The LinkedIn API Opportunity
LinkedIn is truly taking off. Measure it by the accelerating rate of new professionals creating networks in LinkedIn, more than a million every six weeks. Measure it by the dramatic increase in site visits, well over a million unique visitors every week. The value of your LinkedIn network is growing by leaps and bounds. While we can provide you a lot of value on the LinkedIn.com web site, it’s time you derive the same value from your business network as you visit other sites across the web.
We recognize that there are literally hundreds of places and ways to use your LinkedIn network in your professional life. APIs will allow you to literally “take your professional network with you” as you go through your work day, using your network on the sites you visit to get things done.
Maybe you’re going to a conference and want to know whether anyone from your network will be attending as well. Or you’re job hunting at sites across the web and want to see at a glance whether any of your connections knows someone at a hiring company, or better yet, whether you know the hiring manager through a common connection. Maybe you’re using your corporate CRM application and want to see the LinkedIn profile for people you track so you can see what you have in common. Or you’re reading a blog like this one and want to see the LinkedIn profile for people mentioned in a post or the people commenting on a post. LinkedIn APIs will let developers build applications that integrate with LinkedIn so you can access your LinkedIn network and profiles while you use that application.
Over the next few months, you’ll start hearing about integrations with major business and consumer web players and we’ll introduce you to the APIs that you can use to do the same. Every day, you’ll find new
uses for your professional network that will enhance your productivity as more and more web sites and business applications provide integration with your LinkedIn network.
Tags: api linkedin professionalnetworking socialnetworking so
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NRKbeta June 29th, 2007
100 nye plattformer
En intern debatt her i NRK, samt denne betraktningen til Jason Kottke, er bakgrunnen for denne posten:
Ive no doubt that Facebook is excited about their new platform (their userbase is big enough that companies feel like they have to develop for…
Jaki Levy July 1st, 2007
While you’re adding features, I thought it’d be nice to be able to pull in RSS feeds, either from personal blogs or from elsewhere into your profile.
Mary Beijleveld July 2nd, 2007
I like some possibilities that LI provides. I don’t know if i will use all future possibilities. What i most like about LI is the feeling of a really ‘trusted’ environment
Today 2-7-2007 in a dutch newspaper “de financieele dagblad” an article was published saying that emailaccounts were harvested from Facebox and LinkedIn for people who send virusses to CEO’s and businessman alike. Already a LI person ask a question about this (in Dutch). I send the article as a reply and mentioned that this suggestion is not likely. When you are considering making LI more ‘open’ to other networks and such, i hope you will do everything to assure that our emailaccounts stays as trusted as they are now. I can provide you with the text of the article if you want me to.
Runy Calmera July 3rd, 2007
What would be a wonderfull feature is adding a field stating my availability. The field would say: available yes or no and available as per “august 2007″. When I change this field, my recruiters and anyone in my network would be notified (already existing) that I’m available. And as a contractor, I would be “in” for project opportunities.
This would be implementing the “Universal resume” concept described in David Siegels book “Futurize your enterprise”. Linked in would really be improving its business model.
I would be glad to discuss and possibly participate in the testing of this feature. I would definitely incorporate linked in in my business if this feature is available.
Runy
Owner bedrijfsanalist.com
Jason Alba July 5th, 2007
Lucian, this is excellent news. How can dev companies that have interest in interfacing with or using the APIs let you know? Previously this was announced as a project 9 months away but you are saying we’ll see stuff in the next few months.
Jason Alba
CEO – JibberJobber.com
Lucian Beebe July 5th, 2007
Jason and anyone else, feel free to contact me to talk about what you want to do with LinkedIn APIs. I’m always glad to hear about what you want to do and its very helpful for us to steer the APIs to what you need. Lbeebe at linkedin dot com.
Lucian
Rod Boothby August 20th, 2007
Hi Lucian,
We have been really eager to get to a LinkedIn API at Teqlo. We can imagine all sorts of composite applications where someone is doing HR, Sales or 100 other things, and needs to simply be reminded of the details / history of one of their contacts.
How can I get in touch with you directly to talk about this?
- Rod
Lucian Beebe August 21st, 2007
Rod–
Well, there’s always InMail :)
Or just send me a message at lbeebe at linkedin dot com.
Lucian
Steven Burda September 1st, 2007
Great Article!
- Steven Burda
http://www.linkedin.com/in/burda
email: burda.mba[at]gmail.com
Dmitry Shechtman September 2nd, 2007
It’s been over two months. Any time soon?
Pradeep Jain October 3rd, 2007
As a software architect I know Java SHOULD have been the best to release Soap APIs. Unfortunately, Microsoft took the lead in Web APIs on a strict architectural/tools basis. On the other hand I find tons of open source using which even my 12 year old is creating external APIs for his web sites.
I was curious why LI makes us wait so long for the API release. Is it management reluctance,strategy (to lose market to others) or simply complexities of J2EE architecture makes it hard to release LI API release vs the REST for PHP/Python from FB/Google.
Probably it is a combination of technical and internal issues. Hopefully it is not like the big friendster fiasco where they had to go from Java to PHP.
Alex Britez October 9th, 2007
I’d like to use this API in the very near future. Any updates as of yet?
Cody October 14th, 2007
I’m very interested in the API as well. How much longer until we see the first APIs hitting the net?
