LinkedIn Launches Online News Site

IT pros on the lookout for the latest news in the world of technology, business, and other industries now have another source to consult.

The popular social network LinkedIn (News - Alert) last week kicked off a new service known as LinkedIn Today. Offering the latest news and information compiled by its vast array of members, the site displays headlines and stories of interest to technology watchers, business folks, and other industry professionals. Beyond collecting information shared by its own members, LinkedIn Today also taps into Twitter by showing you stories tweeted by people in your industry or industries. The goal is to keep you up to date with the latest news that your peers and other professionals are reading and viewing.

LinkedIn Today starts off by presenting a series of news items on your front page. By default, the front page news is geared toward a variety of industries, but you can personalize it to display information on a host of specific fields, such as the Internet, IT, computer software, online media, telecommunications, and marketing. From the LinkedIn Today web page, clicking on the question mark icon and then the Follow/Unfollow link shows you all of the industries available with an option to follow or unfollow each one.

A Sources tab also displays the names of all the online newspapers, magazines, and other news sources that supply the information. By default, all of the sources are checked, but you can uncheck any that you don’t wish to include. You’ll also find the list of industries and sources on the right side of the page under the Search field.

Moving past the home screen, you can click on specific categories, such as online media or IT, to see just the news related to that field. Clicking on a specific headline displays the full story. If you like a particular story, you can share it with the other members of your LinkedIn network and save the story for future reference. You can also see a list of the LinkedIn users who shared the story in the first place.

You can access LinkedIn Today in a variety of ways. The service is available as its own Webpage and as a link off the Linkedin Today home page. From the top menu, click on the More link and then the entry for News. The company has also updated its iPhone app to connect you to LinkedIn today, which is accessible through the News icon on the app’s home screen.

As both a writer and a technology professional, I’m always looking for good sources to keep me up to date on the latest news in the tech world. LinkedIn Today is one useful site that I’ll be sure to check out each day.