WebProNews

Tag: LinkedIn

  • Report: LinkedIn Members Ready for CES 2012 Innovations

    With CES shaking up the tech world in Las Vegas this week, a new report from LinkedIn reveals that business professionals are more than willing to get their hands on all the new products and services. The network released its 2012 Consumer Electronics Report, in which it surveyed 1,602 U.S. adults, half of which are active LinkedIn members, and the other half who represent the general U.S. population.

    The report found many interesting trends about both groups and how they embrace technology. For instance, according to the survey, 41 percent of LinkedIn members are planning to spend at least $1,000 on consumer electronics this year. The general public, however, is a little more hesitant, since 29 percent said they were planning to spend that much on consumer electronics during the year.

    How much (if any) do you plan to spend on new innovations and gadgets this year? Let us know.

    As far as trends go, LinkedIn members are much more tech savvy in both travel and mobile than the general U.S. public. The survey found that LinkedIn members are 53 percent more likely than the average U.S. adult to have Bluetooth in their car, and 31 percent more apt to have some form of GPS device. In addition, 51 percent of LinkedIn members are more likely to own or use a smartphone as opposed to the average adult in the U.S.

    Tablet devices are consistent with this trend as well with 85 percent more prone to own or use one. Despite all the tablet devices that are available, most of the users said they were iPad users.

    What’s interesting is that LinkedIn members are not just interested in gadgets for fun and games. On the contrary, 93 percent of them rely on technology for managing various aspects of their lives, compared to 89 percent of the general online population. LinkedIn members also said productivity and efficiency are the most important qualities of consumer electronics for them.

    While television and newspapers influence the general online U.S. population, they are less likely to impact the shopping decisions of LinkedIn members. Instead, they seek recommendations through social networks. However, both the general public and LinkedIn members believe that companies should have a social media presence, weighing in with 75 percent and 82 percent respectively.

    Even though the LinkedIn members surveyed are seemingly wealthier than the general population, with 49 percent having households of $100K or more, this report still offers insights into user trends. What’s more is it could especially help companies market their new innovations through the right channel to meet their target audience.

  • AndroidLand, LinkedIn, Santa & Lions

    AndroidLand, LinkedIn, Santa & Lions

    Today’s video round-up looks at AndroidLand in Australia, LinkedIn company status updates, lion hugs, and last year’s Santa tracking (ahead of this year’s of course).

    View more daily video round-ups here.

    The greatest overreaction on YouTube since the double rainbow:

    Post a company status update on LinkedIn:

    Building the musical muscle:

    Tesla coils will shoot 260-foot lightning bolt:

    Androidland:

    Crazy PSA from the 80s getting shared a lot now:

    Lion hug:

    NORAD’s 2010 Santa tracking:

    NMA takes on the Kardashian divorce:

    Just give it til the metal starts:

  • SOPA Meets Massive Resistance

    SOPA Meets Massive Resistance

    The Stop Online Piracy Act, or any of its many variations, something WebProNews has discussed before, is finally meeting a great deal of resistance as various online movements, and the long-awaited push back from entities like Google, Facebook, and Mozilla have (finally?) decided to throw their own weight around.

    Where do you stand concerning the Stop Online Piracy Act? Do you side with the web giants or the government? Does the power SOPA give to stop piracy go too far? Let us know what you think in the comments.

    It looks like the American public is also getting wise about the consequences of such a bill to pass, as the SOPA acronym is currently the top Google Trend. One hopes this isn’t a case of too little, too late. The resistance that’s getting the most coverage has to do with the rebellious responses of a consortium of well-known — and powerful — web companies, all of which banded together to create the following letter as their opening means of disagreement.

    The letter, found under the Protect Innovation TLD, is signed by the following entities:

    Google
    Facebook
    Twitter
    AOL
    eBay
    LinkedIn
    Yahoo
    Zynga
    Mozilla

    The stance of this group is one of disapproval concerning SOPA, and the crux of their position is here, with our own emphasis added:

    We support the bills’ stated goals — providing additional enforcement tools to combat foreign “rogue” websites that are dedicated to copyright infringement or counterfeiting. Unfortunately, the bills as drafted would expose law-abiding U.S. Internet and technology companies to new uncertain liabilities, private rights of action, and technology mandates that would require monitoring of web sites. We are concerned that these measures pose a serious risk to our industry’s continued track record of innovation and job-creation, as well as to our Nation’s cybersecurity. We cannot support these bills as written and ask that you consider more targeted ways to combat foreign “rogue” websites dedicated to copyright infringement and trademark counterfeiting, while preserving the innovation and dynamism that has made the Internet such an important driver of economic growth and job creation.

    Essentially, these companies would like to stop piracy as well, they just don’t want it to be under the guise of “The Great Firewall of America,” which is what some entities have started calling SOPA.

    The push back doesn’t stop there, however. With Mozilla, besides co-signing the letter, they also created a page that clearly states their position in relation to SOPA in its current form. The page links to an Electronic Frontier Foundation page that, in part, generates letters of opposition to whatever state representatives are applicable. The page also features valuable information about the potential harm SOPA can cause.

    An example:

    As drafted, the legislation would grant the government and private parties unprecedented power to interfere with the Internet’s domain name system (DNS). The government would be able to force ISPs and search engines to redirect or dump users’ attempts to reach certain websites’ URLs. In response, third parties will woo average users to alternative servers that offer access to the entire Internet (not just the newly censored U.S. version), which will create new computer security vulnerabilities as the reliability and universality of the DNS evaporates.

    I urge you to continue reading.

    Google, which also signed the letter of opposition, has also posted about their intentions over at their public policy blog, which includes Google copyright policy counsel Katherine Oyama testifying before the House Judiciary Committee. Oyama was scheduled to testify earlier today, and the post has a link to her written and oral testimony.

    An example from the written portion explains Google’s position quite well:

    We support SOPA’s stated goal of providing additional enforcement tools to combat foreign rogue websites that are dedicated to copyright infringement and counterfeiting. Unfortunately, we cannot support the bill as written, as it would expose law-abiding U.S. Internet and technology companies to new uncertain liabilities, private rights of action, and technology mandates that could require monitoring of web sites and social media. Moreover, we are concerned that the bill sets a precedent in favor of Internet censorship and could jeopardize our nation’s cybersecurity. In short, we believe the bill, as introduced, poses a serious threat to our industry’s continued track record of innovation and job-creation.

    These more well-known companies are not the only voices of dissension concerning SOPA. Even Vice President Joe Biden spoke out against the spirit of the act, and although the White House clearly supports the reduction of online piracy, at least one component of the United States Government disagrees with how SOPA goes about its prevention:


    Biden, apparently, is on the side of the pirates. Levity aside, while he’s not operating from the same stance as Google, Mozilla, et al, but the fact remains, a visible member of the White House has spoken out — quite articulately, I might add — about how the ideas that help give structure to SOPA are harmful and do not represent such standards like freedom and due process.

    It doesn’t stop here, either. Websites all over are using “No Censorship” graphics for their logos, including such well known properties as Reddit and Boing Boing. There are a veritable avalanche of articles speaking out against SOPA as the backlash continues to build.

    If you’re still wondering what all the hubbub is about, watch this video — in its entirety — and if, after finishing it, you still don’t understand why Google and their cohorts are against it, watch it again:


    Remember, if you’re as against SOPA as our Internet benefactors are, there are a number of ways to speak out against it.

    Are you for or against SOPA? Do you stand with the tech industry or not? Does being against SOPA mean you support online piracy? Is there no middle ground? Let us know what you think.

  • Connected Acquired by LinkedIn

    LinkedIn has acquired contact management company Connected, which is designed to help people manage their contacts across services from a single place.

    In a message on the Connected Blog, Conected’s Sachin Rekhi and Ada Chen write:

    We’re excited about the acquisition by LinkedIn because they share our passion for helping individuals maximize the value of their professional connections. As part of the acquisition, we will be joining the LinkedIn team and working to truly revolutionize contact management. We’ll now be able to do this better and faster and bring this functionality to LinkedIn’s audience of over 120 million professionals.

