Angels Den Blog

With over 51 million members, LinkedIn is the world’s largest online business community. Launched in 2003, it quickly outstripped its competitors and became a staple web-based business card that entrepreneurs, private equity investors and others in business signed up to in order to expand their networking capabilities.

The aim of this website community was to allow those in business to find, build and maintain their contacts or “connections” and to encourage stronger relationships, a greater understanding of those you do business with, and ultimately an increase in trade.

Recent moves by LinkedIn to expand its access and connectivity for its members have resulted in numerous additions to the service. Mobile applications have been developed to help you to use their website on your iPhone and Blackberry. The LinkedIn website itself has a new design to make finding what you’re looking for far simpler, and the most recent addition is an integration partnership with Twitter.

Bringing together the world’s largest business community with the world’s fastest growing social media network is bound to be good for all concerned. Twitter has been sold to us for some time as a business tool which I have found a little difficult to believe for most sectors; however this new partnership will certainly help to elevate this status.

The idea is that LinkedIn members will share their business wisdom with others in their Twitter network, and Twitter enthusiasts will share what they are doing right now with their LinkedIn community with greater ease than ever before. The aim is to improve communication between everyone, so what would you share with your business contacts in 140 characters or less?

As our business is to bring entrepreneurs and investors together to build the enterprise success stories of the future, our 140 characters may well be spent like this:

“Whether you’re looking for start-up capital or to raise money to expand your SME, private equity investors are your route to these funds”

“Come and meet some of London’s most prolific private equity investors at our next SpeedFunding event on 30th November”

“Private equity investors needed to speak at our next ‘What Angels Want’ seminar to give their personal perspective on investment triggers”

“New drop-in days scheduled for 2010. If you’re looking for funding from private equity investors we’ll answer all your questions”

However, I’m sure you can find some far more insightful ways to promote what you’re doing to grow your network and strengthen your business relationships.

LinkedIn promise more innovative ways to help their community to do business in the near future, but for now we’d recommend all LinkedIn members to get Tweeting.

Image: carrotcreative