In today's world, the freelancer has begun to reign as king.
With the economy in the toilet, companies cutting back and such technological innovations as satellite Internet broadband gaining popularity, more and more people are turning towards freelancing as a possible source of employment.
It is no longer an occupation reserved solely for journalists.
At the same time, the world has recently observed the awesome power of social networking and what it can do in modern society.
Facebook is no longer just a place to chat with friends and store pictures.
Now, it is an online powerhouse, expanding its grasp on the Web while making millions in online advertising.
Not to mention that with companies and corporations setting up profile pages, more and more people are flooding into the social networking realm like never before, attempting to cash in on the plethora of marketing and brand building options.
Yet, for the freelance professional, Facebook can only do so much.
Since the majority of status updates and personal information is useless, all satellite Internet work-at-home professionals are finding that the social network does not cater to their needs of pursuing an online, freelance career.
But where Facebook fails, LinkedIn picks up the slack.
Starting numerous years ago, before the Facebook explosion, LinkedIn positioned itself as the social network for professionals.
Although similar to Facebook in appearance and features, the service works as a way for individuals - both freelancers and office employees - to put up their resumes, display letters of recommendation and all other work related experiences.
Additionally, people can make connections (known as friends in the Facebook world) as well as join specific groups in order to increase their online exposure and utilize the service to the max.
It has only been in recent years, however, that LinkedIn has really started to catch on.
It could be satellite broadband that increased its popularity or the shear fact that professionals needed to find a new outlet to house their work-related information.
Either way, LinkedIn is growing and it is growing fast.
Now, people are utilizing the service as their key location for job hunting.
Granted, Monster and Craigslist provide great places to get started, but the nationwide job industry has changed from the random application era to the connection era.
People are no longer hiring individuals based solely on credentials.
These days, it is all about whom you know or who recommends you.
And for satellite Internet users desiring to freelance or searching for a new position in an office, LinkedIn provides the online database to make connections and find open positions.
In fact, unlike Facebook where users use the status update to normally state banal, irrelevant information, the status update on LinkedIn is used for a purpose.
If a company has a job opening, an individual will advertise it via their status update on LinkedIn.
If an editor or boss needs to freelance an assignment, they will announce it to all of their connections on LinkedIn in the hopes of finding a qualified individual to complete it.
Therefore, as technological innovations like satellite Internet broadband helped ignite the rise in freelance employees, such services as LinkedIn are helping to organize the masses and turn this batch of freelances into professional workers.
By providing all of the necessary connections, the social network is fast becoming one of the most important aspects of an individual's online life.