I would like to point you to a favorite article on the topic of Facebook vs. LinkedIn, but after browsing a couple pages of Google results I’m here writing because there was a disappointing amount of industry-centric commentary. We’ve got A-List bloggers scorning one or both systems (hardly a “use case” or fair comparison for the average business person); pundits debating which network will succeed, and scenarios describing the use of these systems in getting (and unintentionally losing) jobs, etc.

While all of that analysis has its place, what do Facebook and LinkedIn offer to the average business person? Here’s my “elevator pitch” answer…

LinkedIn
If you’ve got a business card or a resume, you need to be on LinkedIn. It’s a tool for sharing professional recommendations, which means you belong here if you’re working on growing your business or your professional network. Period.

Facebook
If you want to get back in touch with your buddies from college and high school, join FaceBook. That’s what it was designed for, and what it still does best.

For a little more detail on both LinkedIn and Facebook, read on:

LinkedIn – A Little More Detail
LinkedIn is very “low maintenance” once you set up your profile, which is largely an online version of your resume. The “bare minimum” is enough to be useful. In other words, if all you do is set up your name and address and accept connections from people you know, you are at least making it easy for you and your colleagues to stay in touch after a move. Frankly, it’s my address book now – I’ve essentially stopped recording business cards beyond a LinkedIn invite. In this way it saves me time, and thus earns my eternal gratitude. If you want to kick up your participation a notch, “listen” to the questions that are asked in the new Q&A section and respond. This simple outreach has earned new business for at least a couple of my friends who now contribute on a regular basis. It’s also worth noting that LinkedIn has good privacy controls, allowing you to hide your network if that’s a concern.

Facebook – A Little More Detail
While there is some professional networking in Facebook, it’s simply not the first place I send fellow business owners who are working to grow their businesses. If you have a *reason* to be on Facebook, that’s different. For example, if you have an organization that would benefit from posting events or having a Fan Page, do it now! But when people worry about the kind of time social media tools will take, Facebook is a classic example of what they fear. I am bombarded by invites to slay dragons, figure out what beer I am, etc. You’ll either love that “feature” or learn to “Decline all future invitations from this application” really fast. And then you’ll get to the good stuff – the chance to deepen relationships with friends old and new through shared interests and shared experiences.

While there are as many opinions out there about LinkedIn and Facebook as there are members, I hope this provides a simple lens for evaluating participation in these two networks.

Happy networking!