chrisbrogan.com - Latest Comments in Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

NK — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:16:13 -0000

Hi,
We have realized the issues. Its going on for a very long time that linkedin has tried something new to improve the user expereince.

We are in the developement of a tool we can stand against this 10 yr old professional networking site.

We will be needed all your feedback and suggestions. We will be with you guys very soon.

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

lou suSi — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:21:36 -0000

very true ... i think the most valuable and dynamic part of LinkedIn for me is the LinkedIn Answers ... even though i know the intended use is to connect to your professional network with your business-card-like profile and use the contact information for various networking communications and scheduling, i still find Answers to be the most active and exciting area on LI ... i bet i would start to really dig into the power of LinkedIn with improvements like the functionality you outline in this blogPost ...

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

wecandobiz — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:49:22 -0000

Only just found this post Chris and it's great to see someone questioning LinkedIn's capabilities, as I often feel I'm the only naysayer.

My beef is that there aren't any real tools to help broker relationships with people who need what you do. Forty million members, many of whom will be buying products, services and solutions all day long and I can't easily find and connect with them. It's a shocking shortcoming for a business networking site.

Anyway, in answer to your beef, I see what you are asking for as the role of Social CRM that sites like LinkedIn and traditional CRM systems will ultimately merge to achieve. What could be better than a networking site where everyone maintains their own profile, ensuring data currency; and your connections can then be cut and diced and have processes attached to them to help you grow the relationships you've made.

It's interesting to note that SAP was an investor in LinkedIn's last funding round, so when it comes you could get much more than you asked for. Until then, taking tthat exported CSV and pulling it into your existing CRM system could provide the answers.

We'll have Social CRM on our site next month. Salesforce.com and Facebook already have basic integration. I've blogged on Social CRM as The Perfect Business Application here: http://ow.ly/dfAB

Ian Hendry
CEO, WeCanDo.BIZ
http://www.wecando.biz

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Will — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:08:54 -0000

Well, they're gonna be like Microsoft. They literally will sit and do nothing apparently unless they have competition. Their only true future threat is probably Yammer.

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Nick Green — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 15:01:46 -0000

I have always had issues with Linkedin. I cannot understand why they have not improved the site. It feels like 2004 whenever I am there. I have had little luck with any networking at all...

When will a competitor arrive and shape them up???

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Justin C. — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:22:46 -0000

How about some video in Linked IN? It would be nice to put a video intro of myself or a quick (1-3 min.) documentary of what I'm up to. Either that or make it so you can embed You Tube or Viddler videos on your profile page like my space.

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Will — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 03:43:59 -0000

LinkedIn isn't going to improve because Chris Brogan slams on a table and screams, "Improve Dammit!" ...Or will it? Yes.

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Sue Todd — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:29:21 -0000

Yep totally with you on that LinkedIn's contact management could be better

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Jamie Favreau — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:44:54 -0000

I love LI but I agree somethings need to be improved. I wish they would tell you about how many invites you have left too and how you get more.

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Andy Speed — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:00:03 -0000

Ummm Guys,.....doesn't Linkedin cater for WEB developers /creatives/architects/innovators in its forums?

Maybe they should call on that talent to help them out via a brainstorm session with a prize element involved for the most viable solution or is that too dumb?....and I will get my coat.

Cheers

Andy

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Brad Schwarzenbach — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:05:56 -0000

I agree completely. I think a good social networking site will constantly enable their user base to extend the value of the content they've created. It's interesting how good channels are symbiotic that way. If the user isn't constantly innovating they grow bored and attrition rises, growth slows, channel value declines.

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

John E. Bredehoft (Empoprises) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:45:23 -0000

While the three suggestions in Andrew's "What now?" post are sound advice (as is the "What now?" concept itself that Andrew got from somebody or another), one thing that software developers can do is to provide their users with extensible tools that allow the users to do things that the software developer never envisioned. While it would be nice if LinkedIn provided unlimited sort capabilities on its own, perhaps they could make it easier to Chris to access his contact data via his preferred application, rather than having to resort to a CSV cut and paste.

