When it launched in 2003, the professional networking site LinkedIn was known to many as a forum to share resumes, often in the hopes of landing a job. Many employees dared not access the site from work, lest traces of their online activity send the wrong message to their employer. Times have changed. 150 million users are appreciating the LinkedIn features listed below, and many employers encourage their staffs to access the site from work.

• Company pages. More than two million companies–and most major brands–have LinkedIn company pages. These company pages can now post targeted status updates, which Ad Week reports.
• LinkedIn Today. This news feed delivers fresh content regarding topics from finance to IT to marketing.
• Messaging feature. Contact your business connections throughout their careers. For example, you can contact a service provider with whom you used to work to see if they are available to assist your current business.
• Industry Influencers. LinkedIn counts executives from all 2011 Fortune 500 companies as members. The Harvard Business Review blog noted that “LinkedIn is the only social network where CEOs are slightly ahead of the general populace” and that twenty-six percent of CEOs surveyed have profiles on LinkedIn.
• Analytics. There is a dashboard showing statistics related to the groups you join. You can also see who viewed your profile.
• High-end demographic. LinkedIn boasts the highest average demographic of any Social Networking Site (SNS), according to Financial Planning.

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