White Papers for LinkedIn members
Jinfo Blog

25th June 2009

By Penny Crossland

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We have reported previously on LinkedIn’s entry into business information territory – see Tim Buckley Owen’s posting on the relentless advance of the business networking site (http://www.vivavip.com/go/e15777) and Diana Nutting’s report on LinkedIn’s partnership with Hoover’s (http://www.vivavip.com/go/e18919). Now we hear that LinkedIn has added a feature to its advertising programme, which could be of interest to information professionals: white papers, often a source for that hard-to-find nugget of business information are being made freely available to LinkedIn members. (http://digbig.com/4yyns). Already armed with members’ industry sectors and job titles, LinkedIn is aiming to offer targeted white papers to professionals. There is a catch, however. Prior to downloading papers, members are required to provide their contact information, thereby agreeing to be contacted by the company. Still, this is standard practice for many research companies and could be seen as a reasonable request in exchange for the information provided. In the long term, LinkedIn is aiming to put together a white paper directory, which members will be able to share amongst their network. According to the networking site’s new CEO (http://digbig.com/4yynt), Jeff Weiner, LinkedIn is keen to expand its advertising programme, which it sees as a key revenue source, alongside premium subscriptions and corporate solutions. The ultimate aim is to become an independent public company. Having celebrated its sixth birthday recently, LinkedIn, valued at around $1 billion a year ago, continues to be one of the most profitable social networking sites. The site attracts more than 15 million monthly visitors and has 42 million registered profiles.

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