One of the resources I use on LinkedIn to find out what's new on the platform is the LinkedIn blog: http://blog.linkedin.com. It's a great resource for news and information from the company and provides "insider" tips on how to us LinkedIn.
Over the past several months, several new features have been rolled out, including a new LinkedIn homepage, a College Pilot Program, and integration of LinkedIn into the new Microsoft Office and Outlook.
The New LinkedIn Homepage
In July, LinkedIn introduced a "simpler and easier way to navigate" the homepage. It offers quick access to the relevant information and updates.
According to Caroline Gaffney, a Product Manager at LinkedIn, they have revamped the entire Homepage experience with a new look and feel to make it easier to scan and find the information. "It's now easier to navigate the page and quickly find the updates you're looking for - a news article, who has changed jobs or posted a status update," says Gaffney. "Now you can see the most important network updates and articles at the top of the feed. This means you'll be spending less time hunting for information you need to be prepared for your workday and spending more time being great at the job you're in."
I use the LinkedIn homepage to keep up with colleagues, find interesting industry information and connect with other professionals who recently join my connections' networks.
"This is just the beginning of many more exciting, new features we plan to bring to the Homepage to offer more customization and functionality this year," says Gaffney.
The newly redesigned LinkedIn homepage rolled out this summer. Most members should now have the new design on their LinkedIn site
The LinkedIn College Pilot Program
Whenever I can, I recommend that students in college use LinkedIn. By building a strong network while they're in school, they have a better chance of finding a job once they graduate. According to LinkedIn there are now more than 20 million college students and recent graduates on the site.
According to John Hill, Higher Education Evangelist at LinkedIn, "the company is "working closely with select higher education institutions to better understand the needs of students and alumni as they start and continue thinking about building their professional identities. The College Pilot Program also aims to provide participating schools with various tools and access to LinkedIn's products, which will help their alumni and career services teams to better support students and alumni with career development and to help the schools build stronger alumni networks."
LinkedIn is partnering with a group of leading academic institutions, including: Michigan State University, UC San Diego, University of Rochester, the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan, Hult International Business School, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and Syracuse University.
The LinkedIn College Pilot Program is a closed group at this time. "However," says Hill, "we are always eager to hear from alumni, students, faculty or staff about ways LinkedIn can work with their schools. Schools who are interested in getting more information from LinkedIn or for other partnership opportunities can email [email protected]."
I would highly recommend contacting LinkedIn about this new program - whether you're a student or school, teacher or alumni association. I know I will be talking to my school - the University of Southern California - about it right away!
Microsoft Outlook Integration
Recently, LinkedIn announced that the new Microsoft Outlook Social Connector for the next release of office will no longer require an additional download to sync with LinkedIn.
According to David Breger, a LinkedIn Product Manager, "this means you just have to sign-in once with your LinkedIn credentials and immediately you'll start seeing rich profile information, like photos and LinkedIn network activity for any connection that emails you. You'll also see LinkedIn profile data surface when you view a People Card throughout the new Office experience."
LinkedIn continues to work on ways to make the user experience a more efficient one, and this definitely fits the bill. You can now use LinkedIn without ever leaving your Microsoft Office applications.
Shortly after this announcement, the LinkedIn for Outlook app became a featured partner in the Microsoft App store.
Final Thoughts
LinkedIn, as I've mentioned in previous columns, is constantly changing and evolving. Some improvements are subtle, but all are designed to add to the LinkedIn user experience. You can keep up with these changes by checking out the LinkedIn blog for more update. The most recent improvements are exciting to me - especially the College Pilot Program.
Want to connect on LinkedIn? Send me an invite and I'll gladly accept your invitation!