As the saying goes, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. The Internet continues to increase opportunities for networking, with sites such as MySpace and Facebook keeping people connected, complete with access to music preferences and embarrassing photos.

For those seeking more formal, professional networking opportunities, however, there is LinkedIn.

“(We’re) taking networking to another level,” said Krista Canfield, public relations manager for the Mountain View, Calif., company. “I don’t think it’s necessarily anything new — networking in general. Most people that are successful in their jobs and day-to-day business life realize the importance of having great connections.”

Launched in May 2003, LinkedIn uses the six-degrees-of-separation philosophy to allow users to gain professional networking opportunities. Each registered user may list current and past positions, education, skills and references. Contacts are established by request. Users also may view profiles of their contacts’ contacts and request introductions.

Josiah Q. Roe, president of Coptix, an integrated design firm in Chattanooga, appreciates the no-nonsense nature of LinkedIn.

“(It’s) tailored for business people,” he said, adding that the site lacks the “weirdness and craziness” of more purely social networking sites. “(There’s) less fluff, less distraction; (it’s) less voyeuristic than Facebook.”

LinkedIn also can be useful for companies searching for job candidates, even those who may not be reaching out.

“LinkedIn is one of our incredibly powerful tools for reaching out to passive candidates. From a passive-candidate vantage point, LinkedIn is probably our No. 1 tool,” said Kevin Green, director of corporate staffing at Unum. “It’s a lot more concise and defined than the social networks like Facebook or MySpace.”

Mr. Green said LinkedIn has been the place where Unum has located a number of hires. One of his recruiters, he said, found a technology specialist through a second-level connection on the site.

With more than 25 million users, LinkedIn connects business people throughout the world. Mr. Green said the site helped him communicate to the British Isles when Unum set up an office in Carlow, Ireland. In June, LinkedIn investors reported raising $53 million, bringing the company’s valuation to $1 billion.

Kim Heitzenrater, director of Career Services at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., said she refers to LinkedIn anywhere from a few times a week to every day, using it as a tool to help alumni connect with one another, as well as helping students in connecting with alumni.

“I think it plays a role in creating access points,” Mrs. Heitzenrater said. “It shows people the possibilities that are out there. For people involved in job searches, it involves one more tool. It’s so surprising and fun to see that we know people who know someone (at a particular company). It’s better than blindly sending a letter.”

She gave the example of a young alum who was living in Washington, D.C., and searching for a consulting position. A friend of Mrs. Heitzenrater’s was connected to someone working in consulting in the area, so an introduction was arranged.

The company profile feature of LinkedIn allows users to view all users within a company and to see what career and education paths are common for people within said company. The top five most linked in companies in Tennessee are Federal Express, Vanderbilt University, HCA, Dell and the University of Tennessee.

With online prescreenings growing ever more prevalent, the ability to put one’s best foot forward with a business networking site like LinkedIn is useful.

“Eventually everybody’s going to have a presence online,” Ms. Canfield said. “There’s a good chance someone’s going to do a Google search for you. Knowing that, the best thing to do is to take control of your identity and making sure that you’re shaping it in the way you want to be presented.”

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