LinkedIn introduces host of new features: Video chats, Stories, and more

LinkedIn, a social networking website for people in professional jobs, introduced a range of new features as a part of its redesigning process. Five years after its last major redesign, LinkedIn said that the cleaner and modern looks make the platform easier for members to use while maintaining the sense of community and belonging.

The Redmond tech giant Microsoft owned social networking platform added new illustrations that showcase people with different abilities, diverse backgrounds and ethnicities, and a wide range of jobs and industries.

Talking about the features, LinkedIn added video calling, stories, streamlined search experience, and a dark more option too. 

Video calling 

As per the blog, LinkedIn has stated that they will soon make it easy for users to switch the conversation from chat to face-to-face using Microsoft Teams, BlueJeans by Verizon, or Zoom directly in your LinkedIn messages. 

To switch, users need to click on the video icon next to where they type a message. From there, users will see a pop-up where you can choose from Teams, Zoom, or BlueJeans and a prompt to sign in. Then users can share a unique link to start an instant meeting or schedule the meeting for later.

Edit your messages

LinkedIn has also introduced the ability to edit one’s message, allowing users to quickly and easily correct a mistake. If the message is no longer relevant, or one has sent an attachment by mistake, they can delete it. 

To do that on mobile, press-and-hold, or double-tap on the message to open up a menu of options. On the desktop, hover over the message until you see a pop-up with “…”. From there, you’ll see the options to edit or delete.

Reply with emoji

LinkedIn also added emoji on their messaging service. “When there aren’t enough words to express your thoughts or simply not enough to say, emojis are there for you!”

To do that on mobile, press, and hold or double-tap on any message to open up a menu of options. On the desktop, hover on a message to get the same set of tools. 

Manage bulk messages

LinkedIn is also adding features to manage messages in bulk. Users can select multiple conversations at a time to archive, delete, or mark them read/unread, all at once.

To do that on mobile, at the top right-hand corner of the app, tap “…” to access the menu where you’ll see an option to “manage conversations.” Check the box next to each message you want to manage and select from one of the options: Mark unread, Delete, or Archive. On the desktop, hover over a message to see the option to select multiple messages so you can take the same set of actions.

LinkedIn stories

Just like Instagram, Whatsapp, LinkedIn also rolled out ‘Stories’ to let users share what’s happening in their professional life. Similar to other platforms, the stories will last for 24 hours. LinkedIn Stories is now available in the U.S. Canada, France, Australia, Brazil, Netherlands, and the UAE. 

To post a Story on your profile, open your LinkedIn app and touch the circle with your photo and a plus sign in the upper left corner to open the camera. You can:

• Record the video or take the photo directly through the app
• Upload video (up to 20s) or image
• Add a sticker or text
• Mention users with @

To create a new Story after posting your first Story, tap the plus icon on the top left or bottom right corner once you go into your previously published Story.

The company will be slowly introducing this new experience to members globally over the next few months and continue to roll out more enhancements across LinkedIn product suites.

Main image credits: BongkarnGraphic/ Shutterstock