I am a regular user of LInkedIn and rely on the service to build and maintain a strong professional network. There is, however, a very significant problem with the site: their notification system.
So far the system displays notifications only for new messages and invitations. It does not send notifications when someone comments on your status update or when a new connection has accepted your request.
These are major drawbacks that are limiting the ability to have conversations among contacts within the site.
Not having a well-functioning notification system is one of the reasons a lot of people don’t spend more time on the site. I believe that a system which is more similar to the one Facebook has – comprehensive and customizable – will prove to be of great benefit to the website.
Notifications for group discussions can also be improved. At the moment, LinkedIn sends you all these emails which fill your inbox. I have filtered all the messages coming from LinkedIn a long time ago. Therefore, I may miss important announcements, but I prefer this than having my inbox cluttered. If users are noted about group activity through a notification system instead of emails it will make life much easier. At least that’s how I see it.
How about you? Are you a frequent LinkedIn user and would you like to see an improved notification system? Do you have other suggestions on how it can be improved?
Marin Gerov 's communications blog 