I had a great set of conversations last night and the topic of LinkedIn and questions regarding it's benefits came up. I am convinced that everyone today needs it. Consider it your rolodex (some younger folks may not know what that is). It will house your contacts beyond your next job/company. Why is that important? Because you will most likely need to tap into those contacts in the future, the next time you are laid off or decide to leave a job. It makes sense to start building and nurturing your network today for your use in the future.
But, you say, I am not career-minded, I just work to pay the bills. You too can benefit from using LinkedIn to keep in contact with vendors, suppliers, old co-workers, new co-workers, people you meet networking. The value to you is that it allows you to effortlessly stay "top of mind" with all these people you know by simply updating your status! Wouldn't you look like the company hero if you could find a lower cost solution? By asking for advice or information within your LinkedIn network, that could happen.
I've been searching for free/low cost space for a new training program and I've looked for connections to space within my LinkedIn network. Sadly, this has not yet helped, however, my next step will be to post a discussion in some of the local groups I belong to on LinkedIn asking for their advice on sourcing space and share this question with some of my contacts on LinkedIn too. (I'll let you know if this is fruitful).
Whether you are an active career enthusiast or a job seeker, you owe it to yourself to make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to snuff. I viewed part of Jason Alba's dvd on LinkedIn and found it to be of great help. You can also view his blog where he frequently critiques LinkedIn profiles (such as this post). You can also read his LinkedIn blog. In case you don't know Jason, he wrote one of the first books on using LinkedIn.

Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.