    We’re also happy to announce that starting today we’re making Connected completely free! You can now experience the joys of managing your contacts in Connected without the price tag. If you’re an existing user of Connected, please visit our FAQ for how this affects you.

    We would like to thank all of our early adopters, advisers, and investors who have helped us get here. The product would not have grown to what it is today without all of your inspiration, feature suggestions, bug reports, and overall support. We look forward to continuing to improve how you manage your professional relationships!

    Here’s a close look at what Connected does (from the company site):

    Connected

    Terms of the deal have not been disclosed (hat tip to Liz Gannes for first reporting).

  • Jon Stewart Takes On LinkedIn

    Jon Stewart Takes On LinkedIn

    I’ll admit it, I’m not that active on LinkedIn. I came to the party late, and with my heart (and time) already invested in Facebook, Twitter and to a certain extent Google+, I just couldn’t really motivate myself to grow a real presence.

    Apparently, neither has Jon Stewart.

    LinkedIn, of course, is the social network for professionals. According to the company, they connect over 120 million professionals who “exchange information, ideas and opportunities.”

    Jon Stewart thinks that it is a company whose sole purpose is spamming his inbox. On his nightly show “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” he discussed the merits of LinkedIn while covering the recent Obama / LinkedIn Town Hall.

    Check out the clip below –

    Although it’s totally unfair to point to four unemployed LinkedIn members and make an assumption about the usefulness of the social network itself, it’s still pretty funny. Plus, nobody said that comedy has to be fair to anyone.

    Of course, everyone isn’t simply on LinkedIn to find a job. LinkedIn helps people re-connect with former co-workers and classmates and lets you make new business connections to help your professional career. Plus, its use as a social network allows users to get information and feedback from millions of industry professionals.

    Like I said before, I’m not really a LinkedIn’er. What about you guys? Do any of Jon Stewart’s rips about the service have merit? How do you use LinkedIn? Let us know in the comments.

  • Why Is LinkedIn Underutilized?

    Is LinkedIn one of the first sites that you visit each day? If you’re like me, it’s not. (That is, up until this report! ☺) The reason for this is not because LinkedIn isn’t valuable. Instead, it’s just hard to make time for it, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and all the other sites that demand so much time.

    Do you find yourself struggling to make time for LinkedIn? Let us know.

    The site is often equated with finding a job, and while this is a very big part of LinkedIn, it’s not everything. According to Nicole Williams, LinkedIn’s Connections Director and founder of WORKS by Nicole Williams, the professional network should be viewed as a “career toolbox.”

    “Where it may end up being deemed as forgotten is that people don’t realize how helpful it is in your day-to-day career development,” she said. “LinkedIn is designed to help you in your career totality.”

    “It’s not just to be used at the point in which you’re looking at a job,” Williams added.

    As she pointed out, LinkedIn should be used in continuous career development. It’s full of news, forums, and groups that could create valuable opportunities. The relationships and connections that are made on LinkedIn can play a significant role in helping people get into their desired careers.

    Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ are all useful in their own way, but they are very different from LinkedIn. Facebook, specifically, covers a user’s entire life (especially once the new Timeline feature officially rolls out) from personal vacation pictures to fun activities and events that the user participates in.

    LinkedIn, however, is different because it offers a professional forum to individuals. As Williams explained, it provides “distilled information,” which is necessary for a professional environment. The company also has features such as LinkedIn Today that helps users stay up-to-date on industries they are interested in.

    In addition, LinkedIn recently introduced a Volunteer Experience and Causes field to its service that allows users to display their charity inolvement right along with their work experience. Based on a survey the company conducted, 41 percent of the respondents said that they considered volunteer work just as valuable as paid work experience.

    Williams told us that this new feature is especially beneficial in this economy, since so many people aren’t able to work in jobs that are reflective of their true passions. The Causes field now allows them to actually get credit for their volunteer experience.

    “You have to set yourself apart,” said Williams. “What LinkedIn is hoping to do is allow people to set themselves apart by being able to offer up their volunteer work experience.”

    The truth is – there are a lot of ways to use LinkedIn that people aren’t taking advantage of. According to Williams, LinkedIn Groups is a powerful means for people to connect with individuals not only in their industry but also in other industries that they are interested in. Groups also can give a user the opportunity to become a leader in their industry by participating in conversations.

    “You can get exposed to people who are beyond your normal realm of influence and get to know people who may, in fact, get to be able to offer you something professionally; or, you may be able to offer them something professionally,” she said.

    Williams told us that, as a new mom, she is involved in several groups related to professional women and working moms. Through a conversation she had about being tired, she met a sleep coach and, after talking with her, hired her. She told us that the chances of them connecting in another way would have been extremely slim.

    “If you can just engage in conversation and offer up tidbits of advice that prove that you’re a legitimate, helpful individual, that may turn into a real business opportunity,” Williams said.

    She also said that LinkedIn would continue to build products that would enhance the lives of professionals and make it easier to connect with other professionals.

    While it is difficult to keep up with all the social networks, Williams told us that LinkedIn should not be underutilized because it could really impact a person’s career for the better.

    After reading this, are you going to make more time for LinkedIn?

  • LinkedIn Cause Features Can Help Your Visibility

    LinkedIn has added a “Volunteer & Causes” field to profiles, allowing members to show off what causes they have volunteered for, presenting networking opportunities in the non-profit realm, similar to the the opportunities LinkedIn already presents in the professional realm.

    There are added benefits to the professional side of things as well, however. LinkedIn Senior Manger of Corporate Communications Krista Canfield tells WebProNews, “By enabling professionals to list their volunteer experiences on their LinkedIn Profile employers, business partners and co-workers are able to see another dimension of your professional identity.”

    “It shows that you’re a passionate professional who’s adept at multitasking,” she adds. “An analogy would be a college student who’s pursuing a degree while also working part-time. If you’re comparing that college student side-by-side to another college student who’s just going to school, then you might consider the college student who’s also working part-time to be more driven and harder working.”

    “It’s also worth noting that you can develop new skills during your volunteer work which will help you become a multifaceted professional,” Canfield tells us. “You may be a sales person by trade, but perhaps you helped organize your non-profit’s most recent fundraising event. Noting that experience, and the skills that you learned during that experience (‘event planning,’ ‘event marketing,’ etc.) can make you a more attractive employee and business partner.”

    LinkedIn Causes Profile Field

    Canfield says she’d advise professionals to not only add their volunteer work, but to also add LinkedIn Skills to their profile if they’ve truly mastered new ones as a result of those experience. LinkedIn Skills can be searched here.

    “Adding LinkedIn Skills will help you come up in relevant searches when business partners, clients or hiring managers are doing a search for people like you,” she notes. Certainly a good thing to keep in mind.

    “I’d also add that viewing a member’s volunteer experiences on their LinkedIn Profile is another way to find other professionals that have similar passions or interests to your own,” she says. “If before a business meeting you check another member’s LinkedIn Profile and see that he or she helped build a house during a Habitat for Humanity project (just like you did a few years ago), that can be a great conversation starter and a nice way to find common ground with that other professional.”

    There are other ways to utilize LinkedIn in the nonprofit realm. Nonprofits can set up company pages, for example. “To date there are more than two million LinkedIn Company Pages,” says Canfield. Listed nonprofits include the American Red Cross, DonorsChoose.org, The Humane Society of the United States and many others.

    “You can click the ‘follow’ button on a company page if you want to get updates when someone leaves or joins that company and to get updates when that company has posted a job opening on LinkedIn,” says Canfield.

    “Nonprofits are encouraged to set up LinkedIn Groups,” she adds. “I just did a search and there are currently over 83,000 nonprofit groups on Linkedin.”

    There are tips on nonprofit use of LinkedIn in the company’s learning center.

  • LinkedIn Mobile Gets an Update

    LinkedIn says its mobile page views have gone up by 400% year-over-year, making it the fastest-growing service it offers. With that, the company is making improvements to its mobile experience.

    “With our experience building apps that meet the needs of professionals on the go, we had an opportunity to rethink how to best meet our members’ needs and have completely redesigned our mobile experience to make it faster, simpler, and better,” says LinkedIn’s Chad Whitney.

