Does LinkedIn really do the job you want it to do?

Linkedin was created on May 5, 2003. It now has 830 million users. Here's more about LInkedIn. Is it still relevant?

I have been a user for many of those 20 years. I can remember receiving an email from the founder thanking me for being an early adopter after it reached the 100,000 mark.

The main reasons I joined were FOMO, learning to build my networks, to educate medical professionals and others interested in sick care entrepreneurship, and subsequently, helping me build membership in a non-profit biomedical and clinical innovation and entrepreneurship network, SoPE as part of our strategic marketing and engagement strategy.

Now my needs have evolved and LinkedIn is not doing the jobs I would like it to do:

1. Help automate the process of converting leads, followers and newsletter subscribers to members or customers or disqualifying those who are obvious laggards or not interested.
2. Prequalify potential connections
3. Make the platform safer to use
4. Create event organizing, promotion and launch seamlessly at minimum cost
5. Enable the ability to monetize events, sponsorship and other initiatives
6. Remove the amount of low value information on my feed
7. Expand the mission to helping innovators and entrepreneurs create jobs not just find them
8. Help identify and communicate with prequalified subject matter experts as customer discovery interviewees and have the ability to reward them for their participation
9. Make the events platform more user friendly
10. Create a virtual "guide on the side" to help users conform to best LinkedIn practices, particularly for those beginners who were LinkedOut
11. Fewer features that require more screen time and more benefits
12. Better analytics and ability to test ideas
13. Transparency about why another person is trying to contact you other than disguising the fact that they ultimately are trying to sell you something or get something from you for free
14. Elect to remove the ads
15. Relax the freemium to premium requirements

Leaving LinkedIn would involve high switching costs. But having Plan B before you need it is never a bad idea. What we need is a new social network where we can connect with people again. LinkedIn doesn't accomplish this anymore, because again, it's not a social network. It's a social marketplace. The new social network for professionals will change the way we network in any career, in any industry, in any skill set, passion, or interest. And it's already here.

Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs