LinkedIn introduces ability to follow thought leaders

Ryan Roslansky, Head of Content Products at LinkedIn, shared on LinkedIn’s Blog this morning that Linkedin is introducing the ability to follow thought leaders.

You may already follow news by industry and sources, companies, and groups. You now will be able to follow other professional’s posts on LinkedIn.

Not just any professionals, but 150 of the most influential thought leaders on LinkedIn who will be sharing unique knowledge and professional insights. Starting today, you can follow the likes of Richard Branson, Tony Robbins, Caterina Fake, Craig Newmark, President Barack Obama, Governor Mitt Romney, and many more. Read what they are saying, like and comment directly on their posts, and share with your network.

Rather than merely status updates, you’ll see original posts from influencers with videos, photos, and Slideshare presentations.

Over the next few months, LinkedIn is going to expand the list of influencers you can follow. They’ll be looking at universally-recognized thought leaders across LinkedIn as well as industry-specific thought leaders.

If you believe you qualify as a top thought leader on LinkedIn, you can submit a request to LinkedIn.

Per Greg Finn at Marketing Land, LinkedIn is also using algorithms to determine who has the most influence across various verticals and will send out invites – no invitation or submitting a request required. Finn also reports that LinkedIn will be analyzing usage, making improvements and slowly rolling out to the masses.

Rather than short form ala Twitter or Facebook without curation, Daniel Roth, executive editor at LinkedIn, tells Fast Company’s Austin Carr, “LinkedIn’s publishing service will place value on higher-quality content from a select number of influencers, according to Daniel Roth, executive editor at LinkedIn.” The trick now, as Carr writes, will be to make sure the content remains curated and of high quality.

What does this mean for lawyers and law firms?

• An opportunity to engage with thought leaders in your field or the industries. I am not envisiong engaging the ‘stars’ LinkedIn has now. I am envisioning you getting the opportunity to engage thought leaders in the law and business as the group of contributors expands.
• If you’re a thought leader and influencer in your field, you may wish to become a LinkedIn contributor. For those of you already blogging and using social media so as to have demonstrated your skill, experience, and influence, you may well qualify to post as an influencer.
• If LinkedIn opens up this publishing platform to the masses, this may provide a ‘safe’ avenue to introduce your lawyers to blogging. Safe in that lawyers can test blogging on a site other than their own brand and safe in that infrequent posting may be masked by the other content being published by LinkedIn. Ultimately, it will be more beneficial to have your own blog that gives you as a lawyer or your firm its own external presence.

Forbes has been very successful in producing a blog network on which some of our LXBN Network members blog on. LexBlog has produced its own network in LXBN. LinkedIn may be trying to pull a page out of others’ blog networks.

In addition, LinkedIn knows that it takes content to engage with others (you can’t just say “hey, I’m a great guy”) and content to produce more media on which to sell ads.

There could be a win/win for law firms and LinkedIn with this new publishing platform.