Re: The uses of LinkedIn ..
I used linkedIn as another Friends Reunited. You could look up old school acquaintances and see what hyped up job titles they were giving themselves these days.
But then I started seeing the downside, that LinkedIn reports to the other person you have looked at their profile and then asks them if they know you , and would they like to link to you etc. I have no interest in 'linking' to them, I just wanted to see if they were in prison yet.