What is LinkedIn? It is the world’s largest professional network with over 40 million members and growing rapidly. LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals. Why should you join? First it can help establish your professional network. LinkedIn gives you the keys to controlling your online identity. Have you Googled yourself lately? You never know what may come up. LinkedIn profiles rise to the top of search results, letting you control the first impression people get when searching for you online. Well watch this video and it will explain.

Well why should you be following this? Because LinkedIn is about to take off to new levels. With the confirmation of Jeff Weiner as CEO of LinkedIn the company now has the pieces in place to launch their IPO. Due to the recent strong showings in the IPOs of OpenTable (OPEN) and Solar Winds (SWI), LinkedIn thinks the timing is right to make the jump and lead the company to the next level. Currently LinkedIn’s cash on hand situation is fine as they have no immediate needs for capital. They still have roughly around $50m of the $100m they raised privately. Last year LinkedIn was profitable and they expect better results in 2009 and looking forward. They have 42m members with another 2m joining every month and they just recently started to promite the site international with raving results. That is where the IPO comes into play. To expand to the point the company forsees and grow internationally more capital is necessary and I think finding invesotrs shouldn’t be hard. In 2008, LinkedIn met its target revenue of $100m and expects to double that number in 2009 poising it for a strong future. The great part of LinkedIn is the company isn’t based soley on advertising like many social networking sites. Many business professionals bay extra subscription fees to get bonus advantages to help promote themsleves and further their career. Even with the downturn, I like LinkedIn a lot as an IPO play and have high hopes for the company. Another noteworthy point is with the current tech rally, we could see a rapid pace of start-up tech IPOs throughout the year and it looks like LinkedIn will be leading the group.

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