Why Linkedin is like Toy Story... Thing the Seventeenth.

I went to see Toy Story 3 last night (great film by the way, would highly recommend it). Throughout the evening I was also thinking about linkedin and what I could write for this post. Consequently I woke up this morning realising that these two separate entities had merged in my head and I came up with the following similarities between them. Hope this post makes sense to you and that I haven't got 'Cam23-itis'. This post-a-day pressure might be getting to me...

• People that usually wouldn't be seen dead watching a cartoon, will happily go to see Toy Story films. People that wouldn't be seen dead on social networking sites will happily join linkedin. This observation is based purely on people in the cinema audience last night and colleagues I found on linkedin yesterday. Names have been changed to protect the innocent...

• Linkedin seems to be the old man of networks. It's been around for a while and everyone knows about it, just like Toy Story was one of the first computer animated films and has stuck around for sequels.

• They are both very American

The size of 3D cinema glasses?

• Is the time it takes to get comfortable worth it? I'll explain... the 3D glasses hurt my head as they are a bit tight and I'm not sure the 3D effects you get with Toy Story 3 are worth being uncomfortable. I would find it uncomfortable putting my work details online and I'm not sure I would reap any benefits from it. Although I do have recent evidence of someone being head-hunted through linkedin...

• Woody and his friends form a very tightly knit and cohesive group with benefits. I'm sure Linkedin could be like that if you are in the right group and the group was big enough. I'm not sure that UK librarians are quite there yet

  

  Mr Potato Head by Tinker*Tailor

• Just like Mr Potato Head, if he has lost one of his plastic ears, linkedin members can be a bit deaf. Interaction is carefully controlled. You need to be linked to somebody and for them to accept your messages before you can talk. If a person doesn't spend much time on the site, your messages may never get seen or accepted. 

• Both Linkedin and Buzz Lightyear have a Spanish Mode. Only kidding...

To infinity and beyond? I think Buzz is more likely to get there before Linkedin does.