Mike Isaac

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LinkedIn Kicks Off Its Pulse Integration

For the world’s largest professional network, content is king. No surprise, then, that LinkedIn has fully integrated social newsreader app Pulse into its mobile and Web properties.

That means that after downloading and opening Pulse for iOS or Android, users will see article recommendations based on the subject categories and people they follow on LinkedIn and — if they used the app previously — on Pulse as well. Users will be prompted to sync their LinkedIn profiles with their Pulse accounts after downloading.

Pulse’s integration also marks the replacement of LinkedIn Today, the company’s front door for delivering news and “Influencer” posts — penned content from high-profile members of the business and media world written specifically for LinkedIn. Pulse, too, will deliver the news from the desktop to LinkedIn visitors from within the LinkedIn site.

It’s another step in LinkedIn’s big push to provide a mix of original and outside content on its site, an effort to bolster the number and frequency of users returning to it on a regular basis. In the past, the company has been seen widely as a repository for resumes, visited sparingly by job-seekers.

With the $90 million acquisition of Pulse seven months ago, LinkedIn hopes to change that image. Along with a suite of redesigned mobile applications — like LinkedIn’s iPad and Android apps — the focus is more on the LinkedIn “stream” of content flowing down the center of a user’s page. Much like Facebook or other social networks, LinkedIn users have a wealth of material to click on as it moves through their feed. That means more interactions and, ultimately, more time spent on site.

Beyond that, LinkedIn has even moved into users’ email mobile apps with Intro, the company’s way of displaying LinkedIn bio information from people you receive emails from within the email itself. It’s a smart way for LinkedIn to break out of the silo of its own apps or website, while potentially drawing people to the company’s properties if they click on the info inside the email.

And with the new app integrations, users should push more items from Pulse back to LinkedIn by sharing it with their network. They can “Like” or comment on items they see in Pulse, activity which will sync with their LinkedIn accounts. When those actions show up on LinkedIn, it’s ultimately a net win for the network, keeping it healthy and flowing with fresh content.

The new apps are available today in the iTunes and Android app stores.

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— David Pogue on why he’s joining Yahoo