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Brad Schwarzenbach — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:40:21 -0000

Tippingpoint Labs talked about something you bring up at the VERY end of this post. "What now?" http://blog.tippingpointlab... While not directly related to the matter at hand, it raises what I believe is perhaps the biggest obstacle facing social networking sites: when you hit the functionality wall.

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

John Madeira — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:25:43 -0000

I agree with your Linkedin issue. The number of messages one can send thru Linkedin free account is also limited It is one of the reasons they give for upgrading to a premium account.
One can export their accounts as a csv file. This file can be uploaded into a contact manager. This tends to be a pain in the ass as one constantly gains or loses connections.

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Stuart Foster — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:20:18 -0000

Really interesting points (and dead on). Just like google calendar and contacts... everything should be exportable to a variety of different platforms. Integrated=Essential. If you can't fit into my life...you become less valuable as a service. Make yourself essential and succeed.

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Doug McSorley — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:06:36 -0000

Great points Chris. I couldn't agree more with you. LinkedIn should change these features. I did something similar to what you mentioned and it took me forever. They need to add new features to address these types of issues.
DM (via www.vinnydsomedia.com)

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Doug McSorley — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:00:12 -0000

Well said Chris! I've been wondering the same thing for some time now. Why do they make it so hard for us to sort through our connections. I tried doing something similar to what you did and it took me forever. I'm hoping LinkedIn will add some new features like this soon.
DM (www.vinnydsomedia.com)

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Jeroen de Miranda — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:39:22 -0000

LinkedIn would be an excellent (OpenId-) identity provider. I wonder if they have any plans in that direction.

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Robert — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:37:26 -0000

Yes! If they could somehow fix the answer section from floating on my home page, it would be much appreciated.

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Terri Davies — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:50:37 -0000

Your comment to LinkedIn: "You’ve given me a powerful tool to connect with people. I’m connected. Now what?" I couldn't agree more. I am not using it to pull large amounts of data as you are, but my comment is that I feel that there is something quite stagnant about it. People put up a profile on LinkedIn and then promptly forget about it as they pick up where they left off on Twitter.

I suppose I am just ranting as well. I can't think of how to improve it - just make it more exciting some how, give people more of a reason to return often...tall order, I know. ;)

@sunstar_media

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Jason Alba — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:37:01 -0000

Specifically regarding the idea of doing CRM in LinkedIn, there is a huge design/philosophy issue that must be addressed. Here's a scenerio:

Right now, if I'm connected with you in LinkedIn, and YOU disconnect from me, I lose everything about our relationship.

I'm assuming (I have asked LinkedIn but they haven't answered - it's great to see Mario respond here but hell, why won't he respond to anyone else?????) that if I have put in "notes" and some of the other CRM-like fields, they would also dissappear.

What salesperson would ever let a prospect or customer delete themselves from the CRM? That is craziness.

Technology-wise it's simple.

But LinkedIn needs to figure out what it will do with regard to "privacy," etc.

If LinkedIn allows YOU to delete any metadata I put in (once you disconnect from me), that is a huge, huge problem.

I strongly encourage people to get a CRM to complement their LI user experience. You know my choice of CRM... I'd love to see LinkedIn open up some simple, non-intrusive APIs to allow interfacing between their system and CRM systems. Hopefully that's coming soon.

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Guest — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:35:32 -0000

In my opinion, not sure Linkedin cares for its users...

http://tinyurl.com/BlogOnLimit

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

Lawton Chiles — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:34:22 -0000

I agree that their content management is a little out-dated or a the very least, very hard to use.

I would ask Lewis Howes on twitter @lewishowes how to do what you need done. He rocks.

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

deanholmes — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 06:25:33 -0000

Pat - referenced you on my comment - sorry missed yours here...

Re: Dear LinkedIn – Improve Please

deanholmes — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 06:23:54 -0000

Chris, LinkedIn holds the keys to the castle here. Even when you are performing an advanced search, the structure of the reporting is terrible.

As much data they have available, you would think you could easily export, segment and begin to actually use this - my good friend Patrick O'Malley http://patrickomalley.com and http://twitter.com/617patrick is a guru on SEO and LinkedIn, and I often discuss with him these issues.

Hard to believe that this has not been resolved, yet they allow recruiters access to the rest of us (if you pay $499.00 per month).

Come on LinkedIn - let us actually use LinkedIn!