A Look at LinkedIn’s ‘Follow’ Revolution
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LinkedIn has upgraded the group discussions with the new voting buttons and while this is a conversation starting move, the bigger news is the ability to follow people without connecting to them.
As a permission based connection platform the ability to now follow a fellow group member and all their other discussions seems like a step over to a non-permission based connection like Twitter. For open-networkers this is just another means of gaining exposure as people are wanting to see what you have to say but for those that are guarded in their connections, this may cause a bit of uneasiness.
LinkedIn: Member Follow
Groups have been around for a while and while generally used to post events or ask questions specific only to the group, the new group discussions platform allows for links to be added to the discussions. This is similar in functionality to the News sections however with some enhancements. The enhancements, especially the ability to follow a fellow group member and not connecting to them allows you to follow all their activity across LinkedIn to see their status updates, what other groups they are in and what other discussions they are participating in.
You can also unfollow anyone you are following should their updates be a bit to frequent for your liking. The number of people you are following will also be visible to followers and connections. In addition, a counter is displayed but a thumbs up or down with a number will also be displayed.
The follow button is not just limited to following people but you can also follow discussions that you created, commented on or those you are just lurking to see what others are saying.
LinkedIn Groups
LinkedIn groups have taken on a new life with the new features of the addition of the like, pass, comment and more buttons. This promotes users to comment or interact with the voting buttons and also to have that information displayed.
There is a group maximum of 50 groups per user so when searching for groups, it is wise to find groups that you will be able to find useful and valuable. If you have overlooked LinkedIn Groups in the past, it may be time to revisit and search for new groups to join and take part in discussions.
What do you think? Is this a step into the non-permission based means of connecting or just another way for LinkedIn to get the conversation started amongst users?
Joe Boyle said:
I have never even heard of LinkedIn groups, so I’m off to try them out. I have a LinkedIn account, but never viewed it for anything more than a place to leave my information and hope for something to happen. Thanks for the information!
Martin said:
Something new to check. Thanks for this information!
Nabeel | Create Your First Website said:
Never heard of this before.
Which groups should we join?
Could you guide to some Internet Marketing groups? (if such exist).
Nabeel
Suzanne Vara said:
Nabeel
There are thousands of groups. The search feature when you go into groups from the main menu bar comes in real handy.
LinkedIn groups especially now that the discussions are so much more interactive and forum like, hopefully will continue to help small business owners grow their business and be a good resource.
@SuzanneVara
Dennis Edell | Direct Sales Marketing said:
Oh wow, not good. LinkedIn is one of the only networks for the true all business professional, and many are there BECAUSE of the somewhat privacy it has; make that had.
Yea, I see issues arising soon.
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Suzanne Vara said:
Dennis
I was stunned when I first viewed the video and heard that you could follow anyone you share a group with and follow all of their activity.
I did receive a comment from Ian at LI over in a group that this was posted in and I await further clarification but he seemed to indicate that you would only be able to follow their activity in groups that you are in together. Huh? If you are in all the same groups (unlikely as it is) then why do you need to follow them to see their group discussion activity? Does not make sense.
Thanks Dennis for sharing your thoughts.
@SuzanneVara
My Latest Blog Post: American Express Open Launches Search Manager
Hans Brough said:
Actually if you find a group that still has a V1 interface you’ll notice that the ability to follow someone was an existing feature. What’s new is not ‘following’ itself but being able to identify a ‘top influencer’ and use the existing ‘follow’ feature to keep track what they had to say in the group. This information is surfaced in a few places via activity stream’s.
For smaller groups this may not be as useful – especially if you are checking them regularly. But for larger groups, or groups you do not follow closely, the feature is more useful.
Groups are still walled gardens – conversations are kept private amongst members. Keeping what you say in a group private is an important concept to LI and the Groups team.
Disclosure – I’m part of the LI team who built the new interface
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Suzanne Vara said:
Hans
Thank you for coming over and commenting.
As I understood from the LI video on the blog that Ian posted, the follow would allow you to see all this user’s activity. Now that could be limited to that group but then the interface was built to only publish specific information to users? For example: if I am following you in Group A and let’s say Ian is following you in Group B then the interface knows to only show me what you have posted in A and not in B but to show Ian what you posted in Group B and not A. Sounds pretty complex. If they are the top influencer, they will be showcased in that section.
I do see where in large groups if many members are participating where following someone could be beneficial if you want to see which articles/discussions they are taking part in. I could see where people will follow some a-listers to try and get noticed.
Thanks again for coming over and commenting.
@SuzanneVara
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Dennis Edell | Direct Sales Marketing said:
LOL Yea, sounds like one of them “lets confuse her enough that it almost makes sense”.
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Nasrul Hanis said:
Not so familiar to LinkedIn. Guessing it’s just me not familiar with it or it’s a trend?
Suzanne Vara said:
Nasrul
There are some that are not as familiar but there are 70 million world wide that are. LI is a great platform that as I have said previously seems to be going towards the direction of a forum.
LI once being deemed the adult MySpace and then the platform for the job seeker, has come a long way over the past 7 yrs.
I like it as it is professionals talking to professionals.
@SuzanneVara
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Nasrul Hanis said:
Fyi, I just looked back at LinkedIn and realized that I had an account there! I started to explore and making connection, and felt regret for ignored it previously.
Thanks a lot for your article and opinions!
Ron Leyba said:
As of now, I don’t have a good LinkedIn account. I know, I am missing so much opportunities by not using and leveraging the network and power of LinkedIn.
Suzanne, this post of yours gives me good insights. Thanks a lot!
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Suzanne Vara said:
Ron
Let’s get you going over there and utilizing it to its fullest. There is no reason not to. It is growing and a place where people who have not been around in a while are coming back to.
Let me know if you need any help with your profile or even judge a nudge!
@SuzanneVara
My Latest Blog Post: American Express Open Launches Search Manager
Connie Krohn said:
I am part of these groups and I love it! I have met so many other business associates. We have shared ideas, FB pages, web-sites and lots of other stuff. It’s a great way to network. We promote each others sites gaining visibility and more customers.
LinkedIn is great!
Connie
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