LinkedIn opens platform too little, too late
When LinkedIn first opened its API over a year ago, developers had to apply for permission to develop new functionality for the professional networking service. Now anyone can access the API, but the limitations on its use are still too murky.
In its first year, the LinkedIn platform saw a lackluster response from the developer community. In that time, developers created a grand total of eight applications for the service, most of which didn’t even access a user’s profile data, just displaying a badge with data from another site.
Now LinkedIn is opening its platform further to court more developers. However users can’t create their own mashup site using site data, so they can only create applications that run within LinkedIn’s site.
LinkedIn’s documentation is still a bit unclear about what kind of applications violate its terms of use and other things like rate limits. No developer wants to spend weeks working on a new application only to get it shut down by LinkedIn.
The problem is that LinkedIn is stuck between a rock and a hard place in terms of what kind of applications it can allow. If developers create applications that violate users’ privacy or are annoying, job seekers could flee the site altogether.
Now LinkedIn is attempting to meld its functionality with sites like Twitter to extend its user base and functionality even further. However LinkedIn was never a real-time site, but one that most users pay attention only when they’re looking for a job.
Still there’s a lot of potential in LinkedIn for functions like referrals or tighter job application integration for employers, but so far this potential remains untapped. While developers could take up this slack, LinkedIn could also be throwing resources behind such projects.
LinkedIn’s development team has been stuck playing catch-up in improving LinkedIn’s interface and irrelevant features like status messages instead of creating new networking features. Maybe if the company stopped trying to be oh so Web 2.0, it could actually create something useful.
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