[nycbug-talk] LinkedIn: Worth it or not?

[Matt Juszczak]

Slightly off topic, but here goes:

I'm on a lot of "Social Networking Sites".  I find that they are more 
hassle than they are worth.  First, I find that the only true contacts you 
can really make are either people you meet in person or people that refer 
you directly -- but most of these sites like "Linked In" are turning into 
everyone being friends with everyone and half the people I'm friends with 
are recruiters, or people I've never met before.  MOST of the successful 
job leads I get are from places like this list, or people contacting me 
directly on monster/dice, etc. which I only have active when I'm looking.

So what are your thoughts?  Do you find LinkedIn (and similar sites like 
Pulse) to be beneficial to your tech career, or too annoying to manage and 
think about?

-Matt