The Wall Street Journal and LinkedIn should be friends
TechCrunch has reported that the Wall Street Journal has LinkedIn in their cross-hairs – or do they – with a something called WSJ Connect. For those keeping score the article points out that this is WSJ’s second attempt at building a social/professional networking site. And the first went so well they decided it was worth another try.
As a supporter of a free market, I welcome competition and am overjoyed when someone invents a better mousetrap, but there are times when I scratch my head. I’m scratching today because I’m trying to imagine what it will take for me to rebuild what I have at LinkedIn within WSJ Connect. By the time it becomes live, and it is still in the concept stage according to TechCrunch, I will be so locked in to LinkedIn it will take something just short of an act of God or government directive to make me start over.
Unless they provide path for data migration, I’m more than happy to stay right where I am. There may be another way to entice me to consider a new beginning – and without data migration that’s exactly what it will be – and that is to include killer functionality that I simply cannot live without. I don’t know what that looks like, but will know it when I see it.
What I do know is I don’t what the WSJ getting involved in the networking game, at least not as the lead. I would rather see them stick to their core competency and approach LinkedIn as a partner (or buyer), not a competitor. The sum of the two parts would make a formidable force in the business world and create an unrivaled environment for innovation. How many of you would like to see the latest WJS headlines on your LinkedIn home page?
I’m not a genius, but I do believe I’m on to something here.
Wondering Out Loud 
You hit that one on the head in the very end. “I would rather see them stick to their core competency and approach LinkedIn as a partner (or buyer), not a competitor.”
WSJ has already seen how difficult it is to gain traction in the Social Networking arena so though their vision statement, mission statement, and infrastructure may be setup perfect the ones already in place will dominate. They should partner with LinkedIn and LinkedIn should be careful how much control they give up so it can keep the same feel. Corporations that believe they have the answers, but don’t know much about any of them have a way of detracting from the original intent and style of what works.
My Two Cents!
@JRStratford on Twitter