NETS5012 MIC501 Web Communications Assessment 2: Essay

Choose one Web 2.0 platform discussed during module two and analyse the extent to which this platform has changed the way people communicate and collaborate.

The emergence of web 2.0 has shifted the nature of online interactions. It has developed into a more interactive, collaborative environment and allowed for a richer experience by offering the ability to produce and publish content more easily (Murugesan, 2007). Since its 2002 inception, LinkedIn has become the largest professional networking platform on the web. It has evolved throughout its lifetime and changed the way people communicate and collaborate by allowing users to strategically build relationships between people, companies, and other web 2.0 technologies.

Social media from its outset was about promoting human interaction and bringing relationships that existed in real life online enabling people to grow and support their network (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). By building up a large system of connections an individual can utilise the resources of these networks and often enhance or even replace some aspects of in-person interactions (Wellman et al., 2001). LinkedIn was built for an accelerating world with the thought that each person was essentially morphing into a small business and there needed to be a way to connect and adapt to this dynamic (Hoffman & Lacter, 2009). LinkedIn differs from other social networking platforms launched since the user-generated content boom of web 2.0, as it was created on an objective to build professional relationships instead of one on personal expression. Although, uptake was slow at the start due to exclusivity and lack of appeal, when it introduced the ability for companies to post job listings and conduct database searches for prospective employees by recruiters in 2005, growth began increasing (Gregersen, 2021). By introducing these as paid features, LinkedIn was able to fund further development and release new features that kept it relevant in a continually evolving environment while remaining to uphold their initial purpose to connect professionals worldwide and enhance their productivity and success (Byers, 2013).

LinkedIn has shaped the way its users communicate through accumulating social capital and integrating itself into the professional world. Users are able to strategically portray themselves and fine-tune their professional image. It is through completing profile statistics, and forming relationships with a network of weak ties that individuals can facilitate the growth of social capital (Granovetter, 1973). With more users signing up and profiles being created by professionals looking to connect with each other, hiring managers and recruiters are able to take advantage of this growing database of potential hires. By integrating LinkedIn into the recruitment process, recruiters and hiring managers are able to communicate to a wider audience in a shorter span of time. Instead of screening potential candidates on the phone and selling to them individually, recruiters are now able to communicate by simply sending users an often-automated private message and waiting for a reply. They are able to access candidates that are actively searching for jobs, as well as those who are passively searching or even not searching at all, on the entire LinkedIn database instead of traditionally only having access to their own database (Koch et al., 2018). In addition to using LinkedIn directly to contact candidates, recruiters are also creating and participating in groups as a means to hasten the process in the recruitment lifecycle by utilising the knowledge and collaborating with other recruiters (Singh & Sharma, 2014). In fact, LinkedIn is often thought of, by recruiters, as having the best source of candidates online (Fertig, 2017).

Companies looking to advertise job vacancies have a similar expansion in the potential candidate pool. Traditional advertising mediums only targeted those who were actively searching for jobs on job boards while LinkedIn gave access to those who were not aware of openings, not aware of the hiring company, or not actively searching. In order to attract these potential new candidates, companies are able to enhance their employer branding image through LinkedIn’s company page feature. By having a completed company page and having current employees interact with the page, companies are able to create influence and clout, and as a result of this able to boost organic reach of the page. With earliest iterations of employer brand image simply a representation portrayed by the company itself (Ambler & Barrow, 1996), LinkedIn company pages have changed this depiction through collaboration and communications including endorsements from current and past employees which would then differentiate them from competitors on the market (Backhaus & Tikoo, 2004). These insights by the internal teams create the positive appeal required to bring in new employees and helping companies gain an advantage in a competitive market (Turban & Greening, 1997). Creating these positive attitudes of brand image through accurately presenting information in turn creates a potential for a good candidate not only to apply for the job but to continue working there (Lievens, 2007). Priyadarshi (2011) found that companies with a more recognisable branding image was directly correlated to higher job satisfaction. Therefore, communicating to users through and as company pages, as well as through employees and through collaborating with other companies created a perception of a more desirable workplace. They can build relationships with other companies through common interests; for example, an engineering company that specialises in health buildings can now link with hospital infrastructure managers. The company pages then create an easy way for individuals to follow the company for notifications and updates.

