How LexBlog brings more exposure to their bloggers with the LinkedIn API

Ed. note: This belongs to a series of posts on how web sites and services are integrating LinkedIn functionality using the LinkedIn API. This post comes from Kevin O'Keefe of LexBlog, a professional turnkey blog solution to leading lawyers and other professional services firms. There are currently 3,000 blog authors on the LexBlog Network.

One of the things LexBlog does for our clients is to identify valuable tools that our clients can use to extend the reach of their blogs and engage their target audience. LinkedIn is a tool we at LexBlog consider essential for professionals looking to enhance their reputation. LinkedIn has become not only the leading professional directory in the world, it also provides tremendous networking opportunities when used effectively.

So when the LinkedIn API was announced it made sense for LexBlog to integrate our blog platform with the LinkedIn API. One of the core components of the API is access to sending LexBlog Network updates into LinkedIn. As a publisher, this allows us to facilitate LexBlog Network authors to distribute their latest blog posts to their LinkedIn network connections.

So what did we do?

We linked the blog author's credentials on the LexBlog Network to a LinkedIn profile. That way if a LexBlog blog author opts to share his blog posts to connections on LinkedIn the steps are kept to a minimum. The blog author simply steps through a simple authorization created by LexBlog using the LinkedIn OAuth interface. Each new blog post is then shared across the blog author's LinkedIn network.

Here's a screenshot of the user-interface LexBlog clients use to connect their blog to their LinkedIn network.

What does that mean for LexBlog Network blog authors?

• Our author's posts will automatically display in the Network Updates section on the Linked home page of each of an author's contacts at LinkedIn.
• Each contact of our authors on LinkedIn will receive word of the author's new blog posts by an email of LinkedIn Network Updates.

The LinkedIn API also allowed LexBlog to include additional features.

• If a blog author has more than one blog, they have the option to choose to associate one or all blogs with their LinkedIn account.
• If a blog has multiple authors, only the blog posts published by an individual author are distributed to that author's LinkedIn network.

LinkedIn OAuth support was an important component in tying the LexBlog Network blogs with their LinkedIn accounts because it means we aren't storing their LinkedIn user information on our server. We also found the timeline for being able to go from concept to launch with our API integration to be quick and painless.

Business professionals rely on LexBlog to give them maximum exposure so as to build the professional's reputation as an authority. Thanks to LinkedIn's API, LexBlog Network Authors now have their blog content distributed to each person in the author's network on LinkedIn. One more way LexBlog brings maximum exposure to its clients.

To learn more about how you can integrate LinkedIn functionality to your services and websites, check out LinkedIn's Developer Network