LinkedIn Badge - A Review

LinkedIn is a social network for professionals that helps them to manage their business contacts, and gain introductions to others that are connected to them by mutual acquaintance.

The LinkedIn Widget serves as a simple back link to the user’s LinkedIn profile page that they can place on their blog or social networking profile page.

Configuration and Testing

I had a bear of a time finding the LinkedIn Widget.  After looking all over the LinkedIn home page and my profile page, I ended up having to do a Google search for “LinkedIn badge.”

It was only later that I discovered that the entry point into the widget configuration tool was located on the “Edit My Public Profile” tab.

If you’ve ever seen a LinkedIn badge, you’ll have noticed that it’s pretty sparse in terms of bells and whistles.  The configuration tool reflects this – you are offered ten simple button designs to choose from, with an additional option for TypePad users that hooks right into the TypePad TypeLists widget management system.

There’s really no configuration involved in this process, because the badge does one thing and one thing only – it links to your LinkedIn Profile page.

Because this widget is basically just an image, it can be added to any of the big online communities that allow customizations including MySpace, Friendster, Blogger posts, etc.

Implementation was easy and quick on TypePad, MySpace, and Blogger template position.  There were no formatting issues.

Editorial

The LinkedIn widget is striking for its limited functionality and Spartan design.  There are no attempts to go viral with this widget, other than maintaining a tight control over how its brand is displayed on other sites.  For lack of a better word, this widget is uh…. corporate in its presentation.

Which makes a lot of sense, I think.  LinkedIn has stuck to its guns of being a no nonsense professional service that offers the functionality you need to manage and extend your professional network, and not much else.  There are no user photos on the site, no html embeds allowed, and not much of the other functionality that most social networking services offer.

The LinkedIn widget is an extension of this highly focused approach.  As a self-proclaimed widget aficionado, this widget leaves me a little cold – there’s just not much to write about.

But given LinkedIn’s professional user base, tight focus, and general philosophy, I have to say that this widget is just what you would expect from them.

Comments

[Giri]

Agree with you.

The widget link showed up on the Linkedin landing page a few days ago - i tested it on my blogger but didn't use it. Today i wanted to, but couldn't find it..Did a google search, and that's how i found your link and then the widget one. Thanks!

[Peter Giger]

I agree, and I found this article in extract the same way!

By the way, I think Linkedin could benefit greatly from a more "outside-application-approach"
:-) Peter

[Lorna Li]

Ha ha! I did the same thing! And found your blog. Thanks!

[Eric Brodeur]

Thanks for pointing out where to find the Linkedin badge!

[Stijn]

I've spent (read: wasted) ten minutes looking for that badge. Thanks for helping me find the bloody thing. :)

[Clark]

Found it! Thank you.

[Uno de Waal]

haha! every single time I change my blog or for whatever reason I need to readd this, and every time I need to Google for it. Thanks!
You'd think they want some kind of usability in the whole thing...

[Srinivas]

Thanks, just what I was looking for. Works fine with my wordpress blog as well :)

[TPapi]

LinkedIn's usability for this thing is so bad that another guy is providing widgets for this with links to his website attached http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/linked-in-badge
LinkedIn has got to get on top of this.

[Lisa]

Too funny, I also found this post looking for a linked badge after searching on linkedin with no luck.

[Valerie]

Just wanted to add my thanks to the long list of others. I never would have figured out how to add the LinkedIn badge to my blog without your help.