    LinkedIn says the new mobile version is ten times faster across all features. It has also been reorganized into four categories: Updates, Inbox, You, and Groups & More.

    In Updates, you can view updates from your network and news from the LinkedIn Today feature. From Inbox, you can view invitations and messages from the same place. From You, you can access your profile, connections, and share updates. From Groups & More, you can browse and interact with groups and use the People You May Know feature.

    LinkedIn Mobile Update

    LinkedIn Mobile Update

    LinkedIn Mobile Update

    LinkedIn Mobile Update

    “The other big change that we’ve implemented based on user feedback is that the mobile app experience now starts with the Update stream, one of the most frequently used areas of the current mobile app,” says Whitney. “We want to help our members be great at what they do and one way to do that is to help them stay up-to-date on news and information from their network, company, and industry that they can glean from their updates stream.

    LinkedIn is not only updating its mobile apps, but for the mobile web on iPhone and Android devices via touch.linkedin.com.

    “For the first time, we’ll be providing that experience not only in our iPhone and Android applications, but also in a brand new HTML5 experience for use in any modern mobile web browser,” says Whitney.

    In its recent earnings report, LinkedIn reported a 120% increase in year-over-year revenue.

  • LinkedIn May Use My Name and Photo in Social Advertising – NOT

    It recently came to my attention that LinkedIn has a setting activated by default allowing it to “use my name, photo in social advertising.” Below is a screenshot of this setting in my LinkedIn profile.

    A screenshot of Ross Dunn's LinkedIn settings showing the default setting which allows LinkedIn to use my name and photo in social advertising

    First, I should state I understand this is a means of increasing social engagement and connection-making within LinkedIn. What I find problematic is LinkedIn’s flagrant disregard for our privacy by making such a setting default. If you feel the same way, here are the steps to disable this feature in your LinkedIn account, provided in graphical form:

    LinkedIn Privacy Step 1: Under your name in the top right of your account click on “Settings”

    A screenshot of the dropmenu on LinkedIn: click on "Settings" in the drop-down under your account name

    LinkedIn Privacy Step 2: Click on “Account” on the resulting Account & Settings page.

    A screenshot showing how to click on the "Account" tab in the resulting Profile Settings page.LinkedIn Privacy Step 3: Click on “Manage Social Advertising” in the “Account” tab you just enabled.

    A screenshot showing the next step in the process: to click on "Manage Social Advertising" in the "Account" tab you just enabled.LinkedIn Privacy Step 4: The Last Step is to un-check the option “LinkedIn may use my name, photo in social advertising.” Then save the changes.

    A screenshot instructing you to disable the option to allow LinkedIn to use your name and photo in social advertising

    You are done! A special thanks goes out to Steve Woodruff for bringing this to our collective attention.

    For more social media privacy tips and news here are some places to start:

    Check out Stepforth for more articles by Ross Dunn

  • LinkedIn Profiles Get Update, Users Get to Help

    LinkedIn has launched a new “Improve Your Profile” tool, aimed at allowing members to optimize their presence.

    “Think of it as a virtual profile adviser – just for you,” says LinkedIn’s Aaron Bronzan. “The Improve Your Profile Tool analyzes your profile and offers you personalized profile recommendations to help you put your best foot forward.”

    “We have included a handy checklist guide on the right side of the tool which highlights your recommended steps,” said Bronzan. “In the left column, we guide you through the steps with simple questions.”

    The feature is customized for each member, and it will be updated frequently, according to the company.

    LinkedIn Profile update

    The Improve Your Profile tool also comes along with a new look for the profile page itself. “The more modern design enhances the overview section and makes it easier to share profiles and to export them via PDF and printable formats,” says Bronzan.

    Last week, LinkedIn posted its first earnings as a public company. Revenue was up 120%. Not too long before that, the company launched the “Apply with LinkedIn” tool for companies to put on their sites to enable one-click job applications.

    LinkedIn is doing a lot of things that would appear to cement its position as an important professional networking tool, though a recent survey from YouGov suggested that Google+ is on pace to become the second largest social network (behind Facebook) in the U.S. within a year. Google certainly has plenty of tools (including the circles feature) that could help turn Google+ into a useful alternative to LinkedIn.

  • LinkedIn Reports First Earnings as Public Company

    LinkedIn released its first earnings report as a public company, and it wasn’t too shabby. They beat estimates and posted a 120% increase in revenue (YoY), and a new member increase of 61%.

    “In the second quarter, we saw record levels of members, unique visitors, and page views, while revenue growth further accelerated,” said CEO Jeff Weiner. “Going forward, we plan to continue to invest in our team, technology, and products in order to increase the value we deliver to members and realize the full potential of the LinkedIn platform.”

    Unique visitors were up 83% from the second quarter last year at 81.8 million per month.

    @LinkedIn
    LinkedIn    We saw growth across nearly all of our key metrics, including revenue, which grew 120% YOY to $121.0 million. $LNKD http://cmp.ly/F/LUDJtV 3 minutes ago via StockTwits Web · powered by @socialditto

    Here’s the release in its entirety:

    MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Aug. 4, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE:LNKD), the world’s largest professional network on the Internet, today reported its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2011:

    • Members grew to 115.8 million, an increase of 61% from the second quarter of 2010
    • Unique visitors of 81.8 million per month, an increase of 83% from the second quarter of 2010
    • Page views of 7.1 billion, an increase of 80% from the second quarter of 2010
    • Revenue for the second quarter was $121.0 million, an increase of 120% compared to $54.9 million for the second quarter of 2010
    • Net income for the second quarter was $4.5 million, compared to $4.3 million for the second quarter of 2010; Non-GAAP net income for the second quarter was $10.8 million, compared to $6.4 million for the second quarter of 2010. Non-GAAP measures exclude tax-effected stock-based compensation expense and tax-effected amortization of acquired intangible assets
    • Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter was $26.3 million, or 22% of revenue, compared to $11.5 million for the second quarter of 2010, or 21% of revenue
    • GAAP EPS for the second quarter was $0.04; Non-GAAP EPS for the second quarter was $0.10

    “In the second quarter, we saw record levels of members, unique visitors, and page views, while revenue growth further accelerated,” said Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn. “Going forward, we plan to continue to invest in our team, technology, and products in order to increase the value we deliver to members and realize the full potential of the LinkedIn platform.”

    Second Quarter Highlights and Strategic Announcements

    • In April 2011, LinkedIn opened up full access to the LinkedIn platform to developers, enabling them to build the professional Web. A number of new plug-ins were introduced, including the LinkedIn Share Button, which more than 100,000 publishers are now using to drive traffic to their sites. And later in the quarter, new Groups, Company, and Jobs APIs were introduced. LinkedIn now has more than 30,000 developers using its APIs.
    • LinkedIn extended its mobile presence with the April 2011 launch of LinkedIn for Android. In May, the flagship social news product, LinkedIn Today, came to the iPhone via LinkedIn for iPhone 3.6. In June, LinkedIn Today was added to Flipboard, giving professionals a new way to use the innovative iPad app to consume the news that matters to their professional lives. Mobile page views have increased approximately 400% year-over-year.
    • LinkedIn expanded its global footprint with the opening of an Asian regional headquarters in Singapore in May 2011 and a Northern European hub in Stockholm in June, bringing the total number of offices outside the U.S. to 12. Also in June, LinkedIn was made available to members in three new languages — Turkish, Russian, and Romanian, bringing the total to nine.

    Second Quarter Financial Details and Operating Summary

    LinkedIn reported revenue of $121.0 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2011, an increase of 120% compared to the second quarter of 2010.

    • Hiring Solutions: Revenue from Hiring Solutions products totaled $58.6 million, an increase of 170% compared to the second quarter of 2010. Hiring Solutions revenue represented 48% of total revenue in the second quarter of 2011, compared to 49% in the first quarter of 2011 and 40% in the second quarter of 2010.
    • Marketing Solutions: Revenue from Marketing Solutions products totaled $38.6 million, an increase of 111% compared to the second quarter of 2010. Marketing Solutions revenue represented 32% of total revenue in the second quarter of 2011, compared to 30% in the first quarter of 2011 and 33% in the second quarter of 2010.
    • Premium Subscriptions: Revenue from Premium Subscriptions products totaled $23.9 million, an increase of 60% compared to the second quarter of 2010. Premium Subscriptions represented 20% of total revenue in the second quarter of 2011, compared to 21% in the first quarter of 2011 and 27% in the second quarter of 2010.

