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I think LinkedIn really missed the opportunity to change the way our culture thinks about work and professional communication. Another commenter called LI a gl

I think LinkedIn really missed the opportunity to change the way our culture thinks about work and professional communication. Another commenter called LI a glorified resume service, which really nails the point. Resumes from 20 years ago are no different from the current LinkedIn profile; the only incremental signal is the connection base...and that's only a signal if that information is public. The fact that LinkedIn's big revenue draw is simply recruiters paying for access to the full network is really indicative of the lack of creativity in changing the paradigm of thought around professional networks.

soared 10y ago
I wish I remember where, but I recently read something that argued most websites are still very basic in that they are using traditional revenue models. Few sites have innovative models that are unique to the internet. Linkedin is definitely in this category, but so are most businesses. Selling ads while people reads your content? Sounds like a magazine. Selling a product? Sounds like a brick and mortar store. Even SaaS is really just a service you "outsource". Sites that take advantage of network size might be an exception to this though.
throwaway5752 10y ago
I don't know. They focus on the professional: marketing themselves, finding jobs, keeping in touch with people... There's no shame in a resume service with a social component. They bought Slideshare which - in my way of looking at things - forwards how they help people market themselves. Maybe they could probably do more with coding ability tests or partner with online education, but that's probably premature.
- jroseattle 10y ago
  Sure, but I just find that focus incredibly uninspiring. Twitter, FB, Instagram...they changed the way we communicate to those circles. Not that an equivalent parallel exists for LinkedIn, but it's like they're not really trying.
  - formula1 10y ago
    A real world use can often be uninspiring. What would make solving a real world problem more interesting to you?
    - jroseattle 10y ago
      LinkedIn essentially has the graph of business professionals in the US and abroad. It's not the same as connection on FB or Twitter or elsewhere -- there is greater context. And yet, the features of LinkedIn are essentially just the connection base, and marketing to the network. It seems there is much greater depth that could be explored there, and that LinkedIn could be so much more than the Great Public Rolodex that it is.
- summarite 10y ago
  LinkedIn night Lynda.com, so they certainly intend to try the educational side.
d23 10y ago
> I think LinkedIn really missed the opportunity to change the way our culture thinks about work and professional communication. Any thoughts on what this might look like? Not denigrating your point, just curious.
- wodenokoto 10y ago
  For me LinkedIn is something I use when I search for a job. Actually it is something I update, because I believe HR will crossreference my resume with my LinkedIn. When I'm not looking for a job, I'm not using it. The other use case I know is collecting leads (sales or headhunting) Networking with people who want to do business? Reach out into my network to ask people for help? I have done this a lot on Facebook (a lot more on phone or email), but never on LinkedIn. They could have build the next slack or something. A platform where people communicate.

soared 10y ago

I wish I remember where, but I recently read something that argued most websites are still very basic in that they are using traditional revenue models. Few sites have innovative models that are unique to the internet. Linkedin is definitely in this category, but so are most businesses. Selling ads while people reads your content? Sounds like a magazine. Selling a product? Sounds like a brick and mortar store. Even SaaS is really just a service you "outsource". Sites that take advantage of network size might be an exception to this though.

throwaway5752 10y ago

I don't know. They focus on the professional: marketing themselves, finding jobs, keeping in touch with people... There's no shame in a resume service with a social component. They bought Slideshare which - in my way of looking at things - forwards how they help people market themselves. Maybe they could probably do more with coding ability tests or partner with online education, but that's probably premature.

jroseattle 10y ago
Sure, but I just find that focus incredibly uninspiring. Twitter, FB, Instagram...they changed the way we communicate to those circles. Not that an equivalent parallel exists for LinkedIn, but it's like they're not really trying.
- formula1 10y ago
  A real world use can often be uninspiring. What would make solving a real world problem more interesting to you?
  - jroseattle 10y ago
    LinkedIn essentially has the graph of business professionals in the US and abroad. It's not the same as connection on FB or Twitter or elsewhere -- there is greater context. And yet, the features of LinkedIn are essentially just the connection base, and marketing to the network. It seems there is much greater depth that could be explored there, and that LinkedIn could be so much more than the Great Public Rolodex that it is.
summarite 10y ago
LinkedIn night Lynda.com, so they certainly intend to try the educational side.

d23 10y ago

> I think LinkedIn really missed the opportunity to change the way our culture thinks about work and professional communication. Any thoughts on what this might look like? Not denigrating your point, just curious.

wodenokoto 10y ago
For me LinkedIn is something I use when I search for a job. Actually it is something I update, because I believe HR will crossreference my resume with my LinkedIn. When I'm not looking for a job, I'm not using it. The other use case I know is collecting leads (sales or headhunting) Networking with people who want to do business? Reach out into my network to ask people for help? I have done this a lot on Facebook (a lot more on phone or email), but never on LinkedIn. They could have build the next slack or something. A platform where people communicate.