LinkedIn’s First Stock Market Upset

LinkedIn, one of this year’s most prominent stock market darlings, has just made the acquaintance of the quarterly loss. Although the market showing must certainly come as a blow to company CEO Jeff Weiner and his team, they will still be able to keep a great deal of their bullish optimism because the loss wasn’t terribly precipitous, this time. Also, they’re experimenting major revenue increases and a stock market value that still doubles that of its initial public offering. Analysts’ forecasted that LinkedIn would see a greater loss, but the decline did not go beyond 8 percent. In all, the depreciation comprised $1.6 million. The company went public in May of this year.

On the brighter side, LinkedIn’s revenue performance bested the predictions that had been tossed around: the company’s revenue was twice that of last year’s. Also of note, the professionals’ social network has embarked on an increased spending plan to bolster development research. Still, investors are expected to remain tetchy because once November 21st rolls around, LinkedIn’s workers will be able to sell their shares; if too many decide to dump them at once, stocks will go down again. What’s on the horizon for LinkedIn? Selling more stocks and growing its member count and services.

Read More:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/11/linkedin-loss.html

User Pictures and Names Come Off of LinkedIn’s Social Ads

It’s the last stretch of August and everybody’s out of the office — except yours truly, clearly — trying to cease all the promise of summer in the last few days of vacation. Given the twenty-something diurnal number all the calendars are proclaiming, it seems only to be expected that despite its immaculate primness and consistently great grasp for respectability, LinkedIn is the social network that’s easiest to forget come this time of year. That’s mostly because even the most novice of job hunters knows that it’s important to send out one’s resumes and profiles when the recipients are likely to be in the office.

But people are still paying attention to other things in the network. It was not quite two weeks ago that LinkedIn blogged an announcement concerning its decision to scrap its then-current iteration of social ads. The major issue was user complaints about the prominent placement given to user portraits and names in advertising for followed products and companies. The new version of these ads will omit user photos and names; instead, the ads will alert users to the persons in their network that following or recommending a certain product or company. Seems loyal users have a reason to sound a fanfare for their favorite space of professional connection:

Read More:

http://blog.linkedin.com/2011/08/11/social-ads-update/

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/08/linkedin-social-ads-will-stop-displaying-users-names-photos-.html

LinkedIn Releases “Apply with LinkedIn” Button

Since its big debut as a publicly traded company, news from LinkedIn has been on the wane. Luckily, this week, signs of life not having to do with the most current stock price finally surfaced: LinkedIn has a new button, and true to its careerist commitments, the button will provide an exceptionally simple way for LinkedIn-sters to apply for work. All they’ll need to do to apply will be to press a button. The button’s name is “Apply with LinkedIn.”

Companies that are hiring will now be able to place the “Apply with LinkedIn” button and through that, job applicants can submit their LinkedIn profile information. Netflix and Photobucket are two companies that are using the button as a recruiting tool. The more senior “Apply Now” button at LinkedIn will remain in use. Job seekers will certainly appreciate the new feature’s directness and ease of use. They’ll also be glad to know that even after pressing the “Apply with LinkedIn” button, they’ll still be able to make any last-minute, necessary changes to any part of their profile before submitting their application.

Media commentators are regarding the new button as a manifestation of LinkedIn’s desires to branch out further into the common web, and to not be so circumscribed to the boundaries of its own website.

Read More:

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=14155424

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/07/linkedin-apply-job-button.html

LinkedIn Makes Bank

Stock market debutante LinkedIn was the belle of the ball on Thursday. LinkedIn kicked off its first day as a publicly traded company and made a big splash — so much so that the markets rallied and stirred in ways that harked back to the tech boom of the 90s. Those days are hardly back but LinkedIn’s early and promising success is giving investors something to feel good about, and they’re also thinking of LinkedIn’s social networking peers about to take their own plunge into the market waters. The IPOs of Facebook, Twitter, Groupon, and Zynga are all expected to arrive very soon — perhaps more than a couple of those will get here before Christmas.

Thursday, closing time at the New York Stock Exchange saw LinkedIn’s shares being valued at $94.25. Their offering price was $45 and the day’s high was $122.70. It was an excellent first day that saw the stock market entrance of the first big-name, American social media company. $9 billion is the figure that most currently represents the company’s valuation.

Although subdued controversy about initial under-pricing of shares has ensued, here is a choice statement from Jeff Weiner, LinkedIn’s chief executive: “We were able to find investors who understood our story and understood our desire to invest in our platform.” Correct, sir!

