Hey, LinkedIn, what took you so long? The social network aimed primarily at professionals has finally heard about Stories, a feature started by Snapchat and copied by pretty much every other social media service since. And yes, that now includes LinkedIn.
It’s currently being tested for U.S.-based students and recent graduates using the LinkedIn app, hence the name: “Student Voices.”
The feature lets you post short videos — but not photos — as a collection for others to enjoy. The post vanishes after seven days, though can still be viewed by visiting the user’s Recent Activity section, accessible via their profile.
But take note — LinkedIn has put its own personal stamp on its Stories-like feature, encouraging users to add videos that say something interesting and positive about themselves.
“It’s a great way for students to build out their profile and have this authentic content that shows who they are and what their academic and professional experiences have been,” LinkedIn product manager Isha Patel told TechCrunch. “Having these videos live on their profile can help students grow their network, prepare for life after graduation, and help potential employers learn more about them.”
Patel noted how students enjoy using their smartphones to capture special moments on video, “so we’ve created this new product to help them connect with one another around shared experiences on campus to help create a sense of community.” So long as the videos are shot with their sensible face on rather than the bedraggled mess of a mug recorded during some wacky booze-fueled antics, then they should be just fine.
Indeed, LinkedIn is keen to emphasize that it envisages students using the feature to share their academic experiences like internships, career fairs, and class projects that help to tell potential recruiters more about themselves.
According to TechCrunch, the company plans to roll out Student Voices to more people on its platform over time, but for now, it’s keen to see how it goes down with its younger users.
With Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and others all going after Snapchat with their own versions of Stories, it was only a matter of time — albeit a rather long time — before LinkedIn cooked up its own effort.
The new feature looks like a bid by LinkedIn to attract a younger crowd to its platform that it hopes will stick with the service throughout their careers.
Of course, if Student Voices turns out to be a flop, it’ll no doubt go the same way as Skype’s Highlights, another Stories-like effort that the Microsoft-owned company eventually realized “didn’t resonate with a majority of [its] users.”
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