A couple days ago, we launched several new features aimed at enhancing the professional conversation in LinkedIn groups. We call one of those features “following”.
Following makes it easier for you to see contributions made by your connections and other people you value within your groups. To get you started, you’re already following all of your connections and they’re following you. But it doesn’t stop with your connections: to follow someone who is not a connection, just click “Follow Their Name” under their name on a discussion page or on the Member page in your group.
Now when you go to your My Groups page, you’ll see updates about what the specific people you’re following have contributed to the groups you share. Updates from the people you’re following (and your updates to the people who are following you) also appear on the Overview page of each group you share. All of this makes it faster and easier to interact with your own personal “group within the group.”
For more information about Following, check out our FAQ.
- Topics:
- Groups,
- New LinkedIn Features
Comments
I don’t like this feature. The default setting should be not following. Instead, it starts out with me “following” every post by all my connections. I have no interest in doing this, and I can’t imagine who would.
Second, I can “stop following all” discussions, but I don’t have the same option for individuals.
This can be a useful feature, but it needs to be changed. Default should be “not follow” and you should have to click “follow” to activate that feature.
It would be nice if LinkedIn would turn off all the people I’m following. I don’t have time to click “don’t follow” on 1000 people.
@Mark- Good feedback…I’ve forwarded this on to the PM for review. Thanks! Dirk
I wasn’t sure how else to get this info to you, so posting here.
Here is a potential LinkedIn success story. My group (WORKERS COMPENSATION FORUM) was named one of the top blogs by LexisNexis. I don’t know if any other LinkedIn groups have received similar recognition.
http://law.lexisnexis.com/practiceareas/Workers-Compensation-Law-Blog/Emerging-Issues–Trends/LexisNexis-Top-25-Blogs-for-Workers-Compensation-and-Workplace-Issues—2009-Honorees
If you would like to work with me on an article about this, please let me know. Thanks.
Nice new feature Ian. I never actually realized how often new features were released until I started reading the blog.
@Steven- Thanks for checking out the blog. We are very excited about our recent releases and our road map is full into next year. Although we sometimes (for strategic reasons) cant always comment about what is coming up we do hear member comments and suggestions for product enhancements. There is so much yet we want to to do and yet so little time! -Dirk
I’d also like a “never follow” or block option for people who abuse the service. I get internal spam from a couple abusers all the time. I’d love to block a few users out…
I do hope the new APIs include hooks for LinkedIN Groups… these have become the most useful area for me and I’d love to have an off-line search-able version of this.
For security, maybe the Group Manager can turn on/off the ability for this to be done
I love the new LinkedIn L&F! Now if the functionality of LinkedIn would catch up …
Great read.
Hi,
Really Fantastic post, i found this post from my technorati Account Top Upcomming News field section. looks like a great blog you have. keep it up.
Kelly
Rather nice blog you’ve got here. Thanx for it. I like such topics and everything that is connected to them. I definitely want to read more on that blog soon.
Anete Hakkinen
How do you stop following someone? I do not like the feature.
To be brutally honest, I don’t like this feature for no other reason than it reminds me a little too much of Twitter.