Marketing professionals have also taken advantage of LinkedIn’s innovations throughout the years. It has provided a method of communicating to an audience en masse. This is beneficial for both individuals looking to market their skills as well as experts who work to boost company reputations. By creating posts and articles, users are able to share content to engage an audience and present situations for conversation. With the introduction of Pulse, LinkedIn’s internal blogging system, the ability to now publish more in-depth ‘articles’ has removed the need to use external blogging platforms. Not only does creating articles on Pulse increase brand image and reach a wider audience on the platform, it also provides search engines the ability to crawl the article allowing content to appear on search results (Patel, n.d.). Although, LinkedIn’s algorithm favours the traditional post, articles won’t get buried under a barrage of other posts and thus has stronger staying power (https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a522427).

LinkedIn also provides users the ability view analytics to measure their return on investment (ROI) and measure the efficacy of marketing campaigns. Through analysis of these insights, users are able to change how they communicate with other users on the platform and further understand how others are connecting and engaging with them. This is especially influential in networks with where users are interacting with campaigns or posts published as LinkedIn often features content related to what users are interested in (Sumbaly et al., 2013).

Communicating and collaborating through LinkedIn is often done in the form of creating posts or publishing articles which others can connect with and share beyond a single network. Throughout the years LinkedIn has adjusted its interface to allow users to present more than just an online resume (van Dijck, 2013). It creates the potential to network with colleagues who may be otherwise be out of reach by traditional means, such as those across the globe (Bhola & Hellyer, 2016). However, users are shaping their professional identities on LinkedIn in the pursuit of promoting their expertise and experience and sacrificing a level of self-expression (Tifferet & Vilnai-Yavetz, 2018). To differentiate themselves in a multitude of monotony, users author and interact with posts and articles to further develop their personal image in the course of career enhancement or job search (McCorkle & McCorkle, 2012). Testimonials from others also facilitate in differentiating a user from other profiles. They are public and can outline positive experiences with individuals from both current and former colleagues.

The 2008 recession in The United States of America led to further success for the company as more unemployed were turning to the network to look for jobs (Byers, 2013). They were able release a plethora of new features that year and in years since cementing it as an invaluable resource for the professional world (Hutchins, 2016). With Hoffman’s life philosophy of “permanent beta” carried through to LinkedIn, it took on feedback from users in creating new features and identifying issues applying it back to users, benefitting both sides (Byers, 2013; Hoffman, 2018). As the ability to integrate with other web 2.0 technologies occurred, LinkedIn has used this an opportunity to connect and collaborate through the LinkedIn API. It provides a number of solutions for both consumers and professionals (https://developer.linkedin.com/product-catalog). There is also an abundance of information about LinkedIn and its numerous features on other web 2.0 platforms. For example, YouTubers have taken to creating videos about many topics – from top tips on creating profiles, beginners’ tutorials, and even how to take a good LinkedIn photo – to enable users to enhance their LinkedIn experience. As users often have social media profiles outside of LinkedIn, this gives hiring professionals the opportunity the screen potential new hires. By cross-referencing site such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, recruiters can verify the consistency of information posted by and about the candidate (Koch et al., 2018).

Another notable feature is Lynda, which was acquired in 2015 and subsequently rebranded to LinkedIn Learning (Kosoff, 2015). This platform enables users to learn directly from industry professionals through lessons specifically curated for the industry they are in as it is integrated to the main LinkedIn algorithm to recognise interests of the user. This feature enables learners and instructors to connect and allows both parties to gain knowledge in fields that to retrain or further career options (Barbeau, 2019). The evolution of LinkedIn has shaped the way people are able to communicate and collaborate with each other as well as other web 2.0 technologies. Most poignantly in the professional arena by providing connection to a larger audience. It has aided in the creation of a truly global professional network allowing users to communicate and collaborate with each other as individuals and on a company level. With LinkedIn’s ever-growing and adapting philosophy, it only goes to stand that it has the potential to further change the way people communicate and collaborate even more in the future.

References

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