1. LINKEDIN BRET WILKE BUS 111 https://www.linkedin.com/

2. HISTORY 2002: A group of SocialNet and PayPal colleagues come together to formulate new ideas. LinkedIn is conceived 2003: LinkedIn is officially launched & averages 20 new users each day 2004: LinkedIn offers the Address Book and the ability to create Groups or Partners. This appeals strongly to small business owners. Growth of the site accelerates. 2006: LinkedIn adds Public Profiles and becomes the professional social media website of choice -Profitability -Features: Recommendations, People You May Know 2007: Company now opens Customer Service Center 2008: LinkedIn goes Global. Adds a European office in London & creates multiple language versions of the website 2010: 90- Million Users, 1000 employees in ten offices around the globe 2011: LinkedIn becomes publicly traded 2013: Over 225 Million Users, Growing at 2 new Users Per Second!

3. INTEGRATING LINKEDIN TO CLASS The social media sites we have used within this class have all related towards helping us as students effectively communicate via the internet, but more importantly, LinkedIn shows how we as students can use social media to enhance our ability to communicate in the business world. LinkedIn acts as the perfect medium for students to reach out to potential internship or job opportunities. The website is simple to navigate and offers an easy way to connect to employers or managers of companies that you are interested in. As a user you can send a notification within seconds to the employer of interest and then potentially proceed to ask for further contact information or interview possibilities. In addition, it acts as a great way to follow up with a businesses employee you have connected with in an event or past occasion. This connection and proper communication could lead to many business transactions and opportunities down the road.

4. WHAT MAKES LINKEDIN UNIQUE? I believe LinkedIn is the most effective social media site we’ve learned about during this course because it is solely used for business communication. Users of LinkedIn don’t use the site to post about their feelings, thoughts, or daily actions, as is common with Twitter. Moreover, pictures and videos that have no specific purpose do not consume your newsfeed as is common on Facebook. LinkedIn has a sole purpose and this is why it is most effective. Using this website will help you whether you’re talking with current business associates, potential business associates, or just using the site to get your name and reputation out to the world of employers.

5. USING LINKEDIN TO REACH FULL POTENTIAL WITHIN YOUR BUSINESS -LinkedIn should be used in almost all Business Plans today Why? Where does it fit in a Business Plan? --The website can be effectively integrated by any company in a business plan as a resource used in multiple areas. LinkedIn may communicate the company’s -services, -description, -executive summary, -mission statement It can also be used as a key part of the company’s -Promotion, -Word-of-Mouth Advertisement -B2B Communication

6. SOURCE USED http://ourstory.linkedin.com/