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Previously, only a select group of "Influencers" could use LinkedIn's publishing platform.
"There are 432 million years of professional experience in the heads of our members," Ryan Roslanksy, Head of Content Products at LinkedIn, told Business Insider. "Now any member can share that knowledge, expertise, and advice."
When a user publishes a piece through LinkedIn, everyone in their network can see that post, and LinkedIn will also algorithmically recommend it to other professionals interested in the same topics. Members can follow other members that are not in their network and build their own group of followers.
LinkedIn launched its Influencers initiative back in 2012 with big names like Richard Branson, Bill Gates, and Barack Obama, evolving the site from a place to simply network, to a place to also find inspiration and advice. Today, the company has also added a handful of new Influencers, including Summly founder Nick D'Aloisio, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, and CNBC host Suze Orman.
LinkedIn will be rolling out this new posting capability to users over the next several months. Once your ability to write long-form posts has been activated, you will see a pencil icon on your LinkedIn homepage that will let you start using the company's writing tool.