LinkedIn uses NZ to test new endorsement feature

LinkedIn has just started an NZ-only trial of a new one-click endorsement feature.

Essentially you can click on tab's under a person's Skills & Expertise to endorse them.

It's a lot more user-friendly than the more formal method of emailing someone to ask them to endorse you and write a few words (although that option remains).

Here's me endorsing some of Vaughn Davis' skills (he has no Television or Advertising endorsements yet. It could be his skills in those area are poor. We'll see):

A LinkedIn Australia-NZ rep says:

As part of this test, members in New Zealand will experience endorsements in four ways starting today:

• When you go to the profile of a first degree connection, you'll see a module that suggests skills you can endorse with one click. Given this is a limited test, you will only be able to endorse other first degree connections in New Zealand.
• After you endorse someone, you'll also be prompted with a module that makes it easy to endorse skills for multiple connections at once
• You will also receive an email digest when someone you know has endorsed a skill on your profile
• You will also see an update to your LinkedIn update stream when someone you are connected with is endorsed

By-the-by, the rep says LinkedIn now has around 600,000 members in NZ (and 175 million globally; 62% outside its US base).

Unlike Facebook, the professionally-focused LinkedIn has performed pretty well on the stock market lately (following a post IPO dip):

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Click to zoom.

On August 2, the business network announced a relatively buoyant result. 

Revenue for the second quarter was $US228.2 million, an increase of 89% on the year-ago period's $US121.0 million.

Net income was $US2.8 million, a drop from the year-ago $US4.5 million.

Adjusted ebitda was $US50.4 million, or 22% of revenue, compared to $US26.3 million for the second quarter of 2011 (also 22% of revenue).

Revenue broke down as:
Recruitment ads: $US121.6 million (up 107% on the year-ago quarter)

Other marketing: $US63.1 million (up  64%)

Premium subscriptions: $US43.5 million (up 82%).

Guidance for the next quarter is chipper on the revenue front ($235 million to $240 million; full year $US880 to $US900 million).

And the company raised its full-year ebitda target to $US185 million to $US190 million from it previous range of $US170 million to $US175 million. 

It's moot if those numbers justify LinkedIn's $US11.1 billion market cap - but some investors are obviously betting there's a lot more earnings growth ahead.