Almost everyone has a LinkedIn profile of some sort. Maybe you opened an account in 2007, copied and pasted your resume from Word (c’mon, you know you did), and haven’t looked at it since. As 10 years have passed, and your list of accomplishments has grown almost as fast as your waistline, maybe it’s time to freshen things up a bit.
Guess what?
LinkedIn thinks so, too. The company is rolling out changes to its desktop format. We’re talking about streamlined navigation and smarter messaging, and that’s just for starters.
The changes are rolling out globally over the next few week. If the website doesn’t look different to you, just hang on a bit. Interested? I sure am, so let’s start discussing what LinkedIn is up to, and how that will help us improve at our current jobs, look for efficiently for a new job, or just communicate better.
How the New Linkedin Impacts Different User Types
When reading about the LinkedIn desktop redesign, maybe you’re wondering what’s in it for me, or how does this change affect me? Well, according to Kurt Shaver’s post, it depends on what kind of user you are, low-level, average, or power user. And yes, some used-to-be-free features are vanishing behind LinkedIn’s paywall. For more information, read Shaver’s article.
LinkedIn Desktop Redesign Puts Conversations and Content at the Center
The official LinkedIn blog post by Chris Pruett describes how LinkedIn is trying to make you more “productive and successful” by bringing content and conversations up front. I noticed that desktop navigation looks simpler, emphasizing Home (your news feed), Network, Jobs, Messaging, Notifications, Me (your profile), and More (which includes links to Learning and Slideshare). For the complete lowdown on what’s gone down (notice what I did there?) with the desktop redesign, read Chris Pruett’s post.
4 Things You Really Need to Delete From Your LinkedIn Profile Today
LinkedIn has cleaned up its desktop look. Maybe it’s time for you to clean up your profile, too. Erica Breuer, of The Muse, has a few suggestions regarding items for you to remove from your profile. If you think you’re great at, for instance, sound editing, but it’s more of a weekend skill of yours and no one in your professional network has endorsed you for it, consider removing that skill. Rather than attracting interest, unendorsed skills raise questions about how well you know yourself. Best delete such “dead” skills. That’s what I just did! Took less than a minute! For the other cuts you should make, read Erica Breuer’s post.
5 Must-Fix Areas to Support the New LinkedIn Interface
In Mario Martinez Jr’s post, he describes what has changed, why it’s important, and what you can do about it. For instance, the summary is condensed to show only the first two lines. What should you do about this and the other changes, such as not being able to move sections around? Read Martinez’s article to find out.
Have some tips or tools to share with your fellow technical communicators, information developers, and content creators? Let’s network! Drop me a note: HelpFiles@TechWhirl.com. Follow me on Twitter, connect with me on LinkedIn, circle me on Google+, or email me at craig.cardimon@gmail.com. I enjoy connecting with others in the industry.