Brandon George October 15th, 2007
I am very interested in such API’s, and actually am wanting to develop as a 3rd Party integration to HR software platform, along with CRM, etc.
Mario Sundar October 15th, 2007
Hi all,
Per Lucian’s earlier suggestion, please feel free to contact Lucian at lbeebe@linkedin.com. Also, I’m also available at msundar@linkedin.com.
That’s the best way to get a quicker response, anytime.
juan December 1st, 2007
when do you think that the api’s will be released? i am very interested for 3er party integration (particulary for desktop presentation of the networks (3d visualization, tools, integration with another networks, etc.)
Tadd Martin December 13th, 2007
We are incredibly interested in finding out when API’s will be available!!! I have sent an email to Lucian with what some of our University’s intentions are.
Darran Thayaparan January 4th, 2008
Hello,
I am new to API. What programming language do I need to know in order to develop APIs for LinkedIn? ASP, PHP, JavaScript?
Thanks,
Darran
Ian Thomson January 13th, 2008
In line with the latest series of comments I would like to knw when the APIs will be available?
Thanks
Ilya Bibik January 28th, 2008
Hello,
I have noticed that notchup.com can already connect to linkedin.com account, does it mean that API is already there ?
Regards
tommy February 11th, 2008
Any updates on the API release?
Alec East February 19th, 2008
Me, too. I wanna know if there’s any news on an API release date.
Jitesh Chawla March 21st, 2008
are API’s Realease ??
if yes….then where i can find them ??
Do Duong April 10th, 2008
Is there going to be a free level of unlimited access to this API?
Do
Erik Bower April 24th, 2008
Where is the API documentation? I can’t find it anywhere.
martin english May 1st, 2008
Hey it’s our own kind of first post (of the month) asking if / when the API will be released ?
Mario Sundar May 5th, 2008
To everyone asking about API release date,
We’ve released APIs which have resulted in BusinessWeek, SimplyHired and APEC integrations thus far.
Please continue emailing developers@linkedin.com.
Stay tuned to the blog for latest news. Thanks for your patience, guys.
Sumit Saxena May 15th, 2008
Hey, do we can have access of the APIs?
David Vandervort May 30th, 2008
I’m confused. You have specific apis for specific sites? That’s not how an API works. Is there any plan to release a public API that any old programmer can grab and use?
I am currently working on a project that might find that useful, but not if we have to jump through hoops to become some special “partner.”
Andrew June 25th, 2008
It’s pretty annoying that the API’s are being selectively released – we’re now seeing various companies come up with applications that integrate with LinkedIn and they are getting a competitive advantage because the API’s aren’t available to everyone.
You really should treat your developer community equally.
If the API’s are sufficiently complete for Xobni to build applications around them, then why can’t other companies build applications around them?
Lucian Beebe June 25th, 2008
I appreciate all the inquiries about the APIs both in email and in the comments on the blog. I think it may help to describe where we are and what we are building to address the statements asking about when we will be public and why we aren’t today.
The short answer: we aren’t a public program because we’re still in a beta phase.
The longer answer: In our case, “beta” has more of the traditional meaning. We are testing a platform of APIs that allows many use cases. We are experimenting with a wide variety of use cases: job sites such as Apec and SimplyHired; business news sites such as CIO.com and BusinessWeek; toolbar and desktop applications such as Xobni; events registration and management applications; various forms of enterprise software, and many more. And there are several use cases we are not testing with partners just yet. We don’t think we have the right platform to support CRM integrations, for example. Based on the experiences we gain from the beta period, we’ll decide how to proceed.
Quite honestly, we may remain “private” in that we will evaluate all partners to work with. We’d all like to see a public program, but our experiences during this beta period will guide us in making that decision.
One key requirement that the beta period has underscored is privacy. We have a fundamental requirement to abide by our privacy policy both in letter and in spirit. We must be sure that the people we work with will treat your privacy the same way we do. If we do a public program and have no interview process before granting access, then we must have the platform built such that we have high confidence that privacy policies will be respected and a very fast control valve if there is any question.
So,
send an email to developers@linkedin.comsubmit your API access requests here. The web form for applications request can be found here. We are running a few day’s delay in getting back to people, but we are answering all requests. When you do send a message, include answers to four key questions:• What do you want to do with the LinkedIn APIs?
• Where will this integration appear?
• What data do you need from us?
• What will you do with the data we provide to you?
I hope this helps describe where we are. For those of you who think the only API program is a public API program, I hope this isn’t too disappointing. But don’t give up simply because we are interviewing partners: if you have a good idea, we want to support you, so don’t hesitate to let us know:
developers@linkedin.com.Lucian
Charlie Crystle August 1st, 2008
We’re excited to see the API. I think preannouncing the public API and keeping it private, well, that makes everyone cranky and impatient. We’d love to integrate. It’s hard to know what we want and what we need until we see what you have chosen to expose and not expose.
But for starters, I’d say any data public to a profile and public functions.
LinkedIn’s Obsession with Guarding its User Data will Alienate its User Base at Media Transparent March 25th, 2009
[...] was never very transparent. Although they offered up a LinkedIn API to developers in June, 2007, I can’t name one developer-based LinkedIn API built application (I can name partners like NY [...]