LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking site; however, you can also use take a look at these 13 alternatives to LinkedIn to grow your network. LinkedIn has over 610 million users in 200 countries.
Like any other social network, LinkedIn has its weaknesses. It may be getting DMs by the dozen from people trying to sell you think. Maybe the content isn’t always hyper-relevant. This article doesn’t suggest you leave LinkedIn, it just shows you the different options you have at your disposal.
Best Alternatives to LinkedIn
Meetup
Meetup allows you to seek out as well as create local meetups. While registering, you’ll have to mark your interests. Meetup notifies any local meetups that the user has an interest in. This has a wide variety of topics from professional topics to hobbies. Meetup notifies anyone that has identified your selected topic as something that is of their interest.
Xing is similar to LinkedIn. After you finish signing up, you can join groups with like-minded professionals to network as well as share ideas. You have the ability to post jobs, search for jobs, and research companies. Xing is more well known in Europe than in the United States. However, it is used by people in over 200 countries. It is free to use, however, you can unlock additional features via a premium membership.
Bark
Designed to connect local professionals with people who are in need of services. Bark will reach out to professionals in your area, then call back with estimates. You also have the ability to set up your profile, be paired with prospects that are seeking out the services that you are offering.
Opportunity
A networking site that prides itself on “professional matchmaking.” Users can be notified each time someone in the targeted market indicates they need what the user is offering. Opportunity strives to connect people based on their needs. Users are notified of relevant employment opportunities. Professionals discover other professionals based on the preferences selected.
Jobcase
Jobcase is unique as it has been powering over 100 popular job sites since 2009, it also has over 80 million users. Jobcase has a wealth of access to data regarding open roles, the companies that are currently hiring. Set up a profile to get access to a huge database of jobs. You can join groups, or peruse the community to be a part of discussions.
Lunchmeet
A mobile app, is similar to Meetup. You use it to identify another local professional to meet for coffee/lunch, as opposed to pulling a crowd. You can set up your availability for an offhand meeting. You can find other local professionals with availability during those time slots.
Community Forums
Despite being the most overlooked, provide vivid networking opportunities. Forums are a great way to ask questions, to share your experience with others. The forums stay active, these are frequented by many knowledgeable people. Google Ads forums and Bing forums are some examples.
Twitter Threads
Twitter has great communities: they are public, they are free, they are active, and they can be supportive.
It’s so much more than the source of many-a-meme. Hosts many micro-communities, these include r/PPC for paid search as well as r/SEO for SEO. The communities are completely free to join for the public to peruse. Reddit has a huge list of topics, not just SEO or PPC.
Slack
A messenger-based mobile app and desktop application. It houses some mixed reviews. Several Slack communities can add a lot of value, on the contrary, it can also be distracting. Each community has a mix of public threads, the option to DM anyone else in the community.
Facebook groups
There are several Facebook groups dedicated to sharing professional knowledge as well as expertise.
Sumry
A web app that builds online resumes and portfolios. It allows you to aggregate certifications, skills, as well as work experience. It allows you to include testimonials and your full timeline of work experience. Premium users have a chance to introduce themselves before applying for a specific work.
Gust
A community-focused solely on startups. Gust is a global SaaS funding platform. For the sourcing as well as management of early-stage investments for startups. Gust enables entrepreneurs to collaborate with investors, angel investor networks.
That marks the end of the list, well these are the alternatives to LinkedIn, give them a try if you’d like. If you liked this article (or if it helped at all), leave a comment below or share it with friends, so they can also know 13 Awesome Professional Networking Alternatives to LinkedIn.
