Well, we’ve been able to share things at a click with friends on Twitter with tools like Tweetmeme, Facebook has its “Like” function where we can pass on webpages we find interesting, so it’s only natural that LinkedIn should also offer a way for use to allow readers to share pages quickly with our LinkedIn connections too with a counter thrown in.
And that’s what they have announced today – the LinkedIn Share button that you can insert on your website to allow people to share your content on LinkedIn. Simples! 😉 Of course, in the same way it can also be useful to you as the content producer if you want a quick way to share your own articles of LinkedIn so lots of potential value
Where do I find The Share Button?
Well, there is now a new area on LinkedIn relating to people creating information which you will find at LinkedIn Publishers and there’s a link at the bottom of all of the pages on LinkedIn as well now.
So what do you get? Well as you can see below, there are three styles of button that you can choose from according to your preference. To use the button, just click on the button and then copy and paste the code it gives you onto the page you want the button to appear on.
As you can see on this site, adding it to the template on your blog gives a button on each of your blog posts – so adding it once means that all your future posts display it.
What happens next?
When visitors to your site click on it, they will be taken to the form that you see below which gives them three options.
They can either:
- share it via an Update which then appears on their own Network Activity and that of their 1st level connections – a great way to have your article spread to key parts of your current network. You get the option to include an image just like the “Add a Link” currently;
- add it to one (or more) of their groups and this will then appear as a discussion item. A great way to raise your profile and distribute key information to certain key groups;
- or send it to one or more of their connections.
Personally I feel that all three can be of great use, both making it easy for others to share articles they like with their connections and fellow members of Groups, as well as for the publisher to do the same as a personal marketing tactic.
The one caveat that I have is that they need to be used sensibly and in moderation. As with any semi automated system, there is the tendency to use it too often to self promote and so verge on annoyance or even spamming. So use sensibly and it will be all the more powerful for you and, of course, remember to encourage your readers to share on your behalf as that’s where the real power lies.
In that vein, the button’s at the top of the page if you’d care to share! 😉
