LinkedIn has been updating – a lot. In light of the many changes that have been happening on the social media realm this year, the popular business network has made a few alterations of their own. Today, we discuss what those changes are and what they mean to you and your social media strategy.
Courtesy of techcrunch.com
The LinkedIn Homepage Revamp
The most obvious change to come in recent days, has been the homepage design revamp, replacing the uncomfortable stark whiteness that made LinkedIn famous – with a black header and a more symmetrical layout. Better yet the functionality has been updated as well, and the site actually loads faster.
Overall LinkedIn has adopted a more modern look, following in the footsteps of Youtube, Facebook and Twitter. Gone are the older ‘open white space’ methodologies, and instead the site has embraced the traditional web 2.0 use of geometric shapes to make sense of the online space. It works, it really does.
The homepage reads like a personal business update – at the top is the news that LinkedIn recommends for you, and then comes the list of interactions and connections that your business network is making. The right hand column has morphed into a wonderfully handy set of tools. From ‘people you may know’ to ads, profile view stats, group suggestions and other plugins that you’ve added to your profile.
What To Do: Update your status daily to stay in your network feed. You can comment in groups, make new connections or answer LinkedIn questions. Whatever interaction you achieve will be published on your network’s news board.
LinkedIn has finally moved towards a more personal look and feel, with greater customizations and clear focus on interaction. It’s seems like they’ve sat back, eagerly watching the other networks and what they’ve done – and have implemented lessons based on that. The only thing to say is that it all works, very well. It’s an instant improvement.
Things You Should Be Changing
With a redesign, comes new features and enhancements. With the LinkedIn changes a few things are now more obvious. Your profile image for example, is larger and more emphasized. LinkedIn says that a great profile photo will get you clicked on 7X more than if you had no profile image at all.
Your descriptive tagline that explains who you are is also more prominent, so think of something really good to place here. The revamp brings new SEO opportunities. Perhaps it’s time you removed that old summary and replaced it with something more dynamic.
Spend time making your LinkedIn profile engaging and worth reading. It is still one of the most important pieces of information about you online. Your clients, friends, family, employees and colleagues will see your LinkedIn profile often.
If you don’t yet have any recommendations make a point of getting at least two. They enhance your page and will help you complete your profile. LinkedIn says more changes will be coming very soon – and we can’t wait! If they’re as good as this redesign, we’re in for a treat!
What do you think about the new LinkedIn changes? Do you like them or hate them – why? We want to know!