LinkedIn Retires Apps For Customizing Your Profile; New System Is Good But Less Flexible Hot
LinkedIn on January 31, announced that it was replacing applications with which it was integrated with new features that lets you spruce up your profile with videos, slideshows, documents, pictures and other content from a long list of supported providers. The switch by LinkedIn received almost no attention in the tech press. However, if you were using apps supported by LinkedIn, but you should look at your profile and see how it was affected.
The new system for embedding media in your profile allows you to place rich content (Web-speak for videos, PDFs, blogs, and other content) into specific areas of your profile. For example, in the profile entry about your current position at an advisory firm, you can insert a video, slideshow or other media. That’s an improvement. What’s lacking is the ability to select which items should go at the top.
For example, on my profile, I embed presentations I created on SlideShare. While the new profile feature lets me embed SlideShare links right in specific parts of my profile, I cannot select which presentation should be at the top of the list. No big deal, especially since I am not paying for LinkedIn.
Keep in mind, LinkedIn owns SlideShare. You have to figure that using SlideShare will somehow be an advantage to using other systems for sharing videos, documents and presentations on LinkedIn. That’s why, given the choice between using YouTube, Vimeo, SlideShark, and other rich media sharing apps, I use SlideShare. Some evidence of the advantage is seen in how you can now automatically follow all your LinkedIn contacts on SlideShare. Just go into your setting in SlideShare and to make that selection.
Point is, check your profile and edit it. It will take you minutes to embed rich media into your profile, which will spruce it up and make you look like you’re important.