In a world that no longer fully prioritizes IRL connections, utilizing LinkedIn to build a powerful professional network is a game-changer. Now, the platform is allowing you to play games to connect…literally.
As ESSENCE previously reported, earlier this year it was teased that LinkedIn was in the process of developing a gaming component as an offering to users. Now, they’ve officially announced what that would look like.
“We are starting with 3 games — Crossclimb, Pinpoint, and Queens — all brought to you by LinkedIn News,” said Daniel Roth Editor in Chief, VP at LinkedIn in post on the company’s blog. “You can find the games in the News module on your LinkedIn homepage, the MyNetwork tab or tap one of these links to go directly to each game: Pinpoint, Crossclimb or Queens. You’ll be able to play each game once a day, see other connections who have played that day and engage in some friendly rivalry with leaderboards. Our News team will kick off a daily conversation to bring people together to talk about the games — and share weekly stats and gameplay banter in a new newsletter from Games Editor Paolo Pasco (recent winner of the Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament! Congrats Paolo!) on our LinkedIn News page.”
Networking, even online, can be a bit awkward, so the company offered a few suggestions on how to utilize it’s new gaming component to connect with people.
Rekindle Connections: Play the new LinkedIn games and use that as a starting point to kick off a conversation with old colleagues or classmates, current team members, or new connections!
Join the conversation: Join conversations in the feed – before reaching out to someone directly, chime in on what they are sharing with the community by commenting on their posts… then follow up to spark a direct conversation.
Leverage collaborative articles: If you see a contribution to a collaborative article that is top of mind for a challenge you are facing at work, follow up directly with that contributor to learn more!
Will you be using LinkedIn games to expand your professional network?