    Revenue from the U.S. totaled $82.7 million, and represented 68% of total revenue in the second quarter of 2011. Revenue from international totaled $38.3 million, and represented 32% of total revenue in the second quarter of 2011.

    Revenue from the field sales channel totaled $66.7 million, and represented 55% of total revenue in the second quarter of 2011. Revenue from the online, direct sales channel totaled $54.3 million, and represented 45% of total revenue in the second quarter of 2011.

    Net income for the second quarter was $4.5 million, compared to $4.3 million for the second quarter of 2010. Adjusted EBITDA was $26.3 million in the second quarter of 2011, or 22% of revenue, compared to $11.5 million in the second quarter of 2010, or 21% of revenue.

    GAAP EPS was $0.04 based on 103.1 million fully-diluted weighted shares outstanding compared to $0.02 for the second quarter of 2010 based on 45.6 million fully-diluted weighted shares outstanding; Non-GAAP EPS was $0.10 based on 103.1 million fully-diluted weighted shares outstanding compared to $0.07 for the second quarter of 2010 based on 91.3 million fully-diluted weighted shares outstanding.

    “Strength in our engagement metrics, outperformance in our leveraged online channels, and a growing backlog with key corporate clients drove record revenues and adjusted EBITDA during the quarter,” said Steve Sordello, CFO of LinkedIn.  “We will continue to take a long-term perspective and invest aggressively in the global LinkedIn platform.”

    For additional information, please see the “Selected Company Metrics and Financials” page, updated through the end of the second quarter of 2011, on LinkedIn’s Investor Relations site.

    Business Outlook

    As of today, LinkedIn is initiating guidance for its third quarter of 2011 and full year 2011 revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance.

    • Q3 FY11 Guidance: Revenue for the third quarter of 2011 is projected to be in the range of approximately $121 million to approximately $125 million. For the third quarter of 2011, the company expects to report adjusted EBITDA of approximately $9 million to approximately $11 million.
    • Full Year FY11 Guidance: Revenue for the full year of 2011 is projected to be in the range of approximately $475 million to approximately $485 million. For the full year of 2011, the company expects to report adjusted EBITDA of approximately $65 million to approximately $70 million.

    Quarterly Conference Call

    LinkedIn plans to host a webcast/conference call to discuss its second quarter 2011 financial results and business outlook today at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Jeff Weiner and Steve Sordello will host the webcast, which can be viewed on the investor relations section of the LinkedIn website at http://investors.linkedin.com/. This call may contain forward-looking statements and other material information regarding the Company’s financial and operating results. Following completion of the call, a recorded replay of the webcast will be available on the website. For those without access to the Internet, a replay of the call will be available beginning at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on August 4, 2011 through August 11, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time. To listen to the telephone replay, please call (706) 645-9291, access code 75477524.

    About LinkedIn

    Founded in 2003, LinkedIn connects the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. With more than 120 million members worldwide, including executives from every Fortune 500 company, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network on the Internet. The company has a diversified business model with revenue coming from member subscriptions, marketing solutions and hiring solutions. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, LinkedIn also has offices across North America, as well as throughout Europe, Asia and Australia.

    The LinkedIn logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=9679

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    To supplement its consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, the company uses the following non-GAAP financial measures: adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP net income, and non-GAAP EPS (collectively the “non-GAAP financial measures”). The presentation of this financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. The company uses these non-GAAP financial measures for financial and operational decision making and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. The company believes that they provide useful information about operating results, enhance the overall understanding of past financial performance and future prospects, and allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management in its financial and operational decision making.

    The company excludes the following items from one or more of its non-GAAP measures:

    Stock-based compensation. The company excludes stock-based compensation because it is non-cash in nature and because the company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures excluding this item provide meaningful supplemental information regarding operational performance and liquidity. The company further believes this measure is useful to investors in that it allows for greater transparency to certain line items in its financial statements and facilitates comparisons to competitors’ operating results.

    Amortization of acquired intangible assets. The company excludes amortization of acquired intangible assets because it is non-cash in nature and because the company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures excluding this item provide meaningful supplemental information regarding operational performance and liquidity. In addition, excluding this item from various non-GAAP measures facilitates internal comparisons to historical operating results and comparisons to competitors’ operating results.

    Income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments. Excluding the income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments from the provision for income taxes assists investors in understanding the tax provision related to those adjustments and the effective tax rate related to ongoing operations.

    Assumed preferred stock conversion. As a result of the company’s initial public offering, all outstanding shares of preferred stock were automatically converted into shares of Class B common stock. Consequently, non-GAAP diluted net income per share has been calculated assuming the conversion of all outstanding shares of preferred stock into shares of Class B common stock.

    For more information on the non-GAAP financial measures, please see the “Reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP Financial Measures” table in this press release. This accompanying table has more details on the GAAP financial measures that are most directly comparable to non-GAAP financial measures and the related reconciliations between these financial measures. Additionally, the company has not reconciled adjusted EBITDA guidance to net income guidance because it does not provide guidance for stock-based compensation, other income (expense), provision for income taxes, and depreciation and amortization, which are the reconciling items between net income and adjusted EBITDA. As items that impact net income are out of the company’s control and/or cannot be reasonably predicted, the company is unable to provide such guidance. Accordingly, a reconciliation to net income is not available without unreasonable effort.

    Safe Harbor Statement

    “Safe Harbor” statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This press release and the accompanying conference call contain forward-looking statements about expected financial metrics such as revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and EPS, as well as non-financial metrics, such as member growth, page views and unique visitors to the company’s site, for the third quarter of 2011 and the full fiscal year and beyond. The achievement or success of the matters covered by such forward-looking statements involves risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If any such risks or uncertainties materialize or if any of the assumptions prove incorrect, the company’s results could differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements the company makes.

    The risks and uncertainties referred to above include – but are not limited to – risks associated with the company’s short operating history in a new and unproven market; engagement of its members; the price volatility of its Class B common stock; expectations regarding the company’s ability to timely and effectively scale and adapt existing technology and network infrastructure to ensure that its website is accessible at all times with short or no perceptible load times; security measures and the risk that the company’s website may be subject to attacks that degrade or deny the ability of members to access the company’s solutions; members and customers curtailing or ceasing to use the company’s solutions; the company’s core value of putting members first, which may conflict with the short-term interests of the business; privacy issues; increasing competition in the market for online professional networks; and the dual class structure of the company’s common stock.

    Further information on these and other factors that could affect the company’s financial results is included in filings it makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including the company’s Form 10-Q that will be filed for the quarter ended June 30, 2011. These documents are available on the SEC Filings section of the Investor Information section of the company’s website at http://investors.linkedin.com/. All information provided in this release and in the attachments is as of August 4, 2011, and LinkedIn undertakes no duty to update this information.

