LinkedIn is content hungry
LinkedIn has long been a social network focused more on connecting professionals, rather than one for staying connected personally, but recently there has been a move towards a more content-centric network. LinkedIn now aims to be the pace where your content resides.
In 2012, LinkedIn acquired SlideShare; less than a year later is acquired Pulse. Both applications upped LinkedIn’s game, revealing their goal to become a content hub.
Now, LinkedIn has made the announcement that it would become the “definitive professional publishing platform,” according to LinkedIn’s Director of Product Management, Ryan Roslansky. This will give LinkedIn members a new way to build their professional brand, but let’s face it; it also gives LinkedIn’s ratings a boost as well since all 300 million members will eventually be able to blog on the new platform.
Members will be able to post photos, videos, and SlideShare content, as well as, following other members and curating a group of followers for the own content.
Signing up for the program
The program has been rolled out, but only to 25,000 select members who signed up in advance. You can request a spot in the queue by visiting the application link. If you are accepted you will see a new pencil icon when you log in to “share an update.” This allows you create a blog post and begin playing around with the new features. You will notice that there is no coding knowledge needed; it is very simple. Many people are reporting the ability to expand their reach, although the results are not consistent.
As the new feature has not yet been rolled out to everyone, there are still some bugs that need to be worked out. There is a limit on the image sizes you can post on your blog and there are some issues with mobile device compatibility.
The upside, the downside
While this could be an effective way to increase your reach, it is also another way for LinkedIn to acquire endless amounts of content for free. And like any other social network, reading the Terms of Service is critical (hint: you violate any terms and your account and content could disappear without recourse). While producing content on your own site is ideal, many will flock to this new outlet in hopes of expanding their brand.
