Reflecting wider chaos in the economy as a whole, professional social networking site LinkedIn announced it would be cutting 6 percent of its staff, roughly 960 jobs, said CNN Business. While one might expect that, with millions of people out of work, a social network that specifically aims to assist people with making professional connections might be booming, the exact opposite seems to have occurred. In this case, the network's specialty has become its biggest weakness in the current economy, as companies freezing hiring and reducing hours means they're not really looking for more staff.

It is a situation similar to when a very specialized feeder, such a koala, is faced with a severe reduction of its main food supply because of a forest fire that wipes out nearby eucalyptus groves. In such cases, specialization goes from a handy strength to a crippling weakness.