Krishwords

Oliver Ryan, blogging for Fortune magazine, points out to the optimism expressed by LinkedIn CEO Dan Nye about the future of LinkedIn in the Facebook dominated world. They are confident that they will dominate the business networking scene. As Steve O’ Hear and Jeremiah Owyang clearly point out, it is going to be much difficult than the optimism expressed by the people at LinkedIn. LinkedIn in a Facebook world is akin to a vertical search engine in this Google world. It is possible to survive but it is extremely difficult. As both Steve and Jeremiah correctly point out, it will only take a few filters to be developed by Facebook to enter into the market of LinkedIn. Does this mean it is the end of LinkedIn? Not necessarily. They just have to readjust their strategy. As JP says, every enterprise now is a platform. It should be open and inclusive. LinkedIn should open up its API strategy and also integrate tightly into the Facebook platform. It is time for LinkedIn to get their API strategy correct. From what I read in media, they seem to be working on it.

The “social climate” inside Facebook is much warmer than LinkedIn. I do agree that LinkedIn is just a good networking tool for business but they could still make the process of business networking much more interesting than what it is right now. I do not agree with people who claim that there is no need for LinkedIn in this Facebook world. I am a kinda person who would like to separate my social life from my business life. LinkedIn proves to be a valuable tool for people like me. By using Facebook as an app for my social life and LinkedIn for my business networking, I could establish a clear demarcation between these two worlds. Using the Seinfeld quote, I can ensure that these two worlds do not collide. Any talk about Facebook consuming LinkedIn is premature. However, it is vital for LinkedIn to re-adjust their strategy in this Facebook dominated world, to ensure that a vertical player like them can also survive along with a monster. The fate of LinkedIn is now linked in directly to their approach in the current world where every enterprise is a platform. In short, it is a case of open up, collaborate and survive.