LinkedIn Testing Conversational Features

In recent weeks and months, LinkedIn has been making changes and testing features that would encourage and amplify the discussion and community aspect of the social platform. These new features look to amp up the amount of content in the feed by eliminating or reducing the friction between deciding whether or not to post something or leave a comment on somebody else’s post rather than just dropping a like. Hop down below to read more about what I mean.

When I logged into my Tai Freligh Consulting Company Page on LinkedIn the other day, I had this notice below.

Typically my company page is where I share all my own original content and not much content from other people. This new feature would allow me to review pieces of content right in my company page feed and decide if I’m going to join the conversation as my page or share it to my feed. By making it very easy to join the discussion, LinkedIn is banking on me potentially sharing fresh content into my feed that would not have originally gone there and opening the discussion up to a wider range of people.

I usually do this on my personal profile where my feed is a combination of my original content and helpful content from other people in my network. A few weeks back I saw LinkedIn testing a feature on posts I had commented on. They gave me the option to share the post I was commenting on to my feed and use my comment as the text to intro the post. Once again, by making the barrier to participation low, they are encouraging a wider ranging discussion and further reach of content. I took advantage of this feature a few times because it was easy and because I could add value to my network with the information in my feed.

I have not seen this feature in a few weeks, so I’m assuming they were just testing it out. I sure do hope they decide to launch that feature permanently because it was a very smart way to beef up the discussion and community aspect of LinkedIn.

Have you seen these features for either your personal profile or your company page? What did you think? Would you participate more in discussion and conversation if LinkedIn made it easier for you to do? Or does it not make a difference because you are more of a lurker and observer? Drop a comment below with your thoughts.

LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network on the internet. You can use LinkedIn to find the right job or internship, connect and strengthen professional relationships, and learn the skills you need to succeed in your career. You can access LinkedIn from a desktop, LinkedIn mobile app, mobile web experience, or the LinkedIn Lite Android mobile app.

A complete LinkedIn profile can help you connect with opportunities by showcasing your unique professional story through experience, skills, and education.

You can also use LinkedIn to organize offline events, join groups, write articles, post photos and videos, and more.

Tai Freligh is a Los Angeles based writer and can be followed on Twitter, TikTok and Instagram and can be found on his website too. He writes about a variety of topics, including social media and digital marketing tips, entertainment news and exclusive interviews, branding, and more. He is also available on a consulting basis for marketing strategy, content creation, social media management and for brainstorming and answering questions. He is available with both hourly and project rates as well as phone or Zoom consults by the hour.