When is a directory not a directory? When it tries to go beyond ads and listings to become a more valued form of content, as exemplified by three leaders in taking the directory concept to a new level. In the eyes of Reid Hoffman, Chief Executive Officer, of LinkedIn, a new level means going from directories as a flat listing concept to a networked model in which all of the listing and relationship content is built by the contacts themselves, forming a secure, trusted and user-controlled environment for sharing contact information within their "six degrees of separation". With a new registrant every 17 seconds and over a million contacts registered in little more than a year, LinkedIn is confirming the concept of individual publishing as a key driver of today's content value. Samer Hamadeh, Co-Founder & CEO of Vault, Inc. takes a different approach to enhancing the value of personal content by leveraging beyond its subscriber-supplied content to surveys on past employers and other value-add content from users that can be remarketed on multiple levels. Surveys alone attract more than 20,000 subscribers. While print publications are still important to the older Human Resources directors, Vault concentrates on the value of both its database and its ability to leverage its model into related markets - college surveys, anyone? Håkan Axelsson, Sales Director at EuroContactPool, collects contact information for 14 million sales leads, also offers EuroInfoPool, collecting public information on over 50 million European companies from various public and private sources. Instead of managing its own data it acts as a clearinghouse for company information, simplifying access and licensing, a major vaue point in the USD 3 billion market for company profile information. All of these are instances of companies executing with excellence in their own space by leveraging ontent assets from other sources efficiently and efficiently into very effective businesses. No wonder their post-panel presentations in the main hallway were amongst the most popular of the conference.