    LINKEDIN CORPORATION
    CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
    (In thousands)
    (Unaudited)
    June 30, December 31,
    2011 2010
    ASSETS
    CURRENT ASSETS:
    Cash and cash equivalents $ 352,854 $ 92,951
    Short-term investments 19,260 —
    Accounts receivable (net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $3,712 and $2,672 at
    June 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively) 70,241 58,263
    Deferred commissions 7,952 8,684
    Prepaid expenses and other current assets 12,047 5,767
    Income tax receivable 3,586 3,090
    Deferred income taxes 3,451 3,451
    Total current assets 469,391 172,206
    Property and equipment, net 83,033 56,743
    Goodwill 1,564 —
    Intangible assets, net 4,577 5,232
    Other assets 3,925 4,007
    TOTAL ASSETS $ 562,490 $ 238,188
    LIABILITIES, REDEEMABLE CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK AND
    STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
    CURRENT LIABILITIES:
    Accounts payable $ 3,767 $ 2,064
    Accrued liabilities 48,844 38,003
    Deferred revenue 99,444 64,985
    Income tax payable 258 420
    Total current liabilities 152,313 105,472
    LONG TERM LIABILITIES 2,021 1,861
    DEFERRED TAX LIABILITIES 11,655 6,625
    Total liabilities 165,989 113,958
    COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
    REDEEMABLE CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK — 87,981
    STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:
    Convertible preferred stock — 15,846
    Class A and Class B common stock 10 4
    Additional paid-in capital 394,565 25,074
    Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 7 (3)
    Accumulated earnings (deficit) 1,919 (4,672)
    Total stockholders’ equity 396,501 36,249
    TOTAL LIABILITIES, REDEEMABLE CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK AND
    STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY $ 562,490 $ 238,188
    LINKEDIN CORPORATION
    CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
    (In thousands, except per share data)
    (Unaudited)
    Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
    June 30, June 30,
    2011 2010 2011 2010
    Net revenue $ 121,040 $ 54,895 $ 214,972 $ 99,611
    Costs and expenses:
    Cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and
    amortization shown separately below) 18,403 9,842 35,186 18,147
    Sales and marketing 36,019 13,055 65,380 23,509
    Product development 30,414 14,822 55,149 26,963
    General and administrative 16,673 7,667 30,287 14,339
    Depreciation and amortization 9,602 4,201 17,761 8,141
    Total costs and expenses 111,111 49,587 203,763 91,099
    Income from operations 9,929 5,308 11,209 8,512
    Other income (expense), net 11 (357) 460 (703)
    Income before income taxes 9,940 4,951 11,669 7,809
    Provision for income taxes 5,427 658 5,078 1,701
    Net income $ 4,513 $ 4,293 $ 6,591 $ 6,108
    Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 4,513 $ 938 $ 6,591 $ 938
    Net income per share attributable to common stockholders:
    Basic $ 0.07 $ 0.02 $ 0.12 $ 0.02
    Diluted $ 0.04 $ 0.02 $ 0.07 $ 0.02
    Weighted-average shares used to compute net income per
    share attributable to common stockholders:
    Basic 69,395 42,232 56,631 42,100
    Diluted 103,129 45,624 100,131 44,927
    LINKEDIN CORPORATION
    SUPPLEMENTAL REVENUE INFORMATION
    (In thousands)
    (Unaudited)
    Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
    June 30, June 30,
    2011 2010 2011 2010
    Revenue by product:
    Hiring Solutions $ 58,619 $ 21,723 $ 104,953 $ 38,652
    Marketing Solutions 38,571 18,308 66,253 32,534
    Premium Subscriptions 23,850 14,864 43,766 28,425
    Total $ 121,040 $ 54,895 $ 214,972 $ 99,611
    Revenue by geography:
    United States $ 82,739 $ 40,299 $ 147,859 $ 72,834
    International 38,301 14,596 67,113 26,777
    Total $ 121,040 $ 54,895 $ 214,972 $ 99,611
    Revenue by channel:
    Field sales $ 66,699 $ 30,202 $ 117,327 $ 53,886
    Online sales 54,341 24,693 97,645 45,725
    Total $ 121,040 $ 54,895 $ 214,972 $ 99,611
    LINKEDIN CORPORATION
    RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
    (In thousands, except per share data)
    (Unaudited)
    Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
    June 30, June 30,
    2011 2010 2011 2010
    Non-GAAP net income and net income per share:
    GAAP net income $ 4,513 $ 4,293 $ 6,591 $ 6,108
    Add back: stock-based compensation 6,815 1,955 10,658 3,889
    Add back: amortization of intangible assets 862 53 1,671 107
    Income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments (1,414) 134 (2,392) 535
    NON-GAAP NET INCOME $ 10,776 $ 6,435 $ 16,528 $ 10,639
    GAAP diluted shares 103,129 45,624 100,131 44,927
    Add back: assumed preferred stock conversion — 45,647 — 45,647
    NON-GAAP DILUTED SHARES 103,129 91,271 100,131 90,574
    NON-GAAP DILUTED NET INCOME PER SHARE $ 0.10 $ 0.07 $ 0.17 $ 0.12
    Adjusted EBITDA:
    Net income $ 4,513 $ 4,293 $ 6,591 $ 6,108
    Provision for income taxes 5,427 658 5,078 1,701
    Other (income) expense, net (11) 357 (460) 703
    Depreciation and amortization 9,602 4,201 17,761 8,141
    Stock-based compensation 6,815 1,955 10,658 3,889
    ADJUSTED EBITDA $ 26,346 $ 11,464 $ 39,628 $ 20,542 
    CONTACT: Press contact

         Hani Durzy

         [email protected]

         650-605-0829

         Investor contact

         Marilyn Lattin

         [email protected]

         650-605-0711

  • Google+, Am I Forcing This Relationship?

    I’ve been a member of Google+ for exactly three weeks today. It seems like only yesterday that I tentatively attempted a login that I was sure would fail, only to be welcomed into the selective arms of the hottest new social network on the block. What magnificent sorcery had allowed my passage? Great fortune? A glitch? Had my friend gamed the system by tagging me in a video, thus enabling my unexpected acceptance?

    Not quite. Turns out Google had just opened it up for an hour or so and I got lucky. But the fact remains, I was one of the chosen.

    Now, as more and more of my friends join and swear off Facebook for good, I find myself in a pensive mood.

    Actually, I just came across something from a few days ago that got me thinking. LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner made some comments about Google+, most of them dismissing the new social network as an unwanted addition to an already full party. Apparently, he thinks that there is no vacancy in the social media hotel.

    “Nobody has any free time,” he said. Facebook is for friends, Twitter is for short messages and LinkedIn is for business. “Unlike social platforms and TV, which can coexist, you don’t see people using Twitter while they’re using Facebook, or using Facebook while they’re using LinkedIn.”

    With all do respect to Mr. Weiner, that’s an atrocious load of crap.

    I, for one, frequently use Facebook and Twitter. My tweets are cross posted on Facebook – so that I can receive feedback on both sites. Not only am I quite active in both Facebook and Twitter, but I’m trying to beef up my Google+ activity as well.

    Although I believe that it is entirely possible for Google+ to coexist with the other social networks, Weiner’s comments got me thinking: Am I forcing it with Google+?

    While posting to Facebook and Twitter feels so natural, an integral part of my daily life, am I trying too hard to integrate Google+ into that routine – knowing that it feels superfluous? I like Google+, in some ways more than Facebook. But for an early Facebook adopter (2004), can Google+ ever feel as natural?

    That long-winded introduction brings me to this: a brief discussion of things I like and dislike about Google+, now that the initial firestorm has cleared.

    I am still undecided about the entire circles concept.  When I first encountered them, I was optimistic.  I even mentioned that to me, circles felt like a natural, fluid way to categorize people in your life.  And I still believe that to some extent, but the sharing with circles is tedious in my opinion.  While I am well aware that this complaint is the ultimate #firstworldproblem, it bothers me nonetheless:  The practice of having to click multiple circles with which to share my posts is oftentimes a burden.

    In a related note about circles, some people dominate my stream. Erick Schonfeld posted on Google+ today about how Robert Scoble posts so much that he needs his own circle. This is a solution for weeding out the super-noisy people who flood your stream.

    The problem is that I find myself in the Facebook mindset where I want a comprehensive stream that includes all of my friends. I don’t want my collaborative Google+ stream to be missing anyone because I will rarely remember to click on their specific circle to view an entire separate stream of just their posts.

    On a positive note, I’ve had a whole lot of fun naming my circles. It would be improper to go into the names of some of those circles, as they are a tad uncouth. But just know that I’ve been creative.

    I like the Google+ interface. I think it is basic, clean and easy to navigate. This is so important when it comes to using it via the web. I am also a fan of the iPhone app that just dropped. Sure, it could be spiced up a little bit but the functionality is there.

    I also love the ability to share actual text posts, not just videos or links that people post – like on Facebook. Being able to do this sparks interaction and promotes comments. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Facebook eventually allows this as well.

