Member Article

LinkedIn New Update - what's changed

LinkedIn new update: what’s changed?

The avid LinkedIn user out there will have noticed that things don’t quite look the way they used to – LinkedIn has delivered an update with very little warning and no guide to get you through it. So, we’ve put together a list of the important things you need to know about the all new LinkedIn, the pros and the cons, the new features and the ones they’ve taken away.

News feed algorithms

Let’s start with the one most people are shouting about – the algorithms. It’s been a long time since posts appeared in chronological order, but just as we’re starting to get used to the last algorithm, they’ve changed it up again. Everything is now filtered by LinkedIn in a way to make sure your feed displays, in their words, “quality content”. However, many users are finding that this is pushing more recent posts so far down the news feed they can’t find them. Which means they’re seeing the same eight day old posts over and over. Which leads us to the next point.

The ’view most recent’ button has disappeared

Previously you had the choice between LinkedIn’s algorithm and chronological order via a button at the top of your news feed. Now you have no choice but to enjoy the posts LinkedIn has chosen for you to read. There are rumours that LinkedIn is considering bringing this button back – but there’s no sign of it yet.

LinkedIn no longer notify your connections when you post an article

This one is probably a shame for most LinkedIn users, especially for the avid readers and avid writers out there. However, there will be a reason why they’ve taken it away, and it might be that those notifications just aren’t boosting article views. Or maybe they’re irritating your connections. But if news feed algorithms are changing too…is anyone going to be able to see your article at all?

You now have to hit ’see more’ to see an entire bio

Your entire LinkedIn bio used to display on your profile but now, a visitor will have to hit ‘see more’ if your bio extends further than around 230 characters. Irritating for a number of us, as our bios are so many characters for a reason. We want visitors to at least skim read it before they go any further. I can’t imagine many people making the effort to hit the see more button on every profile they check out. So now might be the time to condense your bio into something a little smaller.

Chatbox

There’s now a Facebook style chat box for inmail, you’ll find it in the right hand corner of your browser. Taking inspiration from the most popular social media platform in the world isn’t a bad idea, but is it the right direction for LinkedIn to go in? Only time will tell. The chatbox is, like Facebook Messenger, intelligent. It can schedule meetings for you in Google Calendar as you type (another Facebook Messenger feature). Read receipts and typing indicators have been available on the likes of Facebook and WhatsApp for some time. Now LinkedIn has them too – but with one crucial feature. On LinkedIn, you can turn them off; giving you the choice in how ‘Facebook’ you want your LinkedIn experience to be.

That’s just a quick run through some of the biggest changes. There are so many more little changes to pages and profiles that are baffling most users. If LinkedIn, or any of your social media platforms are confusing you – get in touch to see how we can take care of your social media strategy.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Carl Buckley .