LinkedIn is jumping on the Clubhouse rival bandwagon

LinkedIn
(Image credit: LinkedIn)

LinkedIn has confirmed it is building a rival to popular chat room Clubhouse for its members.

According to TechCrunch, the Microsoft-owned business social network is looking to develop a feature in its mobile app to showcases speakers in a room with listeners. 

The company believes it can offer professional and enterprise users a more tailored and targeted approach to speaking than its rival, along with similar services reportedly being built by Slack and others.

Speak easy

The report claims that the new features were discovered by reverse engineer Allessandro Paluzzi, who shared the developments via a tweet. However LinkedIn has now revealed its own images and details, showing off more details of the new feature. 

The company says the audio experience will be linked with a user's professional identity, thus making them more comfortable to engage with the content. In addition, there are tools that allow users to join and leave the room, respond to the comments, and request to speak. 

LinkedIn spokesperson Suzi Owens told TechCrunch that the platform saw a 50% growth in conversations around stories, videos and posts on the platform. "We're studying some early tests to create a unique audio experience connected to your personal identity," the report said quoting Owens. 

The company also confirmed that they were seeking ways to bring audio to other sections of LinkedIn such as events, groups etc. with a view to provide members with even more ways to connect to their community. 

Additionally, LinkedIn would also provide support of its other features such as LinkedIn Live to the audio service.  The company believes that the audio networking part of the deal is a natural extension of its other services such as Groups and Events that showed considerable growth in the post-pandemic time period.

Creator Mode

The news comes days after LinkedIn launched video profiles as well as a new Creator mode.

Using the company's new video Cover Story tool, users will be able to bring their profiles to life with a short video showcasing their abilities and skills while letting recruiters and potential employers know the type of position they're looking for.

Once a user adds a Cover Story to their profile, an orange ring will appear around their profile photo and a preview of their video will auto-play silently within their photo frame.

Via TechCrunch

Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.