I’m intrigued by the possibilities presented by the just announced deal between CNBC and LinkedIn. LinkedIn has the potential to be Facebook for people with a paycheck. As CEO Dan Nye describes the facets:
1. On LinkedIn: LinkedIn’s rapidly growing user base of over 27 million professionals now have an opportunity to both consume as well as share with their professional network, breaking business news & content from CNBC that ranges from articles and blogs to financial data and video content.
2. On CNBC.com: As a regular CNBC.com user, you’ll start seeing LinkedIn’s community and networking functionality integrated on CNBC.com (for e.g. sharing CNBC articles with your professional network on LinkedIn or finding out who in your network connects you to the companies you read about).
3. On CNBC: Community-generated content from LinkedIn will also be broadcast on CNBC programs. These include survey results and on-air Q&A with CNBC anchors, reporters and guests.
It’s the third item, user-generated content, I think has the most potential for CNBC journalism.
If CNBC handles its end well, it can be like having news sources deeply embedded at every white collar level in virtually every company in America. The same people who would be scared speechless if they got a call from a Wall Street Journal reporter will be far more comfortable sharing what they know through LinkedIn.