Business networking thrives in a recession

Business networking is countercyclical: the Financial Times reports
"Professional networks such as LinkedIn and Xing, a European rival, have surged in popularity amid the economic crisis, as people look for advice and jobs from their online contacts."

"Online recruitment sites, such as Monster, Careerbuilder and Yahoo’s HotJobs, saw visitors leap 42 per cent in the same period.
“Financial services is one of our fastest-growing sectors,” said Mr Nye, with activity – frequency and duration of visits – up 50 per cent in August and September.
“Clearly people are joining as they are thinking about their employment situation. People are also getting advice from their network, reference-checking vendors or searching for candidates to fill positions.”
Xing now hosts a 2,000-strong group for “Lehman Brothers Alumni”.
Lars Hinrichs, chairman and chief executive of Xing, said: “We see the crisis as very beneficial for business networks because you are spending more time on your career than on luxuries.”