( WIRED ) -- LinkedIn announced a new platform Wednesday for its business-focused social networking site -- offering websites and developers easy tools to embed `` recommend '' buttons , company-profile boxes and contact widgets on third-party websites -- as well as a way to log in to other sites using LinkedIn . Calling it `` a new platform for building the professional web , '' LinkedIn is seeking to challenge Facebook 's growing control over online identity . Once just a site for sharing photos and updates with friends , Facebook has woven itself into the fabric of the net with its Open