LinkedIn is developing two new apps, according to people
familiar with the matter, extending an industry-wide trend toward
single-purpose apps.
The apps being tested are LinkedIn Groups, which alerts
users when messages are posted to groups to which they belong, and LinkedIn
LookUp, which allows users to find information about co-workers at their
company, the people said. It’s unclear when or if these apps will be launched.
At the same time, LinkedIn also is testing changes in mobile
messaging across all its apps, with an eye toward simplifying communication,
the people said.
More than half of LinkedIn’s traffic now comes from mobile
phones, and single-purpose apps allow mobile users — notoriously short on time
and attention — to access services faster and more easily. This trend, known as
“unbundling,” is visible at other social networks, including Facebook FB
+1.34%, whose roster of apps includes two mobile-messaging services in Facebook
Messenger and WhatsApp, as well as the photo-sharing app Instagram.
Still, LinkedIn lags Facebook and other social networks in
the use of its mobile apps. In May, monthly unique visitors to LinkedIn spent
just one minute a day on the app – a figure that hasn’t budged much for more
than two years, according to a recent Cowen & Co. research note citing
ComScore data. By contrast, mobile users spent 44 minutes a day on Facebook’s
app, which accounted for about one-fifth of time spent in mobile apps.
Mobile messaging is a particularly hot area, led by
Facebook’s Messenger and WhatsApp, as well as startups like Snapchat and Kik.
Messenger’s roster of U.S. users is up five-fold over the past two years, far
outpacing the 46% growth rate for mobile apps overall in the U.S., according to
ComScore.
The new apps would join eight other LinkedIn mobile apps,
including ones devoted to recruiters and job seekers. Wednesday, it unveiled an
updated version of news app, Pulse. LinkedIn has allowed its core mobile app to
retain all its features unlike Facebook, which launched Messenger in 2011 but
last year forced users to download it to send private messages over their
phone.
The apps reflect a broader strategic shift within the
company since Chief Executive Jeff Weiner began directly overseeing product
last fall. Since then, executives have redoubled their focus on building apps
and services that ultimately boost engagement among its 364 million users.
“There’s clearly plenty of room for improvement throughout the platform,”
Weiner said in a March 2 post on his LinkedIn page.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this post said LinkedIn is
developing three new apps, including one for mobile messaging.
Source From:- http://blogs.wsj.com/
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