LinkedIn has taken another step in the direction of Facebook and Twitter, by allowing its users to create content that is much more… well, much more linked.
The new update that started rolling out today to English-speaking users sees the addition of a tag- or mention-like feature that will give the ability to link to other users. The feature is intended to make engagement with users and companies easier for the members of LinkedIn’s community.
TheNextWeb highlighted the update earlier today, while a blog post from LinkedIn later explained what the network hopes to achieve:
“…we want to make it even easier for you to start those conversations, share knowledge with one another and ultimately become even better at what you do. We’re excited to introduce a new way for you to engage with your network through the ability to mention your connections and companies in conversations on LinkedIn.”
As you’d expect, the mechanics of LinkedIn Mentions are strikingly similar to the way that you would tag someone in a Facebook post or mention a Twitter user in a tweet. Given that people should by now be accustomed to this method of including other people in conversations or topics, it makes sense for LinkedIn to adopt a homogeneous approach when implementing a feature that seeks to accomplish the same end result – connecting people and driving user engagement higher.
Do you use tags in Facebook updates and mentions in tweets to actively include people in the conversation? Will you be doing the same on LinkedIn? Let us know what you think of this update in the comments below.