    I’m not really using the Hangout or Sparks features. This is not to say that I don’t like the Hangouts. I think that they are simple, fun and a great option when you want to chat with multiple people at once. I also really dig that YouTube watching feature within Hangouts.

    If you regularly use those features, this point doesn’t really apply. But for me (and I’m sure many others), I am using Google+ to post videos, links, and statuses. If that sounds familiar, that’s because that is exactly how everyone uses Facebook.

    And as of right now, Google+ doesn’t do that any better than Facebook. So for a person using Google+ primarily for that reason, I find myself wondering why I should post to Google+ instead of Facebook. This might not be a conscious debate that I have in my head every time that I have something to share, but it does feel like my default still lies with Facebook and Twitter – to an overwhelming degree.

    Sure, my experience with Google+ is still in its infancy, but I wonder: Am I already too connected with Facebook and Twitter? Could they ever cease to be my defaults?

    Google+ has a long way to grow. It’s still in a beta test, remember? Once it truly integrates all over the other Google properties into the network, that might be a game changer. The world that Google+ might end up being best suited for is that of business (once business pages are completely hashed out).

    Sure, Google+ can coexist with other social networks. But for many children of the Facebook revolution, can Google+ ever compete on the level of friend and family interaction?

    [Lead Image Courtesy XKCD]

  • “Apply with LinkedIn” Might Be Pretty Huge

    This week, LinkedIn revealed a new tool called “Apply with LinkedIn”. It’s basically a button companies can put on their websites to enable one-click job applications by potential candidates.

    “We’ve put an incredible amount of effort to rethink the job application process from end-to-end to make it a one-click submit for any professional,” says LinkedIn’s Jonathan Seitel. “The first step was simple: put the functionality everywhere our members need it. That means packaging it as a simple button that you can recognize anywhere across the web. We’ve made this simple enough to implement so both  companies and developers can easily include it on their corporate websites.”

    Jobvite, which also has a social recruiting solution that lets companies use LinkedIn for applications, conducted some surveys of job seekers, customers, and HR people, and shared the following stats with us:

    • 87% of U.S. companies use LinkedIn to recruit 
    • Almost half (45%) of all recruiters said they ALWAYS look at candidate’s social profiles 
    • 73% of all social hires on Jobvite come via LinkedIn
    • Another 29% occasionally search for the online profiles of candidates.
    • One in three job seekers have LinkedIn profiles 
    • 58% of companies compete for talent by sourcing passive candidates – who may not have a current resume

    “LinkedIn’s move will make the use of social profiles in job seeking and hiring even more popular – which could appeal to the 53% of the workforce that are open to a new job but not actively looking,” a representative for Jobvite tells WebProNews.

    Jobvite also provided the following infographic on “The State of Social Recruiting”. Pretty interesting.

    Social Recruiting infographic

    A recent study from Performics found that 59% of social networks consider LinkedIn to be their most important social network. “Obviously, we have a lot of individuals out there looking for jobs, or they’re looking to change jobs; and they’re understanding that they need to embrace social networks like LinkedIn in order to help facilitate that search,” Performics CEO Daina Middleton told WebProNews in a recent interview:

    Google+ has quickly proven itself to be a viable social network, and the Circles feature is pretty useful for professional contacts and keeping them separate from non-professional contacts. It will be quite interesting to see how Google+ impacts the newly public LinkedIn, particularly as it rolls out its business profiles.

  • LinkedIn Launches One-Click Job Application Plug-In for Sites

    LinkedIn has launched a new web plug-in called Apply with LinkedIn, which is designed to enable companies to make it easier for job applicants to apply using their LinkedIn information.

    “We’ve put an incredible amount of effort to rethink the job application process from end-to-end to make it a one-click submit for any professional,” says LinkedIn’s Jonathan Seitel. “The first step was simple: put the functionality everywhere our members need it. That means packaging it as a simple button that you can recognize anywhere across the web. We’ve made this simple enough to implement so both  companies and developers can easily include it on their corporate websites.”

    “Once you click on the ‘Apply with LinkedIn’ button, you’ll get a user experience that’s been optimized for the web,” says Seitel. “In addition to updating your profile real time, LinkedIn will also show you your professional connections that work at the company to increase your chances of getting hired through a referral.”

    “If you don’t know anybody at the company, we’ll show you people who can introduce you to someone there,” he adds. “This is extremely powerful – statistics show that referrals are the #1 source of external hires at companies.”

    @jeffweiner
    jeff weiner    Resumes no longer required. Excited to announce Apply with LinkedIn, the next phase of our open platform efforts. http://lnkd.in/R56jAb 2 hours ago via LinkedIn · powered by @socialditto

    LinkedIn will record all the submissions in the “Saved Jobs” tab under the “jobs” category on the site.

    LinkedIn has launched the product with Netflix TripIt, Photobucket, and over a thousand other companies. The documentation has been made available here.

  • LinkedIn #1 Social Network, Says Report

    A recent study from marketing agency Performics revealed that 59 percent of social networkers found LinkedIn to be their most important social network. The survey was conducted by ROI Research and looked at nearly 3,000 people that actively use social networks.

    What is your most important social networking account? Let us know.

    “The Impact of Social Media,” or “S-Net” as the report is being called, is part of a series of studies that Performics is doing to understand the importance and influence of social media. Daina Middleton, the CEO of the company, told us that the economic challenges added to this spike of activity on LinkedIn.

    “Obviously, we have a lot of individuals out there looking for jobs, or they’re looking to change jobs; and they’re understanding that they need to embrace social networks like LinkedIn in order to help facilitate that search,” she said.

    While Facebook and Twitter are extremely popular for both personal and professional reasons, the line between these purposes is becoming more and more blurred. Middleton pointed out that LinkedIn, on the other hand, is clearly professional, which has helped to make it vital during the tough economic times.

    The study further proved the shift in power from brands to consumers. Previously, brands could send out a print or TV ad and, primarily, be in control of the message. Middleton said that there was a “hierarchy implied in terms of this message development.”

    Today, however, this cycle has changed, largely due to social media. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn allow users to be equal. As a result, consumers have the ability to influence fellow consumers and brands in a way that is likely greater than a brand’s own influence.

    The study found that 59 percent of active Twitter users are more apt to recommend a company they follow, and 58 percent would be more likely to buy a product from a company they follow. In addition, 53 percent use social networks to offer feedback about a brand or retailer. The study also found that 52 percent of those surveyed agreed that consumer opinions voiced on social networking sites influence business decisions.

    Middleton believes the report demonstrates the power of social media and encourages brands to embrace this shift in power and communication. She said, “Brands need to understand that the goal here is to get others to participate with them on that equal status.”

    Do you think brands are effectively encouraging equal participation?

  • LinkedIn Profile Tip – 4 Key Privacy Control Settings To Manage Your Online Reputation

    If you are using LinkedIn as part of your online networking and visibility plan, have you reviewed your privacy controls?

    Very often we join a social network and never take the time to review our online privacy – especially in relation to content that we are happy to share with others either connected to us in our social network or a broader community.

    In this video I share four key privacy controls that you should review – this is especially useful if you are doing an upgrade and review of your LinkedIn profile and it’s something I always start my LinkedIn for business training workshops covering. After all when you are updating your LinkedIn profile, you don’t always want everyone in your network to see the changes you are making.

    Alternatively access the video on YouTube at this link.

    If you have questions about using LinkedIn to help you build your online visibility for your own career management goals or for lead generation for your business, remember to post your questions to my Facebook Page.

    Originally published ot BizGrowthNews

  • How To Get Huge Traffic From LinkedIn

    How To Get Huge Traffic From LinkedIn

    As you probably know,  LinkedIn has had a huge week. The company launched a wildly successful IPO, doubling the company’s valuation overnight. While there is a fair amount of debate as to whether or not this valuation is too high, one thing is clear – LinkedIn is doing what few other social networks can do – maintaining success in the age of Facebook.

    LinkedIn can be a tremendous source of web traffic, and perhaps more importantly, it can be a tremendous source of highly targeted web traffic, given the professional nature of the network.

