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Professional network service

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Professional network services refer to online platforms that help individuals to build and leverage their professional connections. These services, which originated in 1997 with platforms like SixDegrees.com and Ryze.com, have grown significantly over the years. They now offer diverse tools to promote businesses, connect professionals, and facilitate networking. Users can create profiles, connect with friends and colleagues, and interact with various businesses. These platforms employ various business models, including brokerage and advertising[1], to generate revenue. However, they face challenges due to the freedom of information sharing on the internet[3] and social media[2]. The understanding and effective use of these services are essential for business success today.

Terms definitions
1. ↑ advertising. Advertising is a form of communication used to inform or persuade an audience, often with the goal of selling a product or service. Its history dates back to ancient civilizations, where Egyptians used papyrus for sales messages, and wall paintings were used in ancient Asia, Africa, and South America for promotional purposes. The medium evolved over time, from print in newspapers to audio-visual and digital mediums, with the rise of mass media and technological advancements. Advertising strategies can vary, aiming to raise awareness or drive sales, and can target different audiences on a local, national, or global scale. Various methods include print, radio, web banners, and television ads, among others. New trends have emerged in the advertising business models, like guerrilla marketing and interactive ads. The role of women in advertising has also been notable, with their insights being valued due to their purchasing power.
2. ↑ social media. Social media is a broad term encompassing a variety of digital tools and platforms that facilitate the sharing of information and the creation of virtual communities. Emerging from early systems like PLATO and ARPANET, it has evolved into modern platforms like Facebook and Twitter. These platforms offer unique features that differentiate them from traditional media, including the ability for users to generate content and engage in dialogic communication. They cater to over 100 million users globally and offer different forms of services, such as messaging apps and collaborative content creation platforms. The use of social media has far-reaching impacts on individuals, society, and businesses, influencing everything from marketing practices to political processes. However, it's also associated with ethical concerns, such as the spread of misinformation and potential addiction.
Professional network service (Wikipedia)

A professional network service (or, in an Internet context, simply a professional network) is a type of social network service that focuses on interactions and relationships for business opportunities and career growth, with less emphasis on activities in personal life.

A professional network service is used by working individuals, job-seekers, and businesses to establish and maintain professional contacts, to find work or hire employees, share professional achievements, sell or promote services, and stay up-to-date with industry news and trends. According to LinkedIn managing director Clifford Rosenberg in an interview with AAP in 2010, "[t]his is a call to action for professionals to re-address their use of social networks and begin to reap as many rewards from networking professionally as they do personally." Businesses mostly depend on resources and information outside the company and to get what they need, they need to reach out and professionally network with others, such as employees or clients as well as potential opportunities.

"Nardi, Whittaker, and Schwarz (2002) point out three main tasks that they believe networkers need to attend to keep a successful professional (intentional) network: building a network, maintaining the network, and activating selected contacts. They stress that networkers need to continue to add new contacts to their network to access as many resources as possible and to maintain their network by staying in touch with their contacts. This is so that the contacts are easy to activate when the networker has work that needs to be done."

By using a professional network service, businesses can keep all of their networks up-to-date, and in order, and helps figure out the best way to efficiently get in touch with each of them. A service that can do all that helps relieve some of the stress when trying to get things done.

Not all professional network services are online sites that help promote a business. Some services connect the user to other services that help promote the business other than online sites, such as phone/Internet companies that provide services and companies that specifically are designed to do all of the promoting, online and in person, for a business.

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