LinkedIn has collaborated with Microsoft to create interactive email. Imagine being able to review a profile within your email after you connect and not having to receive the email, then review the invite, and then finally not having to go over and find their profile? Sounds so incredibly inviting as the time spent in aforementioned steps is tedious.
However, at the same time, each invite deserves at least a peek. Prior to the interactive email, we were given the option to accept or view the invite. Let's face it, most times we either left it unopened or opened it and then headed on over to LinkedIn and accepted the invites, especially as an open networker.
Many times, we never ever looked at the profile of the person, or we just glanced at it to see their title. Well, LinkedIn is making an attempt to change that with interactive email.
LinkedIn Interactive Email
LinkedIn has collaborated with Microsoft to create interactive email within Hotmail. Cheers or Jeers? Even with jeers, we have to hope that it will be expanded to other email platforms. The collaboration is a means of staying connected through Hotmail Active Views which once you invite someone to connect on LinkedIn (and your email is via Hotmail), you are provided with information about their network. This information is about who they are connected to as well as the companies they follow. You can connect with the companies or extend invites without ever leaving your email.
Hotmail Interactive Views
Hotmail Ineracive Views is not just limited to LinkedIn. Microsoft is partnering with companies to embed JavaScript into the emails which is secured (so they say). It is very enticing and inviting to be able to interact within email and not be taken to a new page and then have to return to the email. It makes a lot of sense if it is really secure, if we use Hotmail regularly and if we receive emails from their new partners. A lot of qualifiers however it is a start. At this point, the interactivity is limited to a desktop or laptop, in other words not available via a mobile device.
For those that use a domain named email account and still have a Hotmail that we use for the one or two people this is not as exciting however it is something that if it is embraced will be taken further. The technology is what is needed however the platform may not be the best.
What do you think?