Changes in LinkedIn Group features will impact they way you use this important resource

1. What Exactly Are They Changing?
• All Groups Are Now Private Groups
Our research has shown that professional conversations are most effective in a private trusted space,
so conversations in groups won't be visible until you've joined the group.
• All Groups Are Now Members-Only Groups
Joining a LinkedIn group now requires either an invitation or approval of your request. Our data has shown
that open groups have historically attracted a larger percentage of low-quality conversations. Members-only
groups have created significantly more participation and conversations than others (up to five times more),
indicating that members feel more confident contributing in these types of groups.
LinkedIn is Changing Group Features

2. Before October 2015
• Posting links to your content on
group pages was allowed and
happened regularly
• Joining an open group was fast/easy
with no delay.
• Large groups were full of links to
content with no discussion
• Groups were easier to find
After October 2015
• Posting links to your content should
now be accompanied by a legitimate
conversation about the topic
• Joining any groups now requires
approval from the group manager
• Posting links to content can be done
at the risk of being removed from
the group if there is no initial
dialogue
• Groups that are private can be
completely hidden from search and
you may need a personal invite to
join
What does this mean to me?

4. Content Moderation
Timeliness and high engagement go hand-in-hand and are key to a successful group.
• Conversations are now posted in real-time without manager approval
• Group owners and moderators can still remove off-topic conversations and place members in
moderation
• Other group members can now flag inappropriate comments and conversations after they've been
posted.
Better Content Filtering
• Improving the filtering of spammy and low-quality content so that promotional conversations stay out
of the conversation feed and conversations can happen around more relevant topics.
• Removal of Promotions Tab- General member feedback indicates that promotional content in LinkedIn
Groups isn't a valuable experience, as it can quickly lead to spam. In an effort to focus on quality
conversations, we've removed the Promotions tab.
Any new promotional posts will go to the moderation queue for the owners, managers, and moderators
to approve.
LinkedIn is Changing Group Features

5. Other Changes
• Removal of subgroups all together
• You can now make conversations as engaging as possible by posting images to
any new conversations.
• You can now reference other group members and bring them into a conversation
by typing "@" followed by the group member's name.
Groups Highlights and Email Digests
• LinkedIn created a digest of the most popular and recent conversations to cut
down on emails from your groups and help you follow the most interesting
conversations.
• LinkedIn Groups now has a mobile app. You can now follow discussions from
your iPhone
LinkedIn is Changing Group Features

6. • Less is more- Post once per month
• Participate before posting- 6-8 weeks
• Start with industry news
• A word of caution: Don't start by posting self-authored
or branded posts, as this could be seen as self-
promotion if you haven't first established yourself as a
valuable and objective contributor.
Source: http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2430085/12-best-practices-for-using-linkedin-groups-as-a-marketing-tool#
LinkedIn Group Best Practices

7. Largest Groups on LinkedIn