>>Hi, Jos.
>>
>>>Does anyone here use LinkedIn -
http://www.linkedin.com - or similar networking services? What are your opinions of the usefulness of these websites? Any comments, pros, cons?
>>
>>I do, and many other people. Until now, LinkedIn has been fair enough for me as it keeps on a professional level, and it doesn't generates spam or many contacts from people I don't know (I received a couple in the many months since I use it).
>>
>>I don't see a great value, but it helped me to keep track of some people as they changed positions or employers. Maybe if you are looking for a job or need to recruit someone it can be more important, but it is not my case. Also, check whether there is other people in your region using it, beside keeping track of your international acquaintances.
>>
>>Feel free to add me if you want to try the service.
>>
>>Regards,
>
>I have sent you an invite. I just started playing around with it a few days ago. I find it quite interesting and potentially a nice way to hook up with people of similar interests and in similar fields.
As far as I know, it is more oriented to people within your professional eco-system, rather than personal interests and such. In this area, I guess the biggest player is Facebook, which is more than a contact repository.
Regards,