Business-oriented social network LinkedIn is testing its own version of Snapchat’s Stories feature. The decision, if successful, could help the platform appeal to younger people transitioning into an adult workforce. Alternatively, it’s possible such a move would alienate the established LinkedIn userbase, who may find the feature unprofessional.
Snapchat Stories are perhaps the most effective part of the platform’s success. It’s evident not only in how popular Snapchat has become over the last decade but also in how well Stories have done after being replicated on other platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. For Instagram specifically, the idea of more effervescent social media updates that don’t come with the attached pressure of high production values made the platform more accessible. In its early days, Instagram leaned more towards being a highlight reel, but after adopting Stories, it also became an easy way to share raw, unedited slices of everyday life.
In a recent LinkedIn blog post, Pete Davies revealed the company’s plans to implement Stories. Citing the feature’s success on other platforms, he explains their goal is to bring Snapchat’s fast, but personal style into a professional context, giving the site more authenticity. The post takes a more curious tone rather than a strict, “This is our new direction” approach, so it appears the public reaction to Stories will dictate the update’s longevity.
Will Stories Be A Positive Addition to LinkedIn
The blog post accurately states there’s a generation of people who “prefer sharing content that lives as a moment in time rather than as an item in a feed.” Such a forward-thinking addition should connect with younger, incoming LinkedIn users, and its current base of members who likely already engage with Snapchat and Instagram. There’s an opportunity to capture specific career-related moments and present them in a more vibrant way than a text post could. Stories are typically presented in a horizontal list, positioned at the top of each page, so they’re also better at grabbing a user’s attention. People are more likely to connect on the platform with Stories since they won’t add to the pool of items cluttering the news feed.
For potential employers, getting a glimpse of a candidate’s life could be a positive or negative thing, but it’s worth considering that the typical LinkedIn user is aware of the platform’s more professional tilt. It’s hard to imagine most users will use Stories in ways that make them unappealing in the job market. For what it’s worth, comments on the blog post are mostly optimistic (and amusingly measured, for a social media site). Current LinkedIn members seem interested in a new way to market themselves professionally. Given how successful they’ve been on every other service, and how they’ve woven their way into the modern social media toolset overall, it’s easy to predict Stories will have a positive impact on LinkedIn.
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Source: LinkedIn
