LinkedIn Partners with CNBC

Thursday, September 4th, 2008 by Janet Meiners

LinkedIn Partners with CNBC

LinkedIn.com – a social site for professionals – is partnering with CNBC to integrate news and other content. LinkedIn has over 27 million members but until now has had very little community-buildling or social networking features.

Currently on LinkedIn you can email other professionals, ask them questions, and give or get recommendations from people in your network. Now you’ll also be able to share information with them – something that is happening informally anyway.

One way to build up your network is to send relevant news stories, blog posts, or videos that you think they’ll benefit from. With this partnership, that could be easier if the content is on CNBC. On CNBC’s site there is a section devoted to LinkedIn – though right now it’s at the very bottom of the page and it’s a poll. To answer the poll, you must be a member of LinkedIn.

Perhaps the most exiting part of this agreement is that CNBC will broadcast information gathered from LinkedIn on their programs. So the results of surveys will be covered on the news (on tv).

In a blog post about the deal, LinkedIn CEO Dan Nye asked for any ideas, so here’s one. I would use LinkedIn Answers as the basis for new stories or feature articles to cover what’s going on in business.

For example, Jason Alba, CEO of Jibberjobber.com, a site that focuses on building your career through networking, asked his LinkedIn network and community, how they are being personally affected by the economy.

CNBC.com could run a feature article on how the recession is affecting workers and quote from some of the best answers. If you were featured in the article, it should show up somewhere on your LinkedIn profile with a link and recognition that you were quoted in a story. In could help build the reputation of members of LinkedIn, which could in turn help their job searches and careers.

There is a link to today’s poll on CNBC that asks how the economy is affecting job security. It asks: Is your job impacted by current economic conditions? and then it said you must be a registered LinkedIn member to participate.

The poll also shows up on my LinkedIn profile. After voting I can see the results like that men and women answered simliarly that they are either worried or there is no change. However, it clearly shows that professionals over 55 are the most nervous about losing their jobs right now.

Jason says the relationship is especially good for LinkedIn: “This is a great relationship for LinkedIn, as it really helps differentiate the offerings from Facebook and other social networks. LinkedIn has a special userbase, and the CNBC relationship could add valueable content to LinkedIn users as well as get more members from CNBC’s audience. This is a huge win for LinkedIn.” Alba is the author of I’m on LinkedIn — Now What???

I’m sure the relationship will continue to evolve. And if this relationship proves valuable for the LinkedIn community, Jason may need to add another chapter to his book.

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13 comments on “LinkedIn Partners with CNBC”

Frank Reed Says:

September 4th, 2008 at 3:58 pm

They have also partnered with the venerable New York Times. LinkedIn is making some serious business inroads and it’s good to see. Less flash, just information and actual networking. Personally I like the minimalist approach of LinkedIn vs. the hype and hyperbole of other options like Facebook.
Nickey Hollenbach Says:

September 5th, 2008 at 7:28 am

Thanks for the information; I’m glad to see LinkedIn getting the recognition it deserves from CNBC. And I absolutely agree with Frank – a minimalist approach without all the hype is my preferred way to network in the business world.
Frank Reed Says:

September 5th, 2008 at 7:48 am

Hopefully Andy doesn’t mind too much but this story coincides with an interview with Chuck Hester who is a master networker via LinkedIn.

Frank Reed’s last blog post..Interview with LinkedIn Guru Chuck Hester – Part 1
Even More Marketing Reasons to use LinkedIn « Community Newspapers - Hear Them Roar Says:

September 5th, 2008 at 8:48 am

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Facebook Application Transforms Social Network Into Botnet | What Is Wrong With The World Today Says:

September 5th, 2008 at 1:06 pm

[...] LinkedIn Partners with CNBC [...]
Ashley Says:

September 6th, 2008 at 5:52 am

It is perfect when the relationships are good and there is a hope or even ensurance in their development. better for us….

Ashley’s last blog post..Jingle Bell Rock Lyrics
Utah SEO Pro Says:

September 7th, 2008 at 4:06 am

The same handful of corporations that own all of televised media worldwide will soon own all of social media worldwide too I see.

Utah SEO Pro’s last blog post..Building an SEO Friendly Site – SES San Jose 2008 Presentation
Jeffrey Pipes Guice Says:

September 7th, 2008 at 1:01 pm

I’m interested in reaching social network websites who are interested in trading equity for a $10,000,000 media campaign.
Mike Belletty, Data Cabling Engineer Says:

September 8th, 2008 at 6:29 am

Excellent post. This is obviously good for LinkedIn. As a Linked member I want leads for UK data cabling projects. So do they plan to forge similar partnerships with UK channels?

At the end of the day there are so many directories now; LinkedIn, Elance, JumpUp, Jobster. You feel you need to registered with as many as possible to cover all bases. From personal experience my business comes from Google PPC and direct referrals. So what’s really in it for UK LinkedIn members?
Otilia @ Ad Ops Online Says:

September 8th, 2008 at 6:30 am

Seems like they have finally understood how important it is to provide members with a more suitable platform to share content. I was glad when they enabled the group discussions a little while ago but they are still doing it at a very basic level. Take CollectiveX for example – I would so want to see a hybrid of LinkedIn and CollectiveX!

Otilia @ Ad Ops Online’s last blog post..Five Taps Brightcove to Launch Advertising-Supported Internet Video for Top News and Entertainment Web Properties
SEO forums Says:

September 8th, 2008 at 10:40 am

It is a good initiative…..especially for LinkedIn.

SEO forums’s last blog post..Backlinks.Com – Make easy money with your Blog
House Signs Says:

September 8th, 2008 at 5:42 pm

I think they will Mike Belletty. Its only going to help isnt it.

House Signs’s last blog post..House Signs – Hand Painted Signs by Trudy Silcox
Barclaycard is the calm, but warm, banking brand « Brand Strategy Magazine Blog Says:

September 29th, 2008 at 10:26 am

[...] recent LinkedIn poll, run in conjunction with news partner CNBC, found that 42 per cent of members felt that the current economic climate made their jobs less [...]

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