As I've previously mentioned in my blog, I have a lot of respect for LinkedIn.Com as the online social network for serious professionals.  I was therefore quite pleased to hear about the launch of "LinkedIn For Good." 

This new feature seems to be nice, but is by no means an innovative mash-up of social networking and e-philanthropy.  Very disappointing!

As I understand it, LinkedIn For Good offers you two options:

Badges that you can display on your web site, enabling visitors to donate to nonprofit organizations that you support.  (Sort of like Word of Blog, except that your choices are limited to charities selected by LinkedIn.)

Free job postings on LinkedIn for nonprofit organizations that are seeking to hire new staff.

These are potentially useful, but as a nonprofit geek, I have to respond with a "meh."  I think that LinkedIn should not be building another philanthropic silo, but coordinating with OpenID and existing cause-related social networking web sites such as Change.Org.  LinkedIn, which has great strengths, is failing to play to them, and that disappointments me.