LinkedIn launches new Twitter-like mentions feature

4 Apr 2013

Business-oriented social network LinkedIn has just added a new mentions feature that could add a shot of adrenaline to the site in terms of conversations and interactions between its users.

The mentions feature – which adds a link and a notification to another user’s account each time they are mentioned – is a standard feature on Twitter and has also been rolled out by Facebook.

However, unlike Twitter or Facebook, LinkedIn has restricted mentions to only work with people you actually know – so if you’re not connected to somebody you’re talking about in a status update it won’t work.

The new feature debuts today with LinkedIn’s English-speaking community before being rolled out generally throughout the rest of its community.

“Mentions will make it easier for you to start conversations with your network while also enabling you to respond in real-time when someone begins a conversation with you,” explained LinkedIn associate product manager Angela Yang in a blog post.

“This feature will begin rolling out to our English-speaking members today, and we look forward to bringing it to all global members soon. We also know you’re engaging in meaningful conversations across other areas of LinkedIn, so look for the ability to mention your colleagues beyond the homepage in the near future,” Yang said.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com