MikePadgett.com

LinkedIn to what?

— I must confess to being fascinated by the progress of these frequently well-funded start-ups that still crop up these days. First there was Groove, the groupware with online connectivity. I…”

I must confess to being fascinated by the progress of these frequently well-funded start-ups that still crop up these days.

First there was Groove, the groupware with online connectivity. I got a bit fed up with the trial version – which was hideously limited – then they were purchased by Microsoft and we all know what that means.

Then this morning, I was ‘invited’ to LinkedIn by a client of mine. LinkedIn is all about connections – kind of a network of approved suppliers where the approval is given by members. A bit like the goodwill factor you get at eBay.

So it’s another American venture. It has American written all over it. The same design trend as we’re seeing with Firefox’s site, GE and, well Groove. The corporate look goes ‘friendly’. I don’t know whether to like it or not. I certainly don’t appreciate the predictably racially-inclusive but always conventionally pretty headshot stock.

All she needs now is a headset…

Time will tell, of course- as it always does – whether this will be popular enough to warrant all those reviews from Forbes et al or whether it will go nowhere fast like so many other projects.