Topic 9 Exercise 1

Is social networking a business model?

Definition of Business model

The combination of factors that describe the business, including the market the business will serve, the perceived value delivered to the customer, which determines profitability per unit of sale, and the sustaining factors that allow the company to thrive over the long term
www.milestonegrowth.com/financing/glossary.html

• Manage the information that’s publicly available about you as professional
• Find and be introduced to potential clients, service providers, and subject experts who come recommended
• Create and collaborate on projects, gather data, share files and solve problems
• Be found for business opportunities and find potential partners
• Gain new insights from discussions with likeminded professionals in private group settings
• Discover inside connections that can help you land jobs and close deals
• Post and distribute job listings to find the best talent for your company
http://press.linkedin.com/

In a very broad sense, yes social networking can be loosely related to a business model. In reviewing Linkin.com it has some similar goals to a business model.
 The combination of factors that describe the business- provides a professional network for people to connect with other professionals that they might not normally mix with.
 including the market the business will serve- professionals seeking others to help them achieve their goals
 the perceived value delivered to the customer- to be able to connect with like-minded professionals to help each other achieve
 which determines profitability per unit of sale-advertising?
 sustaining factors that allow the company to thrive over the long term- encouraging more people to join leading to more skills available for connections to be maintained.