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In recent years, several networking Web sites specifically for business professionals have cropped up, including LinkedIn.com, Execunet.com, Ryze.com and Netshare.com. While you’re using phone or email or industry gatherings to network with colleagues and acquaintances, you can also use these sites to connect with people in your field that you don’t know well or at all.

The way most work is you set up a profile that offers basic information about yourself, such as where you work and went to school, areas of expertise and professional and personal interests. You can search other people’s profiles and contact them by using the sites’ messaging systems. You also can ask a member you already know to make a virtual introduction for you. If you join networking sites that cater just to your industry, such as theFeng.org for financial-services professionals, chances are you already know someone who belongs.

Networking sites are designed to help professionals enhance their careers, not necessarily to change jobs. Many recruiters search profiles on networking sites to find potential job candidates. Ben Foster, a product manager at a Web-marketing firm in California, changed jobs after getting a message on LinkedIn.com from a recruiter who’d seen his profile.

Approximately 200,000 corporate and search-firm recruiters belong to LinkedIn.com, which has more than 13 million members in total. Many networking sites for business professionals charge membership fees. But most also offer free access to basic features so you can determine if joining is worthwhile.

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