What you need to know
- You may have an "allow political content" slider in your LinkedIn settings that you didn't know about.
- It's one of many features Microsoft is testing.
- Live audio and video event launching is also coming to LinkedIn.
LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky recently spoke to the Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern in a video interview, wherein the networking platform was discussed in-depth and a feature you may not even know you had was focused on.
Midway through the WSJ's video, Stern details how you can find the "allow political content" button. Go to account preferences, followed by feed preferences, and either the button will be there or it won't. According to Roslansky, it's under consideration for a wider rollout. What that means for you is that you may not even see the slider at all, in the event you're not one of the users Microsoft is testing it with.
If you do see the option in your account, know that it may have been there for some time. As spotted by ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, LinkedIn has a help article on the slider that was last updated three months ago. Beyond telling you how to interact with the setting, the help article also defines what LinkedIn considers to be political content so you know what you'll be blocking. "Currently, political content includes content such as political parties and candidates, election outcomes, and ballot initiatives."
According to LinkedIn's help page for the topic, the "allow political content" slider is only available to U.S. users and only supports the English language. Though, as the WSJ's interview with Roslansky reiterated, the feature could go wider if it proves popular and useful enough amongst the current pool of LinkedIn users giving it a test drive.
