[img src="" caption="" credit="" alt=""]LinkedIn is resembling Facebook now in more ways than one. As most social networks have done in the past year, LinkedIn has recently added Network Updates in chronological arrangement (aka news feeds). This should make it a bit easier to see what's going on in your LinkedIn network, based on whatever updates are taking place in the lives of others. There's also personal notes, which is a way of sending another user a private message directly through the network. Novel. Yahoo has been added as an email import option, and you can also create groups.
What's interesting about all of these updates is the move LinkedIn is making to become more of a social network instead of a glorified Rolodex. If you've ever noticed that LinkedIn acts as a network of professionals and lacks any real interaction amongst members within its site, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Many go to LinkedIn to find out who they should know, and swiftly make moves on other networks to get in touch with that person.
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I can't imagine that LinkedIn news feeds will have much to report on, especially early on (and certainly not as much as Facebook). That may be a good thing for some of you double-dipping LinkedIn/Facebook users out there, if you're beginning to tire of a constant barrage of updates from your feeds.
But LinkedIn is smart to add these networking features to its community. It only makes sense, and with companies like Nethooks looking to swoop in and offer everything that LinkedIn does not, it's also necessary if it wants to stay on the road to an IPO.