Everyone is declaring gloom and doom in 2009. But social networking is exploding.

LinkedIn is planning for significant growth in 2009, as are all of the other major social networking companies. In this article from the USA TODAY, they profile LinkedIn along with its departing and new CEO. They have made a profitable LinkedIn very financial successful and have a sound business model in place.

The most interesting elelment of this, I think, is that it appears that this recession will create more opportunities for social networking sites like LinkedIn. More people have more time on their hands and are trying to use the social networking medium to create their next opportunities, whether that be full-time employment, CFO employment, starting a business, or just networking.

It seems that the timing is right and the opportunities are ripe for this industry. Since LinkedIn seems to have the most powerful business model, I think they are positioned to be the finanical leader of all things that are social networking. I would predict that we will probably see several other start-ups in the professional side of of social networking, but it will be hard to catch the leader. Entrepreneurs, business owners, and CEOs need to look seriously at how they can implement social networking into their overall marketing and operational strategies. Those who don't could be left behind.

Here is my LinkedIn Profile: Ken's LinkedIn Profile

Here is my Facebook Profile: Ken's Facebook Profile