The Evolution of LinkedIn: From CV Site To Business Powerhouse ??

?? Did you know LinkedIn is older than Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube?

I think that it’s safe to say that at 21 years old, LinkedIn has stood the test of time, outlasting many social media platforms that have come and gone.

Of course, LinkedIn hasn’t stood still since its launch in 2003 and on a recent LinkedIn??LoveIn Live I was joined by Jeff Young , The LinkedIn Guru, who has been a LinkedIn trainer for 17+ years, to take a trip down memory lane and explore how LinkedIn has changed and evolved into the platform we know and love today ??

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Watch The LinkedIn? LoveIn Live With Jeff Young . . .

Watch on LinkedIn or on YouTube.

OR carry on reading below for a review of what we talked about ??

The LinkedIn that was launched on 5th May 2003 would be unrecognisable today. Back then, it was essentially an online database of members. Which made it a game-changer for recruiters because it allowed individuals to keep their profiles updated and thereby creating a goldmine for hiring professionals.

But there wasn’t much social about it – there were no profile pictures, no media, no posts. In fact, profile pictures were only introduced in late 2007 and posting via status updates only became possible in 2010!

Since then, LinkedIn has transitioned from being a static online CV database into a true social media community.

LinkedIn still has that “CV hang-up”

But LinkedIn still carries the perception of being just for CVs and jobseekers and is still heavily used by recruiters.

Recruitment still makes up around 60% of LinkedIn’s revenue. When Microsoft bought LinkedIn in 2016 for $26.2 billion, LinkedIn was already a profitable platform, making around $5–8 billion annually. Note, LinkedIn’s revenue for 2024 is $18 billion.

The rest of LinkedIn’s revenue comes from:

?? 20% from advertising (i.e. “Promoted” posts)

?? 20% from individuals paying for premium membership

Of course, this brings us to the age-old question of whether to pay for LinkedIn as a business owner.

?? Is a premium LinkedIn subscription worth it?

Whilst the paid for platforms - LinkedIn Business or Sales Navigator - offer tailored features the truth is most people don’t need to pay for LinkedIn as there is still so much you can do with the free version. ?As most people haven’t fully explored what they can do for free, my recommendation is to ensure you’ve maximised the free features first before deciding whether to pay for LinkedIn.?

Want to know more about paying for LinkedIn? I talk about this more in this post on LinkedIn: Should You Pay for LinkedIn???

?? The Key Milestones That Changed LinkedIn

When LinkedIn was introduced in 2003 it was essentially an online directory for professionals with no social or content-sharing features. Over the years, LinkedIn has evolved into a content hub, networking platform, and lead generation tool.

Here are some of LinkedIn’s key milestones . . .

? 2007: Profile pictures introduced, along with who viewed your profile

? 2010: LinkedIn introduced Status Updates which were basic text posts and LinkedIn groups

? 2012: The "Follow" feature was introduced, allowing users to follow industry leaders and influencers without connecting. Endorsements were also introduced and the Notification tab

? 2014: Articles were launched for all users after initially being available only to LinkedIn Influencers and rich media support was added allowing us to post images and documents.

? 2016: Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion

? 2020: LinkedIn Newsletters were introduced along with LinkedIn Events and LinkedIn Live

? 2021 - 2022: Creator Mode and LinkedIn Stories were introduced - both of which are now gone! Whilst LinkedIn launched Audio events which again has also recently been discontinued!

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?? What’s Next for LinkedIn?

I’ve always said that change is always constant, and LinkedIn is no different. So as the platform continues to evolve what can we expect to see in the future?

?? More "pay-to-play" features? ?LinkedIn is pushing more paid subscriptions by limiting free features. I’ve seen many features that were once free moved to a paid platform. Will LinkedIn continue to limit how much we can do free on the platform?

?? AI integration - LinkedIn is rolling out AI tools, such as suggesting comments but as we know it currently lacks personality and authenticity and until it does is unlikely to be of any value. Currently this is a paid for feature and I am not sure why as AI tools like ChatGPT work better for me. As Jeff said LinkedIn is about building relationships and creating communities. AI can’t replace that - yet!

?? More third-party integrations – LinkedIn recently removed native audio events, pushing users to platforms like Zoom and Streamyard. Which puts in doubt LinkedIn introducing a native LinkedIn video feature.

?? What Hasn’t Changed On LinkedIn?

?LinkedIn’s Core Principles haven’t changed since day one and that’s connecting people and building networks. LinkedIn is still the closest thing to face-to-face networking in a digital world, and the principles of networking – building the know, like and trust and nurturing relationship still apply . . .

?? Relationship building is still at the heart of LinkedIn

?? It’s about networking.

?? It’s about building real connections.

The best way to succeed on LinkedIn isn’t through automation or AI—it’s through genuine conversations and engagement.

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????Now for some FUN??

When did you join LinkedIn and what’s your LinkedIn member number?

Do you know when you joined LinkedIn?

The date you joined has moved around a bit, but I was lucky to get a screen shot which said the actual date - Valentine's Day 2006 ??

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Now the date you joined, can be found under 'Resources' on your LinkedIn Profile. Then to go 'About this profile' and you will see the month and year you joined LinkedIn.

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?? Finding your LinkedIn Member Number

Jeff also outlined how we can find out what our LinkedIn member number is, and we do this by looking at the source code of your profile.

Here’s how to do it:

1.????? Go to your LinkedIn profile on a desktop browser

2.????? Right-click anywhere on the page and select “View Page Source"

3.????? Press Ctrl+F (or Command+F on a Mac) to open the search bar.

4.????? Type in “member:” and hit enter.

5.????? Your member number will be displayed next to the word “member.”

NOTE: don't forget the : with member so its 'member:'

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Jeff who joined in May 2004 was in the first 600,000 LinkedIn members - his member number is 594,945. I joined almost 2 years later and was in the first five million members – 4,963,779??

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??Who was the 5th Million member I wondered? Check yours out and let me know in the comments ??

What do you think about LinkedIn’s evolution?

Have you seen the impact of pay-to-play features or AI integration?

LinkedIn surely is still the best platform for business ??♀?

Need more support with LinkedIn?

?? If LinkedIn isn’t working hard for you or you’re not sure where to start with using LinkedIn, email [email protected] or connect with me on LinkedIn to chat about how I can help.

Or book a virtual brew here and let’s make LinkedIn work for you . . . ?

Your LinkedIn profile is the foundation to success on LinkedIn so start improving your LinkedIn results today by downloading my free LinkedIn Profile ebook here: https://judithparsons.com/ebook

I run regular LinkedIn LoveIns which are short 30-minute learnings over lunch, often with guest experts to help improve LinkedIn results. If you'd like to be notified of new events why not join my LinkedIn LoveIn group. You can also find the recordings of previous LoveIns as well as tips and updates: https://www.dhirubhai.net/groups/9016385/

JUDY Parsons AKA The LinkedIn? Lady Helping You Get Found, Get Known & Get Leads From LinkedIn

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