Read More:

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/linkedins-surge-sets-stage-for-more-internet-i-p-o-s/?ref=technology

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/05/linkedins-109-pop-on-first-day-of-trading-isnt-close-to-dotcom-era-ipos.html

LinkedIn’s Hitting the Big Times Now (New Bells and Whistles Also on Deck)

Commonly mischaracterized as Facebook’s stodgy cousin, LinkedIn’s more sterling attributes have recently undergone some newsworthy polishing.

Milestone of milestones, the career-smart professional’s social network surpassed 100 million users this year on March 22 — really just a little over two weeks ago — and its popularity is spreading fast, most especially among the international crowd: 56% of LinkedIn’s users live outside the United States. Brazil, Mexico, India, and France (descending order, here), account for the countries with the most users.

And even earlier this year, near the end of January (the 27th), the company submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission the paperwork necessary to get underway its initial public offering. Big Times, indeed. The IPO is expected to happen soon but there’s still no immediate numbers about when the offering will occur, how many shares will be available, or how much everything will cost.

Somewhat surprisingly, LinkedIn first became profitable in 2010 by earning $10.1 million. Its gains came from job listings, marketing solutions, and premium subscriptions.

As for the site’s new trimmings, users are apparently in for a treat. There’s many: a “cooler” résumé builder, a tool to create a colorful picture of your network, and another to see — by year — who in your network has switched jobs. If you need a tutorial on these new tricks, you can always go to: http://learn.linkedin.com/.

To add some perspective, Facebook reached 500 million users last July and though it’s made gestures of IPO preparation, there’s still no official word about when.

Read more:

http://www.dnainfo.com/20110407/manhattan/six-newish-things-about-linkedin-you-need-know

http://blog.linkedin.com/2011/03/22/linkedin-100-million/

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/technologylive/post/2011/03/linkedin-surpasses-100-million-users/1

http://mashable.com/2011/01/28/linkedins-ipo-an-overview/

LinkedIn Unveils Way to Showcase Skills

LinkedIn announced today the beta launch of LinkedIn Skill, a way for users to learn and showcase the professional skills they need to stay ahead of the curve. When users search for a certain skill or profession, the new tool provides a host of information about the skill, including a list of the leading people within that community, companies within the field, current job openings and groups where users can connect with like-minded professionals. Users can also use LinkedIn Skill to discover other skills related to their search and compare their career development with other professionals.

Read more:

blog.linkedin.com/2011/02/03/linkedin-skills

www.readwriteweb.com/biz/2011/02/showcase-your-skills-analyze-w.php

LinkedIn Announces Intent to Go Public

LinkedIn announced last week that it has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering of its Class A common stock.

According to a company blog post, the number of shares to be offered and the price range for the offering have not yet been determined. A part of the shares will be issued and sold by LinkedIn while a portion will be sold by certain stockholders, LinkedIn said.

The intention to go public sets the stage for the first social network to “plant a flag on wall street,” according to Reuters.

“The bookrunning managers of the proposed offering will be Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, BofA Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC. Allen & Company LLC and UBS Securities LLC will be acting as co-managers,” said company CFO Steve Sordello in a post on the LinkedIn blog.

Read more:

blog.linkedin.com/2011/01/27/linkedin-ipo-registration/

www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/28/linkedin-ipo-idUKN2728011620110128

Climb Up the Corporate Ladder with LinkedIn’s Company Insider

The six degrees of separation theory can now be tested to help you land the job of your dreams. LinkedIn and CNNMoney have launched a new widget that will allow users to view their LinkedIn network alongside FORTUNE’s annual list of “100 Best Companies to Work For.” According to LinkedIn, CNNMoney is the first site to integrate LinkedIn’s Company Insider widget.

The new feature will allow users to view the people in their LinkedIn network who are employed by FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies. The new widget will also provide a list of new hires and job changes at each of these companies. Companies that are part of the coveted list can identify themselves by displaying a Best Companies badge on their LinkedIn page.

Read more:

www.FORTUNE.com/BestCompanies

blog.linkedin.com/2011/01/20/cnn-linkedin-company-insider/

Our CEO, Pierre Zarokian, to Speak on Social Media Marketing

Our CEO, Pierre Zarokian, will be speaking on Social Media Marketing on August 6, 2009 at Tech Super Club in Santa Monica, CA.

Topics he will cover will include: major social media sites and usage stats; in depth look of Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin; Twitter Automation Tools; Social Bookmarking; Blog Strategies and more.

For more info visit:

http://www.techsupperclub.com/Social_Media_August_6.html