Enlarge By Dave Getzschman LinkedIn founder and CEO Reid Hoffman expects more growth next year. LIVING UP TO ITS NAME LIVING UP TO ITS NAME LinkedIn is one company that appears to live up to its name, according to an independent study of 2,000 of its users and their annual income. For example: Nearly 60% have high personal incomes and either executive or consultant titles.

Users with incomes of $200,000 and $350,000 are seven times more likely than those with lower incomes to have more than 150 LinkedIn connections.

Executives make up 28% of users, with an average annual income of $104,000.

Consultants comprised 30% of users, with an average salary of $93,000.

Casual or new users had incomes of $88,000 or less. Source: Anderson Analytics MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.  Where everyone else sees economic gloom and doom, Reid Hoffman sees opportunity. As the freshly minted CEO of LinkedIn (and its founder), he is shepherding a moneymaking tech company in battered Silicon Valley. And he anticipates more growth next year. That is no small achievement. The social-networking site, which lets business professionals create online profiles to seek jobs and network, is adding members faster than ever despite its own recent layoffs and a management shake-up. "LinkedIn is the office, Facebook is the barbecue in the backyard, and MySpace is the bar," says Hoffman, referring to the three major social-networking sites battling it out for millions of consumers and billions of dollars in online ads. "Every individual is a small business or brand," Hoffman says. This month, he succeeded Dan Nye as CEO, whose two-year stint as chief executive was underscored by dramatic gains in members and revenue. About 1 million people flock to the network every two weeks now, compared with 1 million per month earlier this year. (The site has 33 million members from 8 million two years ago.) Gaining momentum The surge accelerated in early September, when murmurs of recession began to take hold and business professionals intensified their networking efforts. Since then, LinkedIn has experienced a 14% surge in recommendations its members make about each other, an 11% increase in number of connections made between LinkedIn users, a 10% jump in invitations sent, and a 9% bump in page views. Many of the gains have come from employees and laid-off workers in financial industries such as investment banking. "I use it as a recruiting tool and as a way to network as more people use LinkedIn," says Tim Whitman, a 36-year-old public-relations specialist in Boston who has 335 connections. "The economy is a factor. But it is a great business-networking tool in today's unstable work environment." With fewer jobs available, Hoffman and others expect a rush in online business networking. "Many people — employed or not — will do project work as consultants, and look for clients," he says. Hoffman, meanwhile, expects good tidings in 2009. "We are poised to drive the company to the next level," he says. "Many (potential members) do not know how LI can help them, week after week." To reach the unfamiliar, LinkedIn this year revamped its site. It unfurled a recruiting service for human-resource departments, a survey application for market research firms and several advertising services. It launched a new search platform, mobile service, company profiles and a redesigned home page. And it served up Spanish and French versions of the site. LinkedIn's new additions have made it easier for its members to collaborate not just with co-workers but people outside of their jobs, says Jeremiah Owyang, an analyst at Forrester Research. Big changes at the top No tech company is immune to the economic downturn that has cost the industry tens of thousands of jobs this year. LinkedIn laid off 36 people, about 10% of its staff, last month. At the same time, LinkedIn has undergone an executive makeover for its next phase of growth. It hired movers and shakers from Internet heavyweights Yahoo and Google — most notably former Yahoo executive Jeff Weiner, who had been mentioned as a possible candidate to replace departing Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang. Weiner, who will report to Hoffman, will join as interim president for an unspecified time to oversee daily operations. Earlier this month, Dipchand "Deep" Nishar, the former Google executive behind the search giant's mobile business and other products, was picked to oversee LinkedIn's development of products and services. He replaces Hoffman in that role. The changes come at a time when LinkedIn thinks it can add more members — and analysts say the site can do a better job of getting its millions of current members to use the site more. "LinkedIn hasn't quite figured out how to encourage frequent participation," says Marissa Gluck, an analyst at Radar Research. Dave McClure, a start-up adviser and angel investor in Silicon Valley, thinks LinkedIn can improve its retention of customers. But he says it remains "tops" among social-networking sites in creating revenue because it is the business network of choice. "I'm pretty confident they'll go public in the next four to eight quarters unless someone makes them an absolutely huge offer," McClure says. Indeed, LinkedIn has not suffered a dip in advertising, which accounts for about 20% of its revenue, and for which it commands some of the highest online ad rates. This is especially impressive given an expected slowdown in online ad spending. Spending grew 25%, to $7.66 billion in 2008, but growth should taper to 22% in 2009 and 19% in 2010, Forrester Research says. The business-contact site has prospered through banner ads from the likes of Porsche and Microsoft; premium subscriptions for members; job postings charged to corporations and small-business owners; and corporate sales to Symantec, MTV and others. Much of the growth came under the auspices of Nye, a veteran software executive who raised about $80 million in funding during his tenure as CEO. He said he will remain aboard through January and continue to advise the company. He characterized his departure as right for him and for LinkedIn. "I am incredibly proud of all that we have accomplished — our business model, balance sheet and infrastructure are strong," Nye says. Nye leaves a legacy of a profitable company that has gobbled up revenue from advertising, online subscriptions, job listings, corporate sales and surveys. Though company officials are now mum, six months ago, LinkedIn said it expected $75 million to $100 million in revenue this year. TELL US: Describe how you use your professional online profile. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more