OPEN

Some people get a mini-boom at the start of downturn. Apparently business schools get a surge in applications at a time like this. Graduates and employees alike who were thinking about maybe getting an MBA take the downturn as maybe being the business cycle’s slow dance as one they’ll sit out, as it were, and figure it could be a good time to be in school adding value to their CV for when the goodtimes come back.

Among social networks, LinkedIn‘s apparently been seeing a bit of a bounce, with an increae to user registrations to one a second (it has about 30 million registered users at the moment). One presumes Xing is seeing a similar recessionary boost to its network as people get their online CV dusted off and reconnect with some old business contacts, just in case they need a new job at some point.

LinkedIn also announced yesterday that it is launching a modest collection of OpenSocial (Google’s format for social network services) applications for users. Check ’em out out in its new LinkedIn Applications section.

According to Reid Hoffman on the LinkedIn blog:

This initial roll out features productivity applications that range from gathering information that professionals around you are generating to enhancing your abilities to collaborate and communicate more effectively. You’ll be able to work much more closely with your contacts on LinkedIn with tools such as file sharing, project management, business trips and many more.

The nine applications that you see live today on LinkedIn include productivity enhancing applications from Amazon, Box.net, Google, Huddle, Six Apart, SlideShare, Tripit, and WordPress as well a Company Buzz application developed by LinkedIn. Each of these applications will help you stay current and competitive as a professional in today’s rapidly changing business world.

I have to say, I really like the LinkedIn approach, especially choosing a smaller set of useful, business-specific applications.

: : Jemima Kiss and Mike Butcher talk specifically about the Huddle application on LinkedIn, which comes out of a UK start-up which pitched LinkedIn as part of the Web Mission initiative. Nice work!