LinkedIn has been instigating a lot of moans and groans lately. From giving Twitter the cold shoulder by not allowing tweets to automatically post to LinkedIn, to not allowing blog RSS feeds on LinkedIn Company Pages anymore, I've been wondering what's going on. On a side note, I'm in favor of not allowing Tweets post automatically on LinkedIn. It's a newbie mistake to post identical content on multiple social networks at the same time.
Fast forward to tonight. I just read on TechCrunch that LinkedIn is quietly rolling out a brand new look to some if its 160 million+ users. So that's what they've been up to. I'm not sure why the needed to drop the Twitter functionality but maybe this has something to do with it. Unlike Facebook, Twitter hasn't had a major interface update for more than a decade. The new look is supposed to put more emphasis on building relationships, make better use of socially curated content and make the site a lot more sticky.
A LinkedIn representative told TechCrunch, "We are always looking for ways to make it easier for LinkedIn members to get more value out of our services by creating simpler, more relevant experiences, so we are currently testing a new design for the LinkedIn homepage with a handful of members." Were you lucky enough to be one of the chosen few? Sadly, I wasn't.
Here's what you need to know:
- The menu bar will remain at the top of the page as you scroll down and around. The tabs will remain the same
- There will be more focus on LinkedIn Today with larger images. It will remain at the top of the screen
- LinkedIn has added "Message/Connect" buttons next to the "People Who have Viewed Your Profile" section which will encourage relationship building
A major website redesign such as this also means that the site's algorithms will probably be adjusted as well. This will lead to a more accurate "People You May Know" feature and highly targeted stories in LinkedIn Today.
I look forward to seeing the updated site. From what I've seen online, the new look is fresh and simple. Have you seen it yet? How do you like it? Let us know in the comments below.
Do you have a complete LinkedIn profile? Check out my previous post, How Many of You Have an Optimized LinkedIn Profile, for more information.