@LinkedIn Hi, interested in partnership for professionals in social media? DM for details.
Such a sample tweet might be the way Twitter would describe its newly-announced partnership with LinkedIn, a business-oriented social networking Web site.
Last week, LinkedIn revealed it will allow tweets — the 140-character messages on Twitter — to be incorporated into its site.
As of October, LinkedIn reported more than 51 million users. People can now send status updates to Twitter and vice versa, such as posts involving job searches or inquiry into what employers are looking for in applicants.
A section of a user’s LinkedIn profile can now feature the person’s Twitter account, with links to recent tweets and those of other Twitter users.
Within the first week of the partnership, LinkedIn’s updates have already increased by 25 percent, according to a report Thursday by social media tracking Web site Mashable.
Research from eMarketer.com showed that there will be 18 million active Twitter users by the end of 2009, compared to only 6 million in 2008. The number is expected to grow to 26 million by the end of 2010.
Daradirek “Gee” Ekachai, an associate professor in the department of advertising and public relations, said the partnership affirms Twitter is a legitimate social network with valid professional and business value.
“It’s a smart partnership on both sides,” Ekachai said in an e-mail.
She added that LinkedIn needs a boost in the frequency of its members’ status updates. LinkedIn can also take advantage of Twitter’s “real-time” streaming information. Meanwhile, Twitter can expand its reach and values to the business community, she said.
Kristin Finn, employer relations manager for Marquette’s Career Services Center, was particularly excited about the announcement from the LinkedIn perspective. She said people should consistently update to stay relevant and remain active in career searching.
“We tell students to do that, because that way you get and stay on people’s radars,” Finn said.
She said it’s important to remember the purpose of each: LinkedIn should remain professional, while Twitter can stay fun yet maintain a professional element.
Marquette students searching for internship and job opportunities said the LinkedIn-Twitter partnership could be a valuable tool.
Ceili Seim, a junior in the College of Communication, operates both a Twitter and LinkedIn page. She said Twitter could become more than just a place to post brief updates on what people are eating for breakfast.
“Twitter has so many practical purposes, and now this helps get it properly recognized,” Seim said. “This shows that LinkedIn appreciates what Twitter can be and how useful it is.”
She used to occasionally update her LinkedIn profile, but now she is fully engaged in using it while applying for two spring semester internships.
Likewise, Dominic Mertens-Pellitteri, a junior in the College of Communication, is using his Twitter and LinkedIn pages to showcase his “personal brand” and market himself to potential employers.
“(With) more of an online presence you have and can demonstrate to a potential employer, (it) can serve as a personal selling point,” he said.
He said he’s learned in classes that many businesses are just discovering the beneficial uses of social media and are interested in hiring “experts” in that area. Adding tweets to LinkedIn, he said, eliminates a “static” profile that is rarely updated.
