Facebook Takes A Shot at LinkedIn

Last week I mentioned the new API update that enables users to select “Networking” next to “Looking for” in their profile. It was only an API change but it looks like the new feature launched today. This new option caters to Facebook’s rapidly aging demographic that has begun to use Facebook for business purposes. The next step? Facebook needs to update their options for selection how you know your contacts. Currently, the available options are limited to those that would be useful for college students.

I would assume that this is something that Facebook will be changing in the near future. The addition of the “Networking” feature is only a first move in their well calculated assault on LinkedIn. It will be interesting to see how this pans out but soon enough I think LinkedIn is going to be toast. Following Dan Nye’s statement that LinkedIn is not a social network, I have to say that LinkedIn is practically a sitting duck. LinkedIn has limited messaging features and is essentially a public extension of my Outlook contact list.

While there are many on the web that are more conservative and would prefer no to be as transparent as profiles on Facebook are, the overall movement is toward a more transparent society. If LinkedIn wants to play it smart they will cater to the movement rather than going against the grain. Do you agree that LinkedIn is going down?