Comment by jeffwidman

Yes, I use LinkedIn all the time to figure out who in my network knows someone else, so that I can background check someone before I walk into a meeting or ask for them to send a backchannel recommendation. Not for hiring, but for various other kinds of business deals. I don't use it at all for the social network stuff--I find that a complete waste of time. As a network map + living resume of people I'm meeting with it's fantastic.