Professional social network LinkedIn has announced significant mobile initiatives today: a brand new iPad app, LinkedIn Intro – a connection from email apps directly to LinkedIn, and an updated Pulse reader that will allow users to now only read news, but also follow exclusive content from LinkedIn Influencers. At the heart of LinkedIn strategy is that the idea that “simple” is better and effectively means a multi-app strategy.
New LinkedIn iPad App
LinkedIn has been on a roll when it comes to improvising the overall user interface and design (to be fair, it needed much work when they started), and the main LinkedIn app has been refined further to ensure that the growing share of mobile usage is being addressed properly and efficiently. With some professionals that I talked to telling me that they now spend more time on LinkedIn than Facebook, this is all the justification that LinkedIn needs to invest heavily in its apps, which went from HTML5 to Native code for performance reasons. While HTML5 can allow one to quickly cover a lot of platforms, at the end of the day, native code is simply faster and often more power-efficient. Check the new iPad app:
I like the slick design of the new iPad app, and the overall simplicity of the user interface. The added-value is that it offers a browsing comfort that is nearly equivalent to the desktop, but in a more responsive packaging that can be used between 8-10pm when people are not in front of their computers. Yes, that’s effectively a way to get more LinkedIn, more often… and some users are going to love this.
LinkedIn Intro
Intro aims at building connections faster in LinkedIn. It is a companion app that integrates into existing email apps to provide a quick background information on your email correspondent. If is also a quick way to connect and keep in touch. This makes complete sense: like it or not, email remains the most important work communications tool, and it is one of the best places to be integrated into. Watch LinkedIn’s presentation of Intro:
Pulse, updated
Pulse is arguably one of the best news reader out there, and LinkedIn is clearly pushing its exclusive content written by the LinkedIn influencers. You have to admit it the Influencers is a stroke of genius: thanks to that, LinkedIn gets high-quality and unique content written by professional with real insights in their fields and a reputation to build up. LinkedIn also made it easier to share and comment in pulse. Watch the pitch for the updated pulse: