Perhaps
just as important for business users is the announcement by the site on
September 16 that they had hit 10 million registered UK members. According to
LinkedIn that means four out of five British professionals are registered on
the network.
The
company says the redesign is part of a general simplification of the site. LinkedIn
says it will make it easier for users to find out about the companies they
connect with and companies will have more power to build relationships with
their fans.
Users
will now find a company updates stream, rather like a Facebook news feed, allowing
you to comment or share the latest news. To the right are job opportunities – a
major use of the network – and the company’s products.
This
being 2012, we also get the obligatory news that company pages are now fully
iPad, iPhone and Android compatible.
So
what’s in it for companies? Well, it’s easier for them to add a smart cover
picture. The update stream is now targeted to the interests of the individual
site members who view it. The cleaner look and navigation, says LinkedIn, will
improve how companies ‘showcase their company’s products, services and career
opportunities to members’.
Another
improvement available to just some big companies so far (American Express and
Expedia for example) is a more visual branding of their job opportunity pages.
And
there’s more to come. Mike Grishaver, of the site which was launched in
California in 2003, wrote: “We are just getting warmed up and look forward to
sharing more news as we continue to improve Company Pages and roll out the
experience to all companies later this year.”
With 175
million members around the world and burgeoning revenues LinkedIn seems to have
found a way to make social networking pay. While basic profiles are free,
members pay for additional features.
But
should you or your business be on the site? Plenty of people seem to think so,
and this recent article from the Guardian (who were selling training in the
site’s use) lists some of the reasons to consider it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media-network/media-academy-blog/2012/sep/18/linkedin-business-goals?
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