Not Linked In

I recently registered with LinkedIn, after receiving the proverbial invitation I couldn’t refuse from a client. Ok, I could have refused it, but I didn’t because I’ve received a few from him and from other clients or would-be clients over the past year, and it seems like a good idea. I’ve also received invites from other networking sites, mostly from Germany, but also from other countries across the world.

Now, I’m all for the internet revolution because, as a transactional lawyer, it basically means I can work with clients all over the world from any place with an internet connection. That makes things easier when I’m traveling, and it also allows me to take extended trips like the one-month stay in Munich, Germany a few years ago.

That said, I’ve been wary of these networking sites, and as soon as I signed up for LinkedIn, I received a request from another LinkedIn member to list him as a contact (or whatever they call “friends” inn the world of LinkedIn). As far as I can tell, I don’t know him, and he is just a very proactive (aggressive?) seller of litigation services. Thus far I’ve ignored his advance and, frankly, I haven’t logged on to LinkedIn since.

Stories like this one from the Financial Times don’t make me any more comfortable about networking sites, which brings me to the point of this post. I’d like to hear from others who have been active on these sites for longer. Which ones are good (or bad) for the international business person? What are the advantages and disadvantages? And what alternatives are there?