Just like Facebook and MySpace, there are social networking sites devoted just to business. If you are in business or looking for a job, it pays to be aware of them and what they can do for you.

What is not so well known is that the same phenomenon exists for the corporate world although not, perhaps, in the same obvious and up-front way. 

Xing (formerly Open Business Club) is an example of a social network website that allows business people to register a presence, advertise their status and make work contacts or friends in a, principally, European/Asian stage.

Like any social networking site, when you join Xing, you create a profile but this time you stress your qualifications and work related skills to show what you have to offer.  This is useful in finding business partners, job hunting, future self-employed or for someone looking for sponsorship.  It is also vitally important in generating new work contacts, seeing how business is developing in your area of specialisation and in your region and, finally, in keeping up to date with what your competition is doing.

Read more in Employment
« How to be a Great Employee and Not Just a Good One Part II
Jobs and Careers »

As well as all this, you can also fill in your leisure interests and find friends in a similar way to all social networking sites but the site is, it has to be said, geared more to work and work-related networking.

Once you join, there are a variety of things you can do.  These range from searching out useful business contacts to looking at a vacancies board to find your next career move.  You can look for business friends and contacts, find out who else is in your area and see what movements are being made by others in your field.  A site like this, it goes without saying, is ideal in the search for new and competent staff or for new contractors or for research in any of the areas necessary to promote forward movement in a business.

As mentioned, you can also join one of a host of groups focusing on leisure as well as work related interests.  However, since it is basically a club for business people, this is reflected in the content of each of the various sections of the site. 

One very useful function is to search for people with the skills that you want to help you in your work or in it’s expansion.  Maybe, too, it can be used to find other useful trading companies outside of your own country that you can contact.  To this end there are details of upcoming Trade Fairs, networking events, training seminars and even social events existing around Europe and the Far East.

Joining and using the services is free but there is the option to sign up as a Premium Member which gives you more facilities and other benefits.

Obviously, if you are joining with the idea of expanding your business contacts or of looking for new employees or contractors then the premium membership is much more enticing.

Once you join Xing you may well be surprised to find out just how many of your work colleagues, prospective employers, business friends and your competition are already members.

Xing is only one example of a business networking site but, since its beginning as Open Business Club, it has gone from strength to strength and this is a trend that I believe we will see more of as the internet develops and people get used to using it as a way of doing business. 

If social networking for business is new to you, I suggest you take a look at Xing and find out what it can do for you or your organisation.  If you already are a member or if you decide to join Xing then please be sure to look me up, I’m in there somewhere, and say: ‘Hi!’