The big trend in electronics and software is flexibility. We all want our gadgets and our programs to do as much as possible, as easily as possible. Since the death of Windows 3.1 and single use computing morphing into a multi-use experience, we want our laptops to run music, download email, check the weather, and help us to write the next report all at the same time. Instead of logging into Twitter proper to post your tweets, there are programs that allow you to send off tweets via third parties, so you don’t have to go to the trouble of logging in and out several times a day.
Social media is all about connections, but as our abilities with our social media programs grow, so do the demands on networking sites to get bigger and better. Those who do not grow may not survive in this market and mindset. Our electronic consciousness demands solutions to our problems, whether they are perceived problems or real ones.
LinkedIn is responding to this mindset and positioning itself to be seen as an innovative service by allowing its users to edit their profile layouts. It probably seems like such a basic step to make to most of us, but the article “LinkedIn Allows Users to Edit Profile Layouts” points out, “most people like having a measure of control” and LinkedIn is smart to cater to that desire.
What does editing your profile layout mean anyway? Well, if you’ve ever had a resume to write that had a special case, like a stay-at-home parent who is returning to the workforce, a career change, a layoff, or even just inexperience, you’ll know that sometimes putting the right information front and center can make the difference. In this case, having tabs that can be dragged and reordered in LinkedIn allows you to do the same thing as reordering your resume. In the resume writing field, people pay substantial cash for a professional to do just this for them. Now you can just click and drag a heading to accomplish the same thing.
According to Aaron Bronzan, an associate product manager at LinkedIn, this change is “just the first of a huge number of enhancements that are coming to your LinkedIn profile in the upcoming months.” Which means that LinkedIn users and social networking gurus will be waiting and watching for changes in the next while.
You wouldn’t send a flawed resume out into the world to represent you, so it makes sense to demand the most from your online networking tools, be they social or professional. It’s good to see LinkedIn stepping up and making changes to ensure that their users are getting better representation.