LinkedIn is the premier online business network and is growing at a rate of 2 new members each second. At over 160 million members worldwide, it's easy to see why LinkedIn is a business networking powerhouse. We cover a lot of powerful tips and tricks for using LinkedIn more effectively in our free webinar: Become a LinkedIn Power User.
Aside from the website, LinkedIn offers an iPhone app and a nice mobile site. However, the business-focused social media site recently unveiled a shiny new iPad app and it is amazing.
For starters, the app is beautiful and well-designed. Upon launch, you are presented with a nice, clean screen with 3 options: All Updates, You, and Inbox. Tapping "You" leads to a nice snapshot of your profile, including who has recently viewed it, and suggestions for people you may know. It also gives you quick access to sharing an update.
"Inbox" leads to your messages and correspondence with others. It also includes open invitations to connect, letting you easily manage them in one place.
The real beauty of the app is demonstrated, however, when opening the "All Updates" option. This opens up a rich landscape of industry articles and content from your network that is presented in a visually-stunning newpaper format. If you've ever used Flipboard, you'll notice some similarites. The app arranges update and articles in a gorgeous image-heavy format that makes it fun to use LinkedIn.
Additionally, one of the coolest features is the "Link Your Calendar" option in this section. After doing this, I now have a list of my upcoming events along with the names and photos of everyone who is on the meeting invite. It automatically pulls in the LinkedIn profiles of everyone in the meeting! I can see a lot of value here for sales professionals or anyone who wants to gather information about who they are meeting with prior to the appointment.
After playing around with the app a bit, I get the impression that LinkedIn is positioning itself to become the default news app for the iPad. It's pretty brilliant because not only do you get relevant industry news, but you also get content and posts from people in your network. This mix of content creates a very personalized experience and rivals what any newspaper can do.
LinkedIn remains one of my favorite social networks and the new iPad app makes it even more useful. I can see this being extremely valuable for business owners, sales professionals, marketing people, and really anyone who networks.
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