LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE:LNKD) is hitching fortunes in super influencers, as it strives to mount some challenge to social media giants like, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Google+, while Twitter continues to be a perennial huddle. The professional networking giant has announced that it has introduced a panel in its platform, which includes the 150 most influential thought leaders in the world. LinkedIn account holders will then be able to follow any one from the panel, thereby, accessing their thoughts according to their status updates, and message boards.
The panel will allow the influencers to share videos, images, slides, and extended messages, among other forms of expressions. Notwithstanding, LinkedIn is not the only social network company offering this kind of service; Twitter allows users to do exactly the same, and even goes a step further, to allow users post direct messages on tweets posted by people they follow, which could include influential thought leaders.
Ideally, the new plot by LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE:LNKD) is somewhat underlooked, if anyone thought it would bring any significant impact on the struggling professional network market leader. LinkedIn seems to be running out of ideas if indeed, it feels that the latest move will mount any challenge to the social media giant, Facebook.
Additionally, LinkedIn, just like the rest of the social media network companies, faces the robust challenge of user base monetization. Social network companies have been deluded to focusing on increasing the number of monthly active users, thereby forgetting the important aspect of monetization. This has been the killer blow for their revenue generation, as ad revenues continue to dwindle, without recognizable promise.
LinkedIn’s 150 most influential thought leaders panel will likely not draw any significant number of users outside of its network, according to social media entrepreneur, Lon Safko, based on a statement in an article published on E-Commerce News.
“The super-influencer panel will have very little impact on LinkedIn’s subscribership, because people who want updates from industry and political leaders are already on the network, but it will make for good press, which won’t hurt any,” said Safco.
LinkedIn spokesperson, Julie Inouye, is quoted telling TechNewsWorld, “LinkedIn members are gaining access to unique , professional expertise and insights from some of the most influential industry thought leaders on LinkedIn,” referring to the suggestive impact of the panel, on LinkedIn members.
“LinkedIn has been experiencing huge momentum, particularly around new products and everyday tools we’re making available to 175 million members, in more than 200 countries and territories,” Inouye added, in what has been branded as an attempt to leverage wisdom of the in-crowd.
However, Safco believes that it is unlikely that the so-called influential thought leaders will ever sacrifice a second to interact with the so-called followers. Actually, the likely respondents from the panel to the interactive LinkedIn members could be people in the level of interns, according to Safco. Nonetheless, he is optimistic that the responses and status updates will likely represents the opinions of the thought leaders.
The early birds for the panel include “The six lessons I live by,” from Ari Emanuel, co-CEO of global talent agency William Morris Endeavor; “It’s not about you: the truth about social media marketing,” by publisher Tim O’Reilly, founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media; and “Impact of poverty on nutrition” by celebrity chef and author, Marcus Samuelsson, as noted in the E-Commerce News, post.
Tentatively, LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE:LNKD) lies third in its business, according to recent rankings, which put it behind Facebook Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) and Twitter respectively, and still has some mushrooming threats from the likes of Fraud Force Online Community, recently introduced by Iovation, meant for fraud professionals, and At The Pool.
Additionally, Branchout.com, which has, self prophesied to be the largest professional network on Facebook, with about 25 million members, stays on the heels of LinkedIn, as it stands to gain from the social networking giant’s multi million user base.
At the time of this writing, LinkedIn Corporation (NYSE:LNKD) was trading at $122.06 per share, up $3.29, or a 2.77% increase from yesterday’s close.
