LinkedIn/Facebook

I'm not a user of LinkedIn and have never actually visited the site, so my knowledge on this social media outlet is very limited. That being said, I think there is a ton of opportunity for professionals to network on this site and is something that I will probably check out when I get some free-time after grad school (if that free time ever happens). I like the concept, but I don't think I'd really fully comprehend it until I started using the site. The case tries to describe the process, but it gets a little overwhelming after a bit.

Even though I don't use the site, I still think it would be advantageous for LinkedIn to provide the first option for revenue recognition; specifically, providing a bundle of eight new services for a monthly charge of $15. This would create a tiered system on the site that would allow premium services for those users willing to pay. Not everyone would be affected, so those happy with the site as is should not have any complaints. I would be hesitant to remove the intermediaries as a link between the members. Although a fee would be paid for this service, I still think relationship managers would get hit with loads of requests that they would not have considered in the current scenario. That would lead to potential for a large drop in these users. So my overall recommendation is for LinkedIn to move forward with the additional premium services, but to be careful and move slowly if they try to implement the removal of the intermediaries.

As far as Facebook goes, I see loads of opportunity for targeting advertising based on the profiles created by the users. However, I'm worried that this could infringe on privacy rights and lead to more public apologies by Facebook. If Facebook developed an opt-in program for the specific advertising, I think it would help to bypass this issue. I'm sure there are some people out there who would prefer to receive advertisements that relate directly to their interests (I would be one of them). I also think Facebook needs to continue to focus on the Facebook Connect ability to link with other sites in order to increase its revenue stream. As the largest online social community, Facebook needs to leverage itself in every way possible.