Is LinkedIn Really Used for Networking or is it just Facebook for Professionals?

The answer is both. LinkedIn is a tool, and it depends on what you do with it. It’s like how a handyman can use one side of a hammer to bang nails and secure two pieces of wood – or use the other side to remove those nails and the pieces of wood fall apart. Same tool, different results.

LinkedIn is considered more of a professional network where you connect with colleagues, develop business associations, and demonstrate skills and work experience. And yes, it really is used for networking. When you consider different ways you can utilize it LinkedIn can be fun and productive. You can choose to endorse people’s skills, or write or acquire recommendations to demonstrate knowledge and abilities, or even publish your own articles. It’s a way to promote your expertise in certain subject matters and build connections with like-minded people who share your interests, hold similar job roles, or are in the same job industry. It’s a well-known fact that recruiters and hiring managers use LinkedIn to source candidates for their available roles.

People do connect with their colleagues on Facebook or use it to promote their business, however users tend to share more personal photos or private matters on Facebook over LinkedIn, so they may be more particular with whom they connect with. Think about it, do you really want everyone at your office to see those family vacation photos? Or those throwback pictures of you in high school?

Even if you do consider LinkedIn as “Facebook for professionals” what’s really wrong with that? They are both platforms that encourage building relationships, sharing and communicating with others, and ways to offer value to your connections (and vice versa). Again, it’s a tool and all about how you use it.

Make it a great day! And remember to always NetWorkWise.

This Post Originally Appeared on Quora