Who are more network savvy? Men or Women?

MUMBAI, INDIA: Who uses onlineprofessional networks better in India? The very question itself seemsa loaded one. But LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network with more than 100 million members worldwide, is sure that men are much better users of the network than women.

The professional networking platform,which has over 10 million users in India, today released data on the differences between men and women when it comes to networking professionally online.

To declare a winner in this battle ofthe sexes argument, LinkedIn developed an online professional networking "savviness" ranking, said the study. Globallyand in the U.S. men are savvier online professional networkers than women, it said.

LinkedIn defines online professional networking savviness as a ratio of two things: the ratio of connections that men have to connections that women have and the ratio of male members on LinkedIn to female members.

“Having the right connections canmake a difference when it comes to sealing a deal or landing a newclient,” said Nicole Williams, LinkedIn’s connection director and best-selling author of the book, “Girl on Top”.

“Women can sometimes shy away from networking because they associate it with schmoozing or doling outbusiness cards, when in reality, it’s about building relationships before you actually need them. Networking in person can beintimidating, so women should look at a site like LinkedIn as a placethey can go to cultivate their networking skills,” he said.

That’s not to say women aren’talready teaching men a professional networking lesson or two. “Itaught my husband, his friends and my colleagues how to use LinkedInfor business development,” said Sophia Chander, a Human Resources professional and LinkedIn member based in Bangalore.

LinkedIn’s data got even more interesting when it was sliced by industry. What you would thinkwould be a female-savvy industry (the cosmetics industry for example)is actually a male-savvy industry. This means despite the fact that there are more female professionals in the cosmetics industry, men inthe cosmetics industry tend to be savvier online professional networkers than the women in that industry.

In India, for both newspapers andmarketing and advertising industries, it was the female professionalsthat were savvier networkers than men.

Top industries in India where women are savvier online professional networkers than men: Alternative disputeresolution, Legislative Office, Mental health care, Philanthropy,Museums and institutions

Top industries in India where men aresavvier online professional networkers than women: Fishery, Religious institutions, Computer games, Law enforcement, Sporting goods.

In India, men and women were equally as savvy in the following industries: “real estate”, “professional training”, “photography”, “entertainment” and “retail”.