What was once openBC has now been re-launched as XING, and it looks a much improved interface.

OPEN Business Club AG (the company behind XING) has been named one of the world's hottest Web 2.0 startups by Business 2.0/CNN Money and one of Europe's "Top 100" by Red Herring.

With it's re-launch it looks set to remain the #1 Business Social Networking site globally.

Of course, you could argue that LinkedIN is #1 with 8 million users compared with XING's 1 million+, but LinkedIn has never really considered itself a "social networking" site. Certainly, compared with others such as Ryze & Ecademy, XING is clearly ahead in terms of users.

The thing that interests me is XING's potential for international business development. The site is truly multilingual, supporting 16 languages, and has a global footprint.

It's easy to identify potential partners by searching for what people "have" and "want", as well as by industry. In addition, the platform facilitates open dialogue through sending private messages (your contact details are kept hidden unless you agree to share them with a contact) and online forums.

I still think that it's search capability could be improved with the ability to search "free" text on "About Me" pages (LinkedIN certainly has the edge here) but XING's "search agents" are an excellent way to find new contacts as they join the network.

I've been using this platform since 2004 (here's my profile) and have successfully developed relationships with global business partners & associates through it.

If you're interested in building your business network on an international scale, XING is the place to start.

Labels: social networking sites