Move Over MySpace, Sites Mean Business by By JOE BEL BRUNO, The Associated Press

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LinkedIn, and other business networking Web sites, allow for more relevant contacts and more private communications. They allow business people to share their network of contacts with others and share their contacts in return.

And that's exactly what Reid Hoffman envisioned when he and four others launched LinkedIn in 2003. The ad-driven Web site is now growing by about 700,000 new users each month, and is considered to be the model for a growing trend of business-oriented networking sites. Management said the privately-owned company is profitable, and revenue has doubled year-to-date.

The 1,294 contacts on Hoffman's LinkedIn profile read like a who's who of Silicon Valley elite _ everyone from Internet executives to venture capitalists. Users on the site who know Hoffman, or become one of his contacts, would have access to those names _ and vice versa. On LinkedIn, members have to accept contacts _ and unlock their lists to others they have approved.

"At this point, if you come in and upload your address book and connect with people that are here, it doesn't take much experimenting," he said. "You can be off to the races immediately, and that's one of the benefits of being at a scale of 12 million people."

Trade associations have long used the Internet to connect members within a particular industry. However, sites using social networking software allow them to post details on a profile, and use it to directly communicate and access information.

"For many people, these sites will mirror the way we behave off-line," said Steven Jones, a professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago who specializes in new media.

One popular niche is linking investors, allowing online traders to boast about a shrewd trade or a hot stock tip, like the traders do on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.