• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, November 4, 2008

According to one independent study, LinkedIn does appear to be all that it's cracked up to be. Nearly 60% of the professional-focused social network's users have high personal incomes and hold executive-level or consultant positions, according to a new study from market research firm Anderson Analytics.

"I strongly believe marketers need to go where consumers are in order to listen to and observe them," said Tom Anderson, Anderson Analytics' founder and managing partner. "This survey showed that online social networks are not only a way for professional groups to stay connected, but powerful tools for business as well."

The study shows a strong correlation with personal income and profession and the use of LinkedIn. Users with personal incomes between $200,000 and $350,000 were seven times more likely than those below that level to have over 150 LinkedIn connections.

The survey found that executives make up about 28% of users, with an average income of $104,000; another 30% were "savvy networkers"--often identifying themselves as consultants, making an average of $93,000. More casual or newer users had incomes of $88,000 or lower.

Anderson Analytics polled 2,000 LinkedIn users and their 52,000 first-level connections in September 2008, using predictive analytics tools from software provider SPSS Inc.

The research identified four primary categories of the more than 30 million LinkedIn users worldwide, including "savvy networkers," or early adopters active in other networks; senior executives; "late adopters;" and those "exploring options" who are active in job seeking boards.

"Savvy Networkers" make up about 9 million or 30% of total users. "Senior Executives" represent 8.4 million, or 28% of total users. "Late Adopters," meanwhile, constitute 6.6 million or 22% of users on LinkedIn, while those "Exploring Options" represent 6.1 million or 20% of total users.

For the study, Anderson Analytics initially analyzed overall network statistics among 2,000 random 'seed' users--about half U.S. users and half international--as well as their 51,873 first-level connections. In order to segment users, Anderson Analytics looked at a sample of an additional 12,000 U.S. LinkedIn users and collected additional survey data from 793 of these.

In addition, a full 66% of LinkedIn users are recognized as decision makers or have influence in the purchase decisions at their companies, while users tended to be more senior in their companies.