In an effort to build the site’s content library, LinkedIn unveiled a new followers feature that lets users follow selected industry leaders who will post original content to LinkedIn.
“We know millions of conversations take place on LinkedIn everyday,” writes LinkedIn’s Ryan Roslansky. “Today, we’re providing another way for you to get even more value from LinkedIn by accessing the incredible insights and information directly from some of the most recognized and influential professionals on LinkedIn.”
To kick off the launch of the new feature, 150 of LinkedIn’s “most influential thought leaders” will share their expertise and ideas. Initial participants include celebrities like Richard Branson and Tony Robbins, SEO wizard Danny Sullivan, Altimeter’s Charlene Li, nonprofit genius Beth Kanter and healthcare’s Phil Baumann, just to name a few.
LinkedIn users can select the contributors they’d like to follow and can also comment on posts to spur additional discussion and engagement.
As LinkedIn continues to develop this new feature, Roslansky says LinkedIn users can expect to see more influencers to follow, including universally recognized names and industry-specific contributors.
I just spent a day at DemandCon 2012 working with B2B sales teams to leverage the power of LinkedIn and it’s no surprise that I’m a huge fan of the powerful business social networking site. And when you’re on the hunt for industry-specific content, this might prove to be a valuable resource for many of the site’s users. Kind of like the content AmEx’s OpenForum community of contributors generates.
For functionality’s sake, having an easily accessible content library seems like an easy way to not only stay up-to-date on relevant subject matter—but it also provides an ideal pool of content from which to generate status updates and group discussions. LinkedIn’s decision to expand on their content library by using recognizable names is, to our way of thinking, a good move—and one that will give the site even more credibility and visibility as a relevant, viable source of information. Unless, of course, it gets spammy. But we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt here and watch and see.
Speaking of contributors—if you’re interested in throwing your hat in the ring as a LinkedIn influencer, apply here.
In the meantime, we’d love to hear what you think of this new “followers” feature. Good idea or no?
Image via LinkedIn Ninja
Shelly Kramer is the founder and CEO of V3 Broadsuite (V3B), Senior Analyst and one of the founding partners at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked with some of the world’s largest brands to lead them into the digital space, embrace disruption and the reality of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of Digital Transformation. As a brand strategist, she has decades of experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, and driving strategy and growth for B2B brands across multiple verticals.
