Social Networking is everywhere and while I am a big proponent of Facebook and Twitter as tools twitter at should be in your arsenal of networking connectivity and presence self initiatives, Linked in remains one of the tools with the most potential.

However where other tools have low use friction and make using them so easy that their purposes are often lost, Linkedin is a tool with more to it which most people use only a fraction of.

As many of you know I am big fan of Linkedin for business networking. While there is no question that there is limitless potential from using the system, many people are unsure how to maximize their use of the system. Should you strive to have a vast network of people whom you have little knowledge of or keep an intimate network of trusted contacts? How should you go about growing your network on Linkedin? Are there Linkedin groups that you might join and how do you find them? What is the etiquette involved in turning down a connection or choosing not to forward a request? Is there a down side to Linkedin and or your participation in the system?

Linkedin has not been idle in the face of services like Twitter/Facebook and has done much to amp up the service it provides past the basic multi-layered introductions that are at the core of the service. For example they recently rolled out a significant improvement to their Tweets application that allows LinkedIn members to easily find and keep track of their LinkedIn connections on both LinkedIn and Twitter. While I do list my twitter user info on my profile I will not putting my tweet stream on my profile. However the tool does all me to more easily track the tweets of my Linkedin connections.

Now if you have been busy filling your 15 networking slots you might just be looking for some new people to catch one on once face time with and while ExecTec should always be your first choice for expanding your network, I have to admit that Linkedin invented that whole “People You May Know” function. If you have not checked out the automated list of contacts that seems always like at least one if not several disconnected connections then you are missing out.

You may know you can follow people on twitter or friend people on Facebook but did you know you can follow companies on Linkedin? With Linkedin's “Follow Company” you can be among the first to learn about developments at target companies, find job openings or stumble upon business development opportunities. Most importantly, this feature can deliver insights that might otherwise escape a more casual search.

Now you are not always at your computer when you need to get connected and if you are not leveraging the Linkedin applications for you mobile device (iPhone or Blackberry) then you are truly missing out on the opportunity to be connected and share connections when you are away from the office.

Linkedin is a tool that many people use but few people truly maximize the benefit of. So come find out what Linkedin can do for your business or personal networking. Experts, novices and those who have not even tried Linkedin will come away with a better understanding of what Linkedin is and how you can benefit from the system.

As always, there is no better way to meet and connect with other executives then over dinner and conversation. $21 in advance via PayPal or $25 at the event gets you a full dinner, drink and the best networking around.