LinkedIn has revised their guidelines for the LinkedIn Groups.  In the tip below, we will outline what are the implications and how to maximize these changes:

All Groups Are Now Private Groups

In the past, many LinkedIn groups are open to anyone that is a LinkedIn member. However, all groups are now private. The implication for this is that to become a member of a group, approval from the admin is now required. This may mean that it can be more difficult for you to join a group if you are not from the same industry or have an obvious common interest.

If the group you’re interested in can add to the value of your business but it isn’t related to your field, you may consider temporarily edit your LinkedIn title. For example, changing your LinkedIn title from Real Estate Agent to Commercial Property Advisor if you’re wanting to be part of the Business Directors LinkedIn Group. This can potentially move the perception of you from being a personal property agent to adding value to a director of a business.

Content Moderation

Previously, in the LinkedIn groups, a conversation post from a member has to be approved before it was published. However, as LinkedIn wants to ensure groups are effective as timely conversation forums, conversations are now posted instantly to a group without the need for manager approval. The group moderator can still remove off-topic conversations and place members in moderation. Also, note that other group members can also flag inappropriate comments and conversations after they’ve been posted.

The advantage of this change is if the discussion you are posting is relevant, you will bypass the moderator and highly likely not to have the post removed. This is important, as some moderators can be over vigilant in controlling discussions.

Mentions in Group Conversations

With LinkedIn groups you can now directly ‘tag’ people to bring them into a conversation, just type ‘’@’’ then the name of the group member.

By tagging other group members, you have the useful ability to grab the attention of potential partners while driving engagement around your conversation.

There are many more changes to learn about LinkedIn, so to find out more check out our LinkedIn Training Schedules.

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