The recap:
Twitter allowed LinkedIn users to use their API and send Tweets directly to LinkedIn using #in or #li in their messages, or automatically for every Tweet if you set it that way on LinkedIn.
Whenever a Tweet was sent to LinkedIn, it showed up as the Tweeters status message, and in the LinkedIn “Activity” stream – creating almost 1.8 million status updates since January according to HubSpot – or 9,650 entries in the Activity stream per day.
LinkedIn, and ANY other website with PMC included, needs activity to SELL ADVERTISING. The more activity, the more eyes on ads.
Twitter starts selling ads in THEIR stream.
Twitter CANT sell ads in the LinkedIn Activity stream.
Twitter reels in where it will allow their feed to run – either in attempt to get everyone back on the platforms that show the Promoted Tweets, or force a platform like LinkedIn to figure out how Twitter can sell ads over there and share in the revenue stream.
You can still Tweet out what you post FROM your LinkedIn Status to Twitter – just click the little birdie under the box to enable.
Is LinkedIn the only Twitter aggregator to be cut off? As of now yes, but Facebook has a relationship with them as well so will be interesting to see what happens over there.
The Fallout:
Well, less activity in the Activity stream for sure, but not such a loss as far as Im concerned. I won’t miss seeing 100’s of automated motivational quotes and the “personal” Tweets (Im eating grapes – yum) that get sucked into there. I update my LinkedIn status when I have something interesting to share and relative to my connections, so it will be nice for an effort to be made by others to do the same and clear out a lot of clutter.
As always, there are many, many people out there who share awesome automated information correctly, and for them this is pretty sucky. It’s an extra step for sure, and one I hope they will take.
The Silver Cloud:
Social Media (and have no doubt that LinkedIn is social media for “professionals” ) loses its essence when information is not shared personally. What works in 140 characters, doesn’t always work in other places. Yes, there was a convenience for both the Tweeter and the person viewing the LinkedIn activity stream to have both mixed into one, but I think the quality of that information will improve as the quantity of what is shared lessens.
FYI…
The official LinkedIn Statement:
LinkedIn and Twitter have worked together since 2009 to enable you to share your professional conversations on both platforms. Twitter recently evolved its strategy and this will result in a change to the way Tweets appear in third-party applications.
Starting today Tweets will no longer be displayed on LinkedIn. We know that sharing updates from LinkedIn to Twitter is a valuable service for our members. Moving forward, you will still be able to share updates with your Twitter audience by posting them on LinkedIn.
How can I continue to share updates on both LinkedIn and Twitter?
Simply start your conversation on LinkedIn. Compose your update, check the box with the Twitter icon, and click “Share.” This will automatically push your update to both your LinkedIn connections and your Twitter followers just as before.
What changes can I expect to see on LinkedIn?
Any conversation you start on Twitter will no longer be automatically shared with your LinkedIn network, even if you synced your LinkedIn and Twitter accounts. If you would like more information about what this means for your synced LinkedIn and Twitter accounts, please visit our related Help Center topics.
Thank you, The LinkedIn Team
