I was asked to come up with a little presentation for a networking group the other on LinkedIn. I did some online research, and I've found not only good information on why this is such a valuable tool, but some advice on making it work even better. CNNMoney did a great article on it in February, that basically states "you're either LinkedIn or left out.

But if you need some numbers to back that up before you believe it, <i><b>69.39% out of 7428 people find LinkedIn useful</b></i>, according to a poll on Guy Kawasaki's blog.

If you aren't familiar with Kawasaki, he's a major mover and shaker in technology, to the point his title at Apple was literally "über-evangelist". He's got a great write-up on why LinkedIn is such useful tool for all levels of professionals, as well as one on how to make your profile more effective:

Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/01/ten_ways_to_use.html

LinkedIn Profile Extreme Makeover
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/01/linkedin_profil.html

CNNMoney: The Missing Link
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/12/01/8394967/index.htm?postversion=2007022818