[Dean Holmes]

For all the people with Outlook, here is a real simple solution to get the LinkedIn Badge on your email signature:

1. After you login to LinkedIn, look to your left bar and click "Edit My Profile" link
2. Just under the 2nd Blue box, look for "Promote your profile with customized buttons" and click "customized buttons"
3. Drag and Drop any of the Button Images (Badges) you like to your desktop - this should save a copy and easy to find
4. In Outlook (I am using Outlook 2007) go to "tools" and then "options" from the menu bar
5. From the dialogue box, select the tab "Mail Format"
6. Toward the bottom, select the button "Signatures"
7. Select your Signature (or create a new one)
8. Place your mouse wherever you want the LinkedIn button (Badge) to appear in the edit window below
9. Look for the icon just above the window you are in for "picture" and click on that
10. Go to your desktop where you saved the LinkedIn button (Badge) and select that
11. You should see the LinkedIn button (Badge) in your signature window now
12. Select the LinkedIn button (Badge) and click the icon just to the right of the "Picture" icon called "insert hyperlink"
13. In this window look on the left and select the "Existing File or Webpage" icon
14. Go back to your page you copied the LinkedIn button from, your LinkedIn Profile, and select on the left the "View My Profile"
15. In the URL Address Bar of your browser, highlight and copy this url
16. Go back to Outlook and past this url in the window and white box labeled as: "Address"
17. Save the Signature and hit ok until you are back in the main Outlook window
18. Test your email signature before using by sending yourself an email and click the LinkedIn button (Badge) AFTER the email arrives to see if your profile is accurate
NOTE: If you test only with an email that you start as "New Message" in Outlook, you will need to hold the control key down and select the LinkedIn button (Badge)
Good Luck.

Best,

Dean Holmes
CSO at Selling At The TOP

[Dean Holmes]

For all the people with Outlook, here is a real simple solution to get the LinkedIn Badge on your email signature:

1. After you login to LinkedIn, look to your left bar and click "Edit My Profile" link
2. Just under the 2nd Blue box, look for "Promote your profile with customized buttons" and click "customized buttons"
3. Drag and Drop any of the Button Images (Badges) you like to your desktop - this should save a copy and easy to find
4. In Outlook (I am using Outlook 2007) go to "tools" and then "options" from the menu bar
5. From the dialogue box, select the tab "Mail Format"
6. Toward the bottom, select the button "Signatures"
7. Select your Signature (or create a new one)
8. Place your mouse wherever you want the LinkedIn button (Badge) to appear in the edit window below
9. Look for the icon just above the window you are in for "picture" and click on that
10. Go to your desktop where you saved the LinkedIn button (Badge) and select that
11. You should see the LinkedIn button (Badge) in your signature window now
12. Select the LinkedIn button (Badge) and click the icon just to the right of the "Picture" icon called "insert hyperlink"
13. In this window look on the left and select the "Existing File or Webpage" icon
14. Go back to your page you copied the LinkedIn button from, your LinkedIn Profile, and select on the left the "View My Profile"
15. In the URL Address Bar of your browser, highlight and copy this url
16. Go back to Outlook and past this url in the window and white box labeled as: "Address"
17. Save the Signature and hit ok until you are back in the main Outlook window
18. Test your email signature before using by sending yourself an email and click the LinkedIn button (Badge) AFTER the email arrives to see if your profile is accurate
NOTE: If you test only with an email that you start as "New Message" in Outlook, you will need to hold the control key down and select the LinkedIn button (Badge)
Good Luck.

Best,

Dean Holmes
CSO at Selling At The TOP

[Scott Otis]

Is there a way to use this widget in a g-mail signature?

[Mark Clayson]

Thanks for this. I, too, was having trouble finding a suitable badge (although there are HUNDREDS for Twitter). I ended up finding you by searching for LinkedIn stuff. How cool is that. Thanks for the time and trouble.

[Julie Mackenzie]

Thanks. This is still the most easy to access information about this question.

[Etoile2mer]

Thx! Pointing out where to find the Linkedin badge is so helpful :)

[Cami]

Dean! I followed you from another message board that gave an incorrect solution to this issue. Thanks sooo much for posting this--I've now got the linkedin widget in my Outlook 2007 email signature, thanks to you.

Best,
Cami

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[Bob Bannon]

I found your blog through facebook but still haven't figured out how to add LinkedIn badge to my Facebook profile - any help would be appreciated.

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