Account settings, not something we think about much with LinkedIn as we set them when we sign up, tweak them when something new comes out that may change a setting but it is not something that we have to keep on top of with each of their upgrades, launches, etc. LinkedIn is changing that by bringing the account settings to the forefront with the creation of the account settings dashboard.
LinkedIn Account Settings Dashboard
The new account settings dashboard is not adding anything to the account settings so please do not be alarmed, it is organizing them in a manner that focuses on the most important and places them in dashboard setting and not a two column list. The new organization is broken down into three main areas.
1. User Account. The first area focuses on the user and the items that matter most. The email account the profile is associated with, the password, the number of inmails, introductions and also the campaigns you are running. There is also the button to upgrade your basic account to a paid account which affords you more inmails and introductions. LinkedIn is still a permission based platform however the ability to reach out to a 1st contact who is connected to a 2nd contact and ask for the introduction as well as the ability to request a connection through being a fellow group member seems to diminish the need to upgrade.
2. Preferences and Privacy. The second section focuses on your preferences and privacy. There are 4 tabs that expand to change your email preferences, groups, companies, apps and also overall account settings. The privacy controls are a list of the different areas of privacy that you can exercise on LinkedIn and then the last area is the ever so popular Twitter settings followed by some helpful links to edit your profile which also can be done on your home page. If you are editing other parts of your account, it makes sense to head on over to see if your profile is up to date, especially with the new LinkedIn skills.
3. Settings FAQ. Unsure of what all the settings mean? LinkedIn has added the most popular questions that users have in a column to easily access and then return to make the appropriate changes to your settings. To have all tweets or not? How to add them all or have the hashtag #li to your tweets. It is one of the biggest questions that people ask. They also address the group member settings which is very important as we try and interact and engage in groups that make the most sense for our needs.
LinkedIn Modular Layout Design
The above dashboard is not without pop-ups that are set to increase navigation and not take you away from the settings page only to have to return. LinkedIn has created a modular layout design that allows you to click on the links above for further information. One of the most useful is to see how others see your profile as when we are giving our profile a face lift, what do they see when the visit our profile or when we visit theirs?
Again, there are not any new privacy settings that you have to change or opt out of. LinkedIn has simply organized the account settings to make the settings easier to navigate and provide the answers to the most frequently asked questions in an easily accessed area. There is the option to expand the items in the dashboard under the first option above to show the introductions and a premium badge however these are more reflective of upgrading your account.
Unsure as to where your privacy settings are located? They are located in the drop down menu under your name to the far right of your profile. Note: the new settings dashboard is being rolled out to users to gain some feedback and is not available to all users.
This is not a really a big change as we do not visit our account settings very often. We have learned that when LinkedIn upgrades or launches new programs, they do not affect our settings. Could this new dashboard be a forewarning of something to come or just a means to attract users to the page (when rolled out for all) to remind us that there is an opportunity to have a paid account? Thoughts? Do you have a paid account, if so, please share your experiences.
photo credits: screen shots, LinkedIn blog
LinkedIn logo: Mario Sundar
