Professional
Connections that move you forward.
Build professional connections, showcase experience and follow companies.
Build professional relationships
Professional social network: uses and choices
Understand how a professional network can present experience, support industry monitoring and maintain work relationships.
Quick answer
Which platform should you choose?
LinkedIn is the professional platform covered here. It can present experience, follow organisations and gradually develop a professional network.
Compare the options
Platforms to explore
Each profile explains formats, a possible use, a first step and essential precautions.
Professional
Professional
Behance
Show creative projects and find opportunities.
Document your creative process and show work to peers or potential clients.
ProfessionalPatreon
Build a support community around creative work.
Maintain a direct relationship with people who want to support creative work.
Professional
GitHub
Collaborate around code and open projects.
Contribute to software, document a problem and talk with its community.
Professional
ResearchGate
Follow research and connect with peers.
Make a research career visible and exchange with disciplinary peers.
Choose with context
Compare each platform at a glance
A professional profile, portfolio, code repository and research space show different evidence of work. Decide what a visitor should understand about your activity, then choose a format that demonstrates it without exposing confidential information.
| Platform | Formats | Best suited to | Visibility | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profiles, posts, articles, job listings | Professional relationships | Public and professional | Regular | |
| Behance | Projects, portfolios, images, videos, profiles | Professional creative portfolios | Projects are generally public | Regular |
| Patreon | Posts, memberships, communities, digital products | Creator support communities | Public or members-only posts | Regular to substantial |
| GitHub | Repository, issue, pull request, discussion, profile | Collaborative software development | Public or private repositories chosen by the owner | Substantial for contributors |
| ResearchGate | Profile, publication, question, following | Researchers and scientific teams | Profiles and work references are often public | Regular |
These are possible uses; open a profile for its cautions and sources.
Make a considered choice
Three checks before creating an account
Your goal
Define a concrete goal: monitoring, recruitment, partnerships, subject expertise or maintaining professional relationships.
Your available effort
Estimate creation time, frequency, moderation and your ability to respond. A sustainable rhythm is the most useful indicator.
Your controls
Check publication audiences, protect confidential information and value useful exchanges over contact volume.
Evidence of work or a membership relationship?
A creative case, a software repository and a support offering require different evidence. Show your role and limitations; do not publish a client’s confidential information.
Documented differences
- Behance : Behance offers creative project presentation tools and a Pro plan with additional project settings. Source ↗
- GitHub : GitHub hosts Git repositories and adds planning, review and collaboration tools. Git is the underlying version control system. Source ↗
- Patreon : Patreon distinguishes memberships with ongoing benefits from individual digital content sales. Source ↗
Frequently asked questions
Choose without rushing
Which platform should I choose for professional network?
LinkedIn is the professional platform covered here. It can present experience, follow organisations and gradually develop a professional network.
What should I compare before creating an account?
Define a concrete goal: monitoring, recruitment, partnerships, subject expertise or maintaining professional relationships.
What is the main point of caution?
Check publication audiences, protect confidential information and value useful exchanges over contact volume.
Test the use before choosing
| Your need | Expected outcome | Practical check |
|---|---|---|
| Document a project | A reader understands your role and can examine evidence | Present the problem, method and result; obtain necessary permissions before publishing client or employer material. |
| Share research or technical work | The version and limitations are explicit | Link the original source, licence and useful instructions. Distinguish a code repository, portfolio and peer-reviewed article. |