New Linked In Applications
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LinkedIn introduced nine new applications a couple weeks ago that we’ll take a look at. It’s great to have some ways to customize my LinkedIn. I also use Facebook, which has a seemingly unlimited number of apps/widgets, etc. to add, so this is a very welcome addition to LinkedIn.
You can find the ‘applications’ icon on your home page-click it and you’ll see the offerings.
Of the nine, I was most impressed by Company Buzz. I added that application and it almost instantly added tweets (from Twitter), from a former employer and schools I’ve attended. This app will let you know what others are saying about your company and performs searches on key words to bring those tweets to you. This app could provide some interesting insight into a current, past or prospective employers or personalities. This app will let you customize and share with co-workers.
Reading List – this is from Amazon and pretty self-explanatory. Browse through recommended or current books being read by either your industry, your connections or you. Looking at the lists, I wonder if these people are really reading all theses books…
My Travel – if you want everyone in your network to know where you’re going and what you’re doing – add this app. It’s being promoted as a way to get together with your connections while traveling. I see it as TMI.
The next six apps, we’ll discuss in pairs as it seems to me they do pretty much the same thing:
Blog Link & WordPress – Adding the Blog Link app will enable it to search out and install on your page, all the blogs from your connections as well as your own blog. Rather like a feed reader feature. The WordPress app will put your blog on your LinkedIn page. When I added it, it showed snippets of my four latest blog postings-nice.
Slideshare Presentation and Google Presentation – Do you have a product, service or event you want to highlight? Perhaps you want to let your connections know about your new business, a side business or new employees. Here are two ways to have it appear to your connections. The Google app is handy if you already have a Google account and use their docs feature. Slideshare Presentation is a free on-line service where you can post your presentation to the world. You will need an account with one of these in order to upload. There are file size limits (very generous), and format limits that should meet about everyone’s needs.
Huddle Workspaces and Box.net – here are two collaboration/file sharing sites that have partnered with LinkedIn to provide users with a way to collaborate from within LinkedIn. Both allow 1GB of free storage whether you sign up here or already have an account with them. Documents can be uploaded, edited (even photos), and shared with team members or others. When I clicked to add Huddle to my apps, I didn’t have to set up an account (one less log-in and password to remember). There is a nice interface with tabs where I could add files, invite contacts or have discussions. This is a nice feature to have if you’ve made a connection with someone and have a need to share files.
So there you have it – a nice assortment of apps to add to your page. Although you are given the opportunity to arrange your apps in the order you wish, they all will still line up on the right column and they extend downward quite a ways (depending on how many apps you have). This is not real eye-appealing, but maybe they will do some work with that later. Try some out and let you connections know they are available.
Slideshare Presentation’s does not require an account with Slideshare
[...] you’ve probably added Applications to your page. I wrote about the new LinkedIn Applications last November. One of them is Company Buzz. After clicking on Applications and then clicking on Company Buzz, [...]