www.myspace.com
News Corp.-owned MySpace is a consumer -based site with a strong teen and twenty-something base, which makes it a potentially useful promotional tool for businesses trying to reach a young audience.
www.facebook.com
Originally restricted to students, Facebook has opened itself up to all comers. Your profile lets you add movies, videos, blog posts and other personal details through plug-in applications. Members can also join special-interest networks and groups, and a microblogging feature lets you update people on your status.
www.linkedin.com
Facebook’s stuffy 40-year-old uncle. Register your profile, see your network and your extended network, and get recommendations from your contacts to increase your status. Reach potential contacts by asking others to introduce you, or pay for a premium account that lets you send InMail or OpenLink messages. Use the paid job posting feature to find candidates with information about mutual contacts that you can use for references.
www.xing.com
Similar to LinkedIn, Xing lets you register your profile, find new contacts through your existing contacts and participate in online forums.
www.jobster.com
A career network that lets employers advertise for referrals using their own private network, and also searches a publicly available database of jobs to provide complementary results.
www.visiblepath.com
Blending both a public network of professionals and information from privately maintained corporate networks, this service lets you find the shortest, most viable connection between you and a target executive. Its creators emphasize its use as a sales tool.
www.plaxo.com
Recently relaunched in its third version, Plaxo focuses on your immediate network of contacts rather than looking for friends of friends. Registered users can keep each other up to date as contact details change, and can also post details of Flickr photos and Amazon address books.
Bluetooth headsets are very useful - until you misplace them. When you lose the attractive little S-800, you use your phone to signal the headset to start buzzing.