LinkedIn is rolling out some major upgrades to its Groups feature. The upgrades will make creating and following conversations in Groups more convenient and enticing.
When you visit a LinkedIn Group after the upgrade, you will see an emphasis is now on starting conversations. Previously, we had to click either “Start a Discussion” or “Submit News” to begin a conversation with the group. Now, both functions will be easily accessible through the use of a text box prominently displayed at the top of the page.
It will now be easier to use LinkedIn’s follow system. You may not be aware that LinkedIn provides you with the ability to “Follow” people if you want to read what they’re saying in different groups, but aren’t connected to that person. The “Follow” feature is now highlighted, not only for people but for conversations as well. If you happen upon an interesting conversation in a group, and want to see where it goes, all you have to do is click “Follow Discussion” and it will be pushed to your news feed and your inbox.
Another new feature will focus on highlighting quality conversations between Group members. This feature permits you to scan conversations and “Like,” “Pass” or “Comment” on a discussion taking place in a Group. As this information is gathered, the more interesting conversations will appear at the top of the group. We are also being treated to a “Top Influencers” feature, highlighting the people providing the most interesting content based upon how well they engage other Group members in the conversation.I think this feature will not only result in more people returning to LinkedIn more often, but it will encourage high-level, quality conversations between group members. Ian McCarthy writes on the LinkedIn blog, “We've made the conversations within groups similar to face-to-face professional interactions by removing the wall between original remarks and off-site content such as shared news articles. The rich link-sharing experience you already enjoy on your LinkedIn homepage is now also available within the context of groups.”
Groups have always been part of LinkedIn, but most users, including me, rarely ever post news or conversations in a Group. I am much more likely to post this information on Twitter or Facebook. Take a look at the video “Tips” that explains some of the upgrades, and please let me hear from you. What do you think of these upgrades? Will you be spending more time on LinkedIn in the future? Leave a comment, and see if you can stimulate a conversation right here.
Take a look at this short video that walks you through the coming changes.