    Do you count LinkedIn among your most valued traffic sources? Let us know in the comments.

    A while back, we posted an article about how LinkedIn can be one of your most valuable traffic sources. We talked to entrepreneur Lewis Howes, who claimed LinkedIn was one of the top traffic sources to his blogs.

    “Anytime you can increase the size of your network on LinkedIn, it will give you the opportunity to distribute your content to more people, therefore driving more traffic back to your site,” he said. “You need to take into consideration that LinkedIn has the highest average household income per user over any other social networking site (even NYTimes.com and BusinessWeek.com readers). That being said, these are business decision makers you are targeting with your traffic from LinkedIn. The network is for real, and it will only continue to grow in time as there are currently 60 million professionals.”

    That was over a year ago. The network has indeed grown significantly since then. It now has over 100 million members, and going public probably won’t do much to slow down growth.

    Howes had written his own article on steps to take to drive traffic with LinkedIn. These were:

    1. Complete your profile.
    2. Increase you connections.
    3. Customize your website links.
    4. Answer questions.
    5. Update your status.
    6. Join niche groups.
    7. Post comments in groups.
    8. Add RSS feeds to groups.
    9. Create a group.
    10. Add the blog application to your profile.

    Since that article, LinkedIn has done quite a few things, and luckily for site owners, some of them have huge implications as traffic drivers.

    Earlier this month, BusinessInsider posted a pretty inspirational chart showing how traffic from LinkedIn suddenly skyrocketed:

    LinkedIn traffic to BusinessInsider

    Nicholas Carlson says LinkedIn product manager Liz Walker told the publication that the traffic was “coming from a bunch of sources – mostly new products like LinkedIn.com/Today, newsletters, and LinkedIn News.” LinkedIn’s “inShares” (see the LinkedIn share button at the top of this article) contribute to these. Obviously using these and/or other plugins from the company can help.

    LinkedIn Today is a product the company launched in beta in March. It was launched with the aim of showing what users’ connections and coworkers (people you know) are sharing, what industry peers are sharing, and what stories are interesting to the broader audience. If you’re creating compelling content, just like with any other social network, you have a good chance of increasing your traffic here, provided you are able to drive influence within your industry.

    Again, this brings forward the appeal of targeted traffic, as opposed to just traffic. LinkedIn Today is accessible via the “news” tab on the LinkedIn homepage.

    Of course, LinkedIn has a news feed section just like Twitter/Facebook, so building your network in general is key. Obviously this key for reasons beyond traffic, but it should certainly help in this area as well. LinkedIn’s Lindsey Pollak recently provided some tips for sprucing up your presence on the network, which could help overall. She suggested kick-starting your keywords, featuring a new photo, adding some apps, and getting active in groups.

    “If you’re not attracting a lot of interest to your LinkedIn profile, take a look at what words you use to describe yourself,” she says. “They might be doing more harm than good. Last month, LinkedIn released a list of the top 10 LinkedIn profile termsthat are most overused by professionals based in the United States.”

    These terms are as follows:

    Extensive experience
    Innovative
    Motivated
    Results-oriented
    Dynamic
    Proven track record
    Team player
    Fast-paced
    Problem solver
    Entrepreneurial

    Suffice it to say, you should be giving people a compelling reason to want to connect with you, and separating yourself from the crowd. Even if you are already doing this with your content, they may never see the content if their first impression of you comes from a lackluster LinkedIn profile.

    In terms of apps, she says, “If you travel frequently, try TripIt, which enables you to share your travel itineraries and potentially set up appointments and build deeper relationships with LinkedIn connections in the cities you visit. If you’re a visual type, consider SlideShare or Google Presentation, which allow you to add presentations to your profile. I also love the Reading List by Amazon, which invites you to post books you’re reading and share your reviews with your LinkedIn connections. The overall goal of adding more applications is to give people as many reasons as possible to find something in common with you.”

    Essentially, these are just more ways to spark engagement, which can trickle down into traffic (and engaged traffic at that). LinkedIn’s app directory can be found here. Obviously the Groups also contribute to the engagement factor.

    Also keep in mind that LinkedIn regularly sends emails to users. These include emails for LinkedIn Today updates and Network Updates, which display profiles, connections, new contacts, posts, groups, photos, recommendations, and applications.

    Study

    A recent study from LeadFormix found:

    1. 24 % of all visitors from LinkedIn to a B2B website are enterprise visitors (leads).

    2. Nearly 45% of leads coming to a company website through LinkedIn are first time visitors.

    3. 1 in 2 leads to a website coming from LinkedIn, come from individual profile + company profile pages.

    4. Leads from LinkedIn groups and ads are most likely to fill a form (convert) on a B2B website.

    5. Visitors from LinkedIn groups are also most likely to respond to webinar invites.

    6. 1 in 3 visitors from a LinkedIn group, filled a form on a website (converted).

    7. Based on the intent of visitors measured by LeadFormix, the most relevant traffic for a company comes from its LinkedIn employee profiles and participation in groups. These visitors are most interested in the company details, product offerings and in attending webinars which are highly correlated with a potential buyer’s intent.

    8. Visitors from LinkedIn company pages are most likely to spend more than 10 minutes on a company website.

    LinkedIn visitor intent

    Given all of this week’s LinkedIn news, it’s clear that the network is bigger than ever, and doesn’t show any signs of dwindling down anytime soon. If you’re not capitalizing on it as a potential traffic source, you might be missing out big time – and at a time when the importance of diversifying your traffic sources has truly been driven home by Google’s Panda update. It’s also worth noting, however, that people sharing your content on LinkedIn can actually help you with Google’s social search.

    LinkedIn has expanded its mobile presence recently too. This should only help general use of the network, and potentially help for increased traffic as well. Last month, the company launched the first version of its Android app. Shortly before that, they also launched a feature phone app. Remember, there are still a lot of people out there that haven’t upgraded to smartphones. This can keep them engaged with the network and show them your content while they’re on the go.

    Do you see significant traffic from LinkedIn? Comment here.

  • LinkedIn IPO Reactions From The Twitter World

    LinkedIn has sent the tech world in a flurry since their initial public offering yesterday blew all expectations out of the water.

    LinkedIn announced its pricing at $5 per share, but by the end of trading yesterday it had reached a high of $107 per share. Shares are currently hovering around $101 to $103.

    Initial reporting valued the social network at around $4 billion. Some are now indicating that LinkedIn could be worth more than $9 billion dollars, an absolutely astounding figure.

    So the tech world sounded off on Twitter as LinkedIn’s valuation continued to climb. Many talked about the infamous “tech bubble,” which others pointed to LinkedIn’s IPO success as a sign of future social networks’ success in public offerings. Others from inside the social media field simply congratulated the people at LinkedIn on their big day.

    First, that bubble talk:

    @dhh
    DHH    LinkedIn made $15 million last year. It’s now worth $8,000 million. That’s a P/E of 500+. How can anyone claim we’re not in a bubble? 23 hours ago via Tweetie for Mac · powered by @socialditto

    @peteryared
    Peter Yared    New post: LinkedIn IPO: You know it’s a bubble when Grandma can buy in http://bit.ly/kaXpbO 14 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @rk
    Ryan King    I think we’re in a “calling it a bubble” bubble. 21 hours ago via YoruFukurou · powered by @socialditto

    The staffs of other social networks Twitter and Facebook also talked about the IPO:

    @sandofsky
    Ben Sandofsky    I bet LinkedIn employees are getting Invitations to Connect to estranged relatives. 17 hours ago via Twitter for Mac · powered by @socialditto

    @frost
    Frost Li    #linkedInIPO shows how people believe in social network and what its impact will be! 18 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @dougw
    Doug Williams    Impressive IPO for our friends and partners at LinkedIn. Congrats @skottr @lizreaveswalker @allenb et. al. 23 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    @brandee
    Brandee Barker    Yay LNKD! So good for the industry! 1 day ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    @matthicks
    matthicks    Congrats, LinkedIn: $100 a share and rising. I remember joining 6 years ago when Friendster, Tribe and Orkut were… http://fb.me/znQYn3pV 22 hours ago via Facebook · powered by @socialditto

