There are various social and business networking: classmates.com and linkedin.com are representative examples of each.  Many people have asked me if I was 'LinkedIn', and it seems to be growing in common usage, like being 'Googled'.  I have to admit, I have not taken advantage of the many features available in LinkedIn, but can share my positive experience with what I have done.

I was invited by someone I knew, but hadn't heard from in quite some time.  I had never heard of LinkedIn, and was a little skeptical.  We exchanged a few emails, I explored the site a bit, and accepted his invitation to be LinkedIn and become one of his 'connections'.  Once you are a member, if you get an invitation from another member to make a connection, you are free to accept, or decline their invitation.  And you have the ability to view their profile, before making your decision. 

The ad says," It's Fast, It's Easy and It's Free", and all of that is true.  There are many ways to find people that share your interests: by industry, function, geography, or company.  There's a lot more, but you can explore for yourself.

I have included a link at the top of the page that you can use to learn more about LinkedIn.  I am interested in growing my contacts in any industry, but have a focus on the technology sector.  Functional areas where I would like to connect with other executives includes: sales, marketing, engineering, manufacturing, procurement, quality and finance.