LinkedIn Goes Mobile

LinkedIn, the fast-growing social network for business professionals, is going mobile, beginning today. The company plans to announce that its 19 million members can now access the service from BlackBerries, iPhones, and other Web-enabled wireless devices.

Unlike social networking websites like MySpace, which targets young people, and Facebook, which targets everyone, LinkedIn has pursued a narrower audience: business people and professionals.

LinkedIn officials have been very clear about their site not being a place to "zombiefy" people or throw chickens at them, two popular pastimes on Facebook.

"Because we're professional, we're not about having people waste time," LinkedIn vice president Patrick Crane told Portfolio.com in an interview. "We're all about people saving time."

LinkedIn is part of Google's Open Social consortium, and third-party software developers are devising new applications for it. One service, for example, aims to allow users to share recommendations for professional publications and books.

"I have a very busy job and a young family," Crane said. "I always look to my professional network first to see what people are reading, particularly two are three people that I respect."

Crane said that although LinkedIn has no plan to seek a buyer, it is weighing potential strategic partnerships.

"We're growing at 1.3 million professionals a month, and so a lot of companies are interested in working with us," Crane said. "We've got tons of strategic deals in discussion sat any one time."

by Sam Gustin