LinkedIn reaches 100 million user milestone

Professional social networking service LinkedIn has amassed more than 100 million users worldwide.

The company revealed on Tuesday that it had hit the milestone less than eight years after its May 2003 launch.

Designed to function as an enterprise counterpart to social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn allows people to connect with others based on their employer, profession and areas of expertise.

The service also allows users to share recommendations and comments about their peers and business partners.

LinkedIn chief executive Jeff Weiner said that the the service is seeing growing interest among professionals, and is adding one million new members every week.

"This isn't just a big milestone for us, it's also an important one for all of you, our members, who've helped build the LinkedIn network," Weiner wrote in a posting to the official LinkedIn blog.

"We're most inspired that, by connecting talent with opportunity at massive scale, we're changing people's lives in meaningful and sustainable ways."

The company estimates that 56 million of its 100 million users are from outside the US. Among the fastest-growing countries are emerging markets such as Brazil, India and Mexico.

Among the site's most represented firms are traditional IT powerhouses such as EMC, Cisco, Amazon, eBay and Apple. Some of the more obscure sectors include 1,030 chocolatiers and 74 Elvis Presley impersonators.

The news comes as LinkedIn prepares to make the transition from privately funded startup to publically traded corporation.

Earlier this year, LinkedIn filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering, estimating its 2010 revenues at $161m, up from $80m in 2009.

According to corporate information database CrunchBase, LinkedIn has 1,000 employees and has raised more than $100m in funding.