LinkedIn Gets Real, Upgrades Groups Features

Professional networking site LinkedIn added a groundbreaking upgrade to its Groups feature last week. According to TechCrunch.com, LinkedIn’s over 650,000 groups of like-minded and like-employed individuals will now be able to post dynamic linked content within the group setting.  Also new, each post will be complemented by the poster’s profile picture as an avatar. Members will also have the opportunity to “Like” certain discussion topics, thereby casting their vote for preferred content.

Honestly, it’s hard for me to remember what exactly this new big announcement entails; these features have been running wild on Facebook for a while now. While LinkedIn might be a bit behind the curve in the grand scheme of social networking, I don’t want to devalue the usefulness of these functions.

Each day, social networks are becoming smarter; they are blurring the bounds of online versus in-person communication. By simulating offline communication characteristics, such as the ability to see a person’s face, follow an entire conversation, interject when desired and banding behind a particular idea or post, people are making waves of progress in online conversation.

In Colleen’s post Face to Face, or Facebook to Facebook?, she provides some interesting figures in defense of the claim that the effectiveness of offline communication is always superior to online. However, I think that the studies referenced fail to take into account the advantages offered by the medium. While it has not yet been discovered how to translate all of offline communication’s nonverbal cues into an online conversation, this is not necessarily a completely bad thing. Whereas in face-to-face discussions or open forums, conversation begs an immediate response, the construction of the Web allows for well thought-out, intelligent responses based on knowledge, reasoning and evidence. This is not to say that emotional outbursts do not occur. However, there is opportunity online to type, read, deliberate, delete, rewrite and THEN hit send.

THIS is why the additional features and functions of the LinkedIn Groups really matter. People have maximum opportunity to thoughtfully contribute and endorse conversations in a personalized and easily navigable fashion, but only at their discretion. The cocoon of protection inherently provided by online communication places a screen between two people; it encourages increased social, professional and civic participation, but also softens the blow of outright face-to-face rejection or condemnation following a poorly received comment or opinion. LinkedIn Groups conversation is getting louder as members are exploring the new opportunities made possible by its increased personalization and sharing features.

Good for you, LinkedIn. You’re on the right track.