LinkedIn Launches Platform for Developers

11/24/2009

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Starting today, developers worldwide can integrate LinkedIn into their business applications and Web sites.

ebizQ received the following:

Developer.linkedin.com is now live and open for business.

Over the past months, LinkedIn has supported integrations with some of the most prominent and critical software applications in the enterprise. Partnerships with companies like IBM, Blackberry (Research in Motion), and most recently Microsoft, have given LinkedIn time to invest in both functionality and scalability of the platform.

"Software is moving to the cloud, and business applications need context for who people are and how they are related. LinkedIn now is the obvious choice as a provider for those services. It is hard to imagine a business application that would not benefit from LinkedIn integration," said Roger Neal, SVP/GM at BusinessWeek Digital, McGraw-Hill.

LinkedIn has always believed that business applications are better when they are built over a platform of professional reputation and relationships. In real life, our most valuable professional assets are the skills and experience we acquire and the trusted relationships we build. It’s not surprising that business software becomes more productive and valuable when it is built over these services.

Registering as a LinkedIn developer is as simple as filling out a form on developer.linkedin.com. The LinkedIn platform leverages the open OAuth standard to make integrations from almost any language and development environment as simple as possible.

"What a breath of fresh air. We were able to go to http://developer.linkedin.com, request a key, and actually write functioning code in less than 15 minutes. It’s amazing to have access to such a powerful platform on tap at any time," said Iain Dodsworth, Founder and CEO of TweetDeck.

A number of developers who have helped provide LinkedIn with feedback and guidance in their development will be announcing integrations in the coming weeks.

For example, TweetDeck is announcing full support for the LinkedIn platform in its next version. Now you can easily view or take action on your LinkedIn network updates from within TweetDeck, with the full integration of the LinkedIn profile information of the person who posted the update.

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