LinkedIn is considered to be the world’s largest professional network with over 12 million members and counting. It helps you connect with trusted contacts- colleagues, friends, administrators, etc. LinkedIn enables you to exchange ideas, knowledge and opportunities with your particular network of professionals. It is also a place for employees and employers to put themselves out there. For professionals on the rise, a LinkedIn profile provides space for resumes, recommendations and suggested connections to give them a push start.
However, a Facebook application founded in July 2010 is giving LinkedIn a run for its money.
It’s been two years since BranchOut’s beginning, and the application already has 25 million registered users. After just one year it had 3 million open job listings, 20,000 internships listed and was already active in 60 countries in 15 different languages.
If that’s not competition, I don’t know what is.
BranchOut is useful for finding jobs, networking with other professionals and recruiting employees. BranchOut also allows each user to conveniently see which of their friends work for which company. In doing so, it does not limit you to making connections one person at a time- you just connect to an existing group.
By creating products for job seekers and recruiters such as CareerConnect and RecruiterConnect, companies are able to publish their openings on Facebook via BranchOut. RecruiterConnect, a concept that originated with LinkedIn, caused a ruckus, however, when it was flagged as a violation of LinkedIn’s terms of service, and BranchOut was furthermore blocked from accessing its API to avoid “knocking-off” their services.
But, despite the controversy, BranchOut continues to get 10+ million new visitors a month, placing it ahead of the other most popular applications on Facebook Skype, Twitter, Pinterest and the newly added Instagram.
So while Facebook is helping BranchOut spoil all of the fun for LinkedIn, the moment Facebook launches a new and improved career outlet, BranchOut is toast.
Dog eat dog. Only the strong survive. Every man for himself. LinkedIn stands alone, but BranchOut branches off someone else. So I’m pretty interested to see who will win this battle when it’s all said and done.