You should know this about me: I’m not a joiner. It’s probably partly an innate characteristic (my father and my daughter share this trait), partly the result of being an only child who lived in his own head much of the day. Although not entirely without social graces, I’m not adept at party chitchat. I have close friends, but I don’t make new ones easily. I did join a fraternity during college, but not until junior year and only with a chapter that was pretty much the antithesis of the standard frat.

Here in the Aughts (that’s what we’ve decided to call this first decade, right?), connectivity is everything, and someone with my, um, antisocial tendencies is at a disadvantage, professionally and otherwise. Everyone is supposed to be into social networking, collecting friends via MySpace, Facebook and I don’t know what else. But I have a hard time in beseeching strangers to be my online “friends.” It just seems too needy to me.

 

I do, however, like LinkedIn. I find it to be a great way to keep in touch with people I already know, however superficially. I first started using it seriously after I read this article by Sree Sreenivasan at Poynter Online. Since then, I’ve accumulated around 40 LinkedIn connections, a respectable number, mostly with people who would be able to pick me out of a police lineup. I particularly like that LinkedIn occasionally reminds me of acquaintances who have dropped off my radar, finding them through some arcane process that mystifies me.

I also appreciate that the company has made a special offer to my Chronicle colleagues who are experiencing sudden changes in their employment situations.

I haven’t leveraged LinkedIn in all 10 ways recommended by Guy Kawasaki, but Mr. Kawasaki kind of scares me with his superabundant energy. Read his account of his Extreme Profile Makeover, though, to see how even the most accomplished media figure can improve his online imprint.

Penelope Trunk at the Brazen Careerist also has a number of posts about LinkedIn, including one directed particularly to journalists and an interview with the company’s co-founder Konstantin Guericke.

The Web Worker Daily has also written 20 ways for making the most of LinkedIn.

If you’re a LinkedIn member and want to trade contacts with me or get back in touch, please visit my profile and send an invitation.