    Here are some more reactions from the blogging and tech writing world:

    @Lessien
    Lessien    If $AAPL traded at 45x (like $LNKD) its FY 2010 revenues, its market cap would be almost $3 trillion dollars. 22 hours ago via Twitter for Mac · powered by @socialditto

    @SameerPatel
    Sameer Patel    #Linkedin stock price is not a function of it’s revenue. It’s a function of the markets 5+ yr pent up demand to get in on social networking. 22 hours ago via Echofon · powered by @socialditto

    @stevecheney
    Steve Cheney    RT @albertwenger: LinkedIn is Netscape of this decade. IPO window blown wide open. 22 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    @danprimack
    danprimack    There is a rumor floating around that shares of LinkedIn can be used as survival rafts for the upcoming apocalypse. Buy, buy, buy! 22 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @pkedrosky
    Paul Kedrosky    Anyone who natters today about how much $$ LinkedIn left on the table should be ignored for keeps. Cluelessness^3. 21 hours ago via Echofon · powered by @socialditto

  • LinkedIn IPO Doubles Company’s Valuation Overnight [Photos]

    LinkedIn has exceeded all expectations with its initial public offering today, which has been deemed the biggest web IPO since Google’s. Pretty impressive for a social network that isn’t Facebook.

    When the company announced its pricing for the IPO, it was $45 per share. At the time of this writing, shares are at $105.70.

    While just yesterday, the company was reported to have been valued at $4 billion – a number some thought too high – the reports are now indicating a valuation of a whopping $9 billion. Again, pretty impressive for a social network that’s not Facebook.

    LinkedIn has posted some photos from the opening bell ceremony this morning on its Flickr account:

    LinkedIn IPO

    LinkedIn’s Executive team at the NYSE Bell Ringing Ceremony on May 19, 2011. From L-R: Reid Hoffman, Jeff Weiner, Steve Sordello, and Erika Rottenberg.

    LinkedIn IPO

    LinkedIn CEO, Jeff Weiner, at the center. Reid Hoffman (to the left of Jeff), Steve Sordello (behind Jeff) and Erika Rottenberg (to Jeff’s right) on the floor of NYSE – May 19, 2011.

    LinkedIn IPO

    LinkedIn CEO, Jeff Weiner, at the center. Reid Hoffman (to the left of Jeff) and Erika Rottenberg (to his right) on the floor of NYSE – May 19, 2011.

    LinkedIn IPO

    Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, in front of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) the day LNKD started trading on May 19, 2011.

    So the question is can LinkedIn live up to its valuation? It’s got a lot of competition in the social space, from some pretty fierce competitors. Facebook and Twitter, for example, can offer businesses and individuals many of the same or similar functions, and in some cases on a wider scale. The IPO will no doubt help with LinkedIn’s growth, but neither Facebook or Twitter have gone public yet either. Here, we looked at some different things LinkedIn has been doing lately.

    What do you think?

  • LinkedIn Shares Blow Up After IPO

    LinkedIn Shares Blow Up After IPO

    The nifty career-based social networking site LinkedIn announced its decision to go public, and the reaction on the first day of the company being traded has been fantastic. Initially, the service’s stocks were priced around $45 a share, but after a relatively short amount of time, the price of LinkedIn’s shares has almost doubled.

    A quick glance at the current exchange rate finds that LinkedIn (LNKD) is being traded at $91.72 a share, clearly marking the early returns of LinkedIn’s IPO as a massive success. In fact, the LNKD stock opened trading at $83, almost a $40 increase of the initial share price. So what gives? Why has LinkedIn’s first day of trading been such a runaway success?

    The Wall Street Journal has some ideas, which are related to confidence in the tech sector. In her lead sentence, Lynn Cowan offers this realistic take:

    Social-media companies, take note: LinkedIn Corp.’s swift rise on its first day of trading Thursday proves that U.S. investors are hungry for similar stories.

    Apparently, the dot com boom scare no longer exists and investors are willing to spend their money on tech companies, especially ones that are apart of the social media world. Cowan goes on to say that LinkedIn’s IPO is the largest Internet IPO since Google took Wall Street by storm. While the fear of another dot com bust has died down, as indicated by LinkedIn’s skyrocketing first day of trading, that fear hasn’t completely evaporated, something Cowan also points out:

    …many across Silicon Valley and Wall Street say that investors are being taken in by a new Internet bubble.

    Because LinkedIn’s initial foray into the world of public trading has been such a smashing success, people have begun speculating about what will happen if/when services like Facebook and Twitter go public. Apparently, the anticipation for these events is awfully high, something the LinkedIn IPO no doubt fueled. However, most, if not all eyes, are on Facebook, because once they go public, the thinking is, it will be harder for the lesser social media sites to compete:

    Victor Shum, a partner in the San Francisco offices of Jeffer, Mangels Butler & Mitchell who advises technology firms on financing, mergers and acquisitions, and other business transactions [says], “If it works, there’s going to be a big push from a lot of social media companies to try to get out before Facebook does. Because once Facebook comes out, they’re not going to be able to get any analyst attention.”

    Facebook may be the current golden calf, but the confidence surrounding its potential IPO is fueled directly by the success of LinkedIn. Granted, Facebook may ultimately sell for more stock, but it will owe a great deal of gratitude to LinkedIn for proving the confidence in trading social media companies is indeed high.

    Lead image courtesy of a LinkedIn retweet.

  • LinkedIn IPO Prices Value Company at Over $4 Billion

    LinkedIn is expected to launch its IPO on Thursday to the tune of 7,840,000 shares of class A common stock. The company said in an SEC filing that it expects shares to sell for $42 – $45. The filing says:

    LinkedIn Corporation is offering 4,827,804 shares of its Class A common stock and the selling stockholders are offering 3,012,196 shares of Class A common stock. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares by the selling stockholders. This is our initial public offering and no public market currently exists for our shares of Class A common stock. We anticipate that the initial public offering price will be between $42.00 and $45.00 per share.

    Following this offering, we will have two classes of authorized common stock, Class A common stock and Class B common stock. The rights of the holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock will be identical, except with respect to voting and conversion. Each share of Class A common stock will be entitled to one vote per share. Each share of Class B common stock will be entitled to ten votes per share and will be convertible at any time into one share of Class A common stock. Outstanding shares of Class B common stock will represent approximately 99.1% of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock following this offering, and outstanding shares of Class B common stock held by our co-founder and board Chair, Reid Hoffman, will represent approximately 21.7% of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock following this offering.

    Valuations for the company based on the stated price range are being reported as up to $4.3 billion. Not bad for a social network that isn’t Facebook.

    Earlier this month, the company celebrated its 8th birthday:

    So what has LinkedIn been up to lately? Here are a few things they’ve done recently:

    • LinkedIn announced the launch of a new platform last month, that some see as a competitor to Facebook’s social plugins. While it’s unlikely that this will have the impact on the web that Facebook’s presence has, it could make a huge splash on the professional web.
    • The company recently launched a feature phone app, expanding its mobile presence beyond smartphones.
    • LinkedIn launched a new social news product designed to let users see the top news in their fields they’re interested, as shared by those in said fields. The product is called LinkedIn Today.
    • LinkedIn Skills was introduced in beta earlier this year. This is product aimed at showing areas of expertise, and who has the skills in these areas. Essentially, it’s a way people to see the top talent in the industry for individual skills.

    These are just a few things the company has introduced this year. A recent report found that LinkedIn matches newspapers as a job search tool for students.

    In the SEC filing, LinkedIn counts exclusive focus on professionals, a large and growing global member base, a business model with powerful network effects, it being robust and trusted source of relevant professional data, a large customer base, and its proprietary technology platform as its competitive strengths.

    In March, LinkedIn hit the 100 million member mark. Still, the company will always run the risk of users losing interest because of other social networks like Facebook and Twitter, which have both been proven to be reputable tools for recruiting and finding jobs, and of course just professional networking.

    Is LinkedIn’s valuation too high, too small, or just right? Tell us what you think.