LinkedIn has opened up its business platform to third- party developers in a move hoped to encourage integration of the professional social network into other business apps and websites.
The LinkedIn Developer Networ, is part of the social network firm’s efforts to accelerate the growth of its 50 million-user base. Over the last month it has announced partnerships with Twitter, IBM, Blackberry and Microsoft.
LinkedIn already allows developers to build apps on its site, but the new functionality will allow LinkedIn to be included on profiles or on other websites.
LinkedIn said the developer network was the beginning of a new set of opportunities for the LinkedIn platform, “and we look forward to seeing the integrations that developers will launch in the coming weeks and months.”
As part of its announcement, LinkedIn also revealed that Twitter desktop app Tweetdeck can now be used to track LinkedIn updates, in addition to Twitter conversations.
Meanwhile, LinkedIn had expanded its Asia-Pacific presence with the appointment of two key executives.
It has tapped the former MD of Yahoo! Australia and New Zealand, Cliff Rosenberg, to head up its Australian and New Zealand operations, and poached Hari V. Krishnan from rival MySpace as the first country head for India. LinkedIn has 1.1 million members in Australasia and 3.5 million in India.