I. Introduction
For one to be successful in life one has to be connected to other people who have been successful in different fields of life. It is important to realize that though a person might invest heavily in education, the person might in the long run unsuccessful due to his or her inability to connect with other people. One of the things that have made the job market more closed today compared to the past is the idea that globalization has come with increased technological and communication advancements. This means that jobs that were initially available for example manufacturing jobs that required low levels of skill have been submitted for machinery. This has increased the number of people competing for the few jobs that are now available. LinkedIn, a social network makes it easier for people to connect to these jobs by making sure that employers and the people with the skills for a given career are able to connect with each other. This does not mean that joining LinkedIn is an assurance for a job. However, it increases the chances of a person connecting to a people who can assist one to get a given job through advice, connections and recommendation to given careers.
2. Why LinkedIn has been successful
One thing that is important to realize is the fact that spending time together with a group creates a connection that might stay intact for life. For example, many people try to re-unite with their former school mates even after they have left their education institutions. In the past when the level of technology was still at its early stages, it was difficult to re-unite with former school mates or classmates. However, with new technology especially the development of social networks like LinkedIn, one does not have to attend things like re-unions in their former institutions so as to connect with friends or classmates. This connection can now be done online. Therefore one of the reasons that have led to the success of LinkedIn is the fact that it has the ability to re-unite a specific group of friends in a more organized way than other social networks like Facebook.
The second reason why LinkedIn has been successful is the fact the LinkedIn connects people with the same careers. This is something that other social networks have not been able to achieve. For example, lawyers from different parts of the United States can reunite via LinkedIn. This can allow them to work closely so that they can be in a position to interact either online or face to face. In addition, LinkedIn allows people with the same career to support each other either through advice or by offering recommendations.
The third reason why LinkedIn has ended up been successful is the idea that the social network is global. This means that people can connect with other people from other parts of the world who have the same careers as them. This global aspect of LinkedIn has allowed it to continue increasing in membership because many people are seeking for opportunities not only within their territorial boundaries but also in other countries.
This means that LinkedIn allows members to access opportunities in other parts of the world. Due to the scope that LinkedIn serves, it increases more cultural understanding among its members. Understanding of cultures is an important element of business because it one knows the boundaries and the kind of conversation and products that best suit a given culture or a given territory. This means that as much as LinkedIn has increased the opportunities of people in the job market, LinkedIn promotes a sense of cultural understanding among its members.
3. Characteristics of the specific community; how community participants benefit from interactions; and why participants are motivated to join.
Some of the characteristics of members on LinkedIn are that the members have a similarity that connects them. For instance, going to school in the same institution is one of the factors that tend to join people together in LinkedIn. This is because when people are in the same school over a given period of time, they get to know each in a better way. By getting fond of each other, these people are in most cases motivated to maintain these connection. Therefore, one of the important characteristics of the members in LinkedIn is that particular groups have something that they share in common.
The second characteristic of the members in LinkedIn is that they have almost similar interests. Most of the people seeking to connect through of LinkedIn aim at meeting the same goals and objectives. For instance, some of the members of LinkedIn aim at seeking for opportunities especially in the job market. Bearing in mind that some of the members of LinkedIn have already been successful in their careers, it allows them to help others who might be seeking to achieve what these people have already achieved.
Some of the factors that motivate participants to LinkedIn is the fact that members can gain some advice or recommendations for free instead of paying money to be able to have the same services elsewhere. Some of the advices would include things like getting help to write resume, knowledge about the best places to look for a given career, and also the information about employees who would be interested in providing employment for a given group of people. Competition and professionalism in LinkedIn among members also prompt more people to join in so that they can be able to possess some of benefits and advantages that are considered as being essential by their peers in accessing better careers and job opportunities.
4. What makes the community strong and explain at least three e-commerce concepts.
Some of the factors that make the community in LinkedIn include the concept of mutual gain. This means that mechanisms that allow members to enjoy mutual benefits from each other. Every member within LinkedIn stands to gain from interaction with each other in terms of information and other services that are made possible by the interaction provided by this social network. This mutual benefit builds a sense of trust between all members of the social network thereby making the community stronger.
The second concept that makes the community stronger is the idea of secrecy and protection of private information. This is because LinkedIn uses a member’s authorization to present the personal information of a given person to other people. This means that unless a given person has authorized for his or her information to be shared with other people, the information cannot be shared. This protection of personal information creates a sense of trust by members on the social network.
The third concept that makes the community stronger is the concept of shared goals and interests. This is made possible by the fact that members on LinkedIn have similar interests and goals. Some of the interests that members seek to meet in LinkedIn include re-union, access to information and opportunities, and also the ability to learn from others. This creates a situation whereby many members take advantage of their membership in LinkedIn.
