasons for networking. This site allows you to categorize people based on how they network and why you network with them. They even have a cute little quiz you can take.
• Find Out Who Your Most Powerful Assets are: Not only does N10 track the referrals you give but also the referrals you receive.
• Tips and Training: Need help on your one-on-one or think your 30 second intro needs some work? N10 has beautiful presentations that can help you be a better networker.
• Post Proof: One thing Linked-In doesn’t allow you to do is post examples of your work. N10 lets you post articles, video, images and audio.

Why am I excited about N10? I don’t think N10 is here to compete with Linked-in. Like all social media, both sites have their value. But the ability to instantly connect two people I know in a simple way is something that Linked-in doesn’t really provide. That alone makes N10 worth my time. Of course, the opportunity to actually post my work is awesome too. That and I like to keep my network organized, so the category function is incredible.

I had the opportunity to meet with Jim Penny, N10’s creator. He created the site based on his book: Networking Genius. Jim Penny has years of experience in networking and wants to make what he’s learned available to everyone else. He’s excited about the potential his system has.

The site is still in beta but I can only imagine that it will continue to grow and change into an invaluable tool for any serious networker. If you are in my personal circle expect to be receiving and invite from me so that we can send each other referrals more simply online!

The past few posts I’ve been focusing my research and attention on the phenomenon of social media. I have to admit it fascinates me, but the goal of course is to make it work, from a business stand point. How can online social networking help your business? And how do you choose from the hundreds of sites that make this available?

I’m going to deal with a number of well-known sites, each one I have reviewed in the last few weeks. Now I’m going to list out each service’s pros and cons so they can all be compared.

Pros:

• Networking Intensive
• Open and chatty community
• real time answers.

Cons:

• Time intensive
• Navigation not intuitive
• Leans towards the internet savvy

Pros:

• Great way to “poll”
• Close to Real Time but simple to use
• Ability to automatically feed blog posts

Cons:

• Too much down time
• Often Tweeple are more interested in getting follower than networking
• Superfluous information

Pros:

• Community Opportunity
• Clean Profile look - user friendly
• Ability to create applications, events and blog posts

Cons:

• Audience not “marketing” friendly
• Networking more social
• Ability to be tagged in notes and images that may not be work appropriate

Pros:

• Massive Audience
• Forum opportunity
• Widely-Accepting to advertising

Cons:

• Spammy
• “Bathroom wall of the internet” - reputation isn’t great
• Friend Collectors instead of clients

Pros:

• Simple, Clean, Business-friendly
• Opportunity to get business feedback
• Chance to get reviewed by clients

Cons:

• People may “reject” your link because they don’t remember you
• Many users don’t check-up on their profile regularly
• Not all people network with others they actually know

Pros:

• Viral effect for blogs
• Simple way to get noticed
• Easy to use

Cons:

• Many people “digg” things because their friends do, not because they like it
• Hitting the front page of Digg has been known to crash websites from too much traffic
• Millions of submission to compete with

Pros:

• Easy for any website
• Allows for site indexing
• Allows for reviews and keywords

Cons:

• Takes a little more time
• Can be bad for niche sites with advertising
• Allows the opportunity for people to rate you negatively

Pros:

• One of the longest standing Social Bookmarking sites
• Allows you to import bookmarks
• Ability to share of keep private based on user needs

Cons:

• Usefulness is merely just an extra link without good user connections
• A hassle without a toolbar extension
• Format is not instinctive

Are there any other social media sites you’d like to see reviewed and added to this list? Let me know what business tools you use.

Linked-In is the uncover infiltration pro of the Social Media state. Its the most unobtrusively of them all. It also is the only social media site that most business professionals recognize immediately as a tool. And many people have at least received an invite. Actually, the first few times I got an invite I just deleted them. What did I want with a directory site? Who cares? Eventually I did say yes and have learned so much since! Linked-in is far more than a “directory” of who you know.

As I continue to review social media websites, its about time I discussed Linked-In. I have met some people who are not really “internet” types who rave over this service. I’m not in love with it but I’ve seen quite a few benefits which I will relate. If you’d like to hear a more personalized review, here is social media guru, Jennifer Laycock, explaining why she if she had to pick one social media it would be Linked-In.

Time: Linked-In can take very little time and still be a great resource. If you do some initial work up front you can quickly use the service just for benefit. Establish your contact list. Send out the email to everyone you know. Don’t think of this as spam. Its easy to delete the message. I even had people who thanked me for inviting them. After you’re all set up, you only have to use Linked-in when you want to. Unlike Plurk or Twitter, there are no constant updates being sent to you, nor do you have to make any.

Clutter: None of it here. No applications, the ads might as well be invisible, no wall graffiti or updates. The profiles are simple, easy to navigate. There also is no mental clutter. This site is strictly business. Who do you know? How do you know them? No one is going to talk about giving their dog a bath or playing scrabble. The world is simplified. Everyone there is looking for the same thing, opportunities.

So what exactly are the benefits?

Jobs: Find business, find employees, make money. Do you own a carpet company and are looking for new homes in your area? Search by name, by company or by industry: maybe you should hook up with a realtor or a construction company. You may not know one but someone in your “circle” might. Then you can get an introduction and bam, problem solved. You can also send out an email to all the people you are conneted with and ask things like: I’m looking for this contact, or I want to hire a receptionist. (You can also pay to list a job, I hear its very successful). Also, finding a job using linked-in as your resume is also becoming more popular. Its not mainstream yet, but as we go more paperless I think people will accept a link to your profile instead of a boring resume.

Credibility: Linked-In offers a number of ways to build your credibility. You can join organizations that are both on and offline. You can ask people to endorse you and your company (and do the same for others). You can also answer questions in your field, this can label you as an “expert” and also prove you know what you are doing! On top of that, you have the opportunity to introduce people to your background, your network and your web presence.

Information: The questions section of Linked-In is really underhyped. I think the possibilites involved there might be endless. If you listened to my podcast with Doyle Slayton, you may have heard him talk about Linked-in. He says ask a question you already know the answer to and see what happens: you may learn more, re-evaluate your answer, meet people with similar views and also have a chance to test the waters before sharing what you know. This is also a great chance to find about things you really need help with, people love to anwer! Plus, you never know what answer/question might lead to eventual business.

My Experiment: Recently I asked a question on Linked-In; mostly to test Doyle’s theory. I picked mobile marketing which was just labeled as reaching “critical mass” today. I already knew all the statistics, and have been closing following its growth with mixed emotions. However, I wanted to see what would happen. Within an hour people were sending me answers. By the time the question closed I had 21 answers and most were well thought out and informed. Not only that but one of the first answers I recieved was from Frank Feather, a well known “Futurist”. I read and highlighted one of his books when I was just starting college, in fact I’d say it was THE book which inspired me to really dig into the internet. Needless to say I emailed him back and am now his 500th contact on Linked-In. I’m hoping to continue to chat with him (maybe I can get a quote from him when I do a blog post about mobile). Just that one contact has made my entire experience on Linked-In worth it. How else would I have met him? I just thought it was a neat little story to end on.

I had a friend say they had a love-hate relationship with Linked-In. I’d love to hear about other people’s stories and successes. I would never call myself an expert on Linked-In, I know far more about Plurk or Twitter, so please share!

We’re linked-in here!