Newspapers have a long-standing policy of allowing elected officials and other well-connected individuals the privilege of publishing their editorial opinion in their publication. (I’ll stop for a minute while someone explains to the young people in our audience what a newspaper is.)
In the Olden Days, newspapers were used to wrap fish, line a bird’s cage and one more thing, but I can’t think of it.
Currently, LinkedIn, the world’s most successful professional network, offers similar editorial privileges to a select group of “Influencers,” including Richard Branson, Bill Gates and Barack Obama. Those three gentlemen and only about 500 other A-List individuals have been allowed to publish their opinions on LinkedIn.
“Hey, Bill, how do you spell aeronautics?'”
“I don’t know. I’ll ask Barack. He used to be a high flyer.”
“Hmmm, did I sign you guys up for healthcare yet?”
But soon that number will change. And, you’ll never guess who will soon have full publishing privileges on LinkedIn?
You. That’s right, You!
Well, technically You and 277 million other LinkedIn members. But, hey, You’re one of them. And that is a big deal.
For the first time ever, all LinkedIn members will be allowed to publish a blog, state their opinion, or share information about anything they want to talk about, right on their LinkedIn page.
And there’s no limitation to how long the post can be.
The Web is All About Eyeballs
Hey. is this a good graphic representation of eyeballs, or what?
No? Would you rather I showed you a picture of Marty Feldman?
There. Now are you happy?
While the plans to turn LinkedIn into a publishing platform have been in the works for some time, the program wasn’t initiated until last year when 150 “thought leaders” got first dibs on the program.
Why would the world’s leading professional online organization make such a radical change and allow all its member such freedom of the press?
The answer is simple. Eyeballs. LinkedIn wanted more eyeballs.
STAN: OK, that’s just stupid. Why would LinkedIn want eyeballs, anyway? Gum balls, maybe. What the hell was Goldberg thinking when he wrote that?
HARRIET: His name is Goldenberg, Stan. Jack Goldenberg. And I’d be a little nicer to the guy who created you. After all, you’re imaginary. He could get rid of you, forget you just like that…
HARRIET SNAPS HER FINGERS
HARRIET: And then you’d never have the chance to be on LinkedIn.
STAN: I could be a star on LinkedIn!
HARRIET Stan, you don’t even know what LinkedIn is?
STAN: I do, too.
HARRIET: Go on.
STAN: It’s a little like e-bay, right?
HARRIET: No, it’s nothing like e-bay.
STAN: Instagram?
HARRIET: No!
STAN: Polaroid cameras? Angry Birds? Candy Land?
HARRIET: OK, now you’re just guessing. Let Jack finish. He’ll explain what he meant about LinkedIn was looking for eyeballs
Eyeballs are to the Internet what ratings are to TV. Just like a TV channel wants viewers to watch their programming, LinkedIn wants to be the daily destination for LinkedIn Members.
My inside LinkedIn source said they were placing a big, strategic bet on LinkedIn becoming the definitive, professional publishing program.
“One of our big, strategic bets for the company is for LinkedIn to become the definitive, professional publishing program,” said Ryan Roslansky, Head of Content Products at LinkedIn.
How eerie was that? He said exactly what I was telling you.
Roslansky continued, ”We do this because we want LinkedIn to become the place where members can become productive, successful professionals—not just when you’re trying to find a job, or search for another person.”
Like I said. They want more eyeballs.
The first round of this new publishing program will roll out very soon to 25,000 LinkedIn members. And then, in the next few months, you, too, will have freedom of the press on LinkedIn.
If you’re smart, you’ll take this advance notice of your new LinkedIn publishing rights to heart and you’ll start preparing what you want to say now. Then you’ll be ready when your time comes.
Just don’t be surprised if you bump into Barack Obama, Bill Gates or Richard Branson in the Linked In Writing Room and one of them says to you, “Hey, would you take a look at this? I’m not sure the best way to say something.”
OK, all you Brilliant Readers, thanks for stopping by. I hope you weren’t too taken aback by today’s blog which, for the first time, was all about one subject. Next week, or soon, we’ll go back to multi-subject, hard-to-comprehend, ADD-riddled Scream of Consciousness blog.
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As they used to say on the end of the Beverly Hillbillies TV show theem song, “You all come back now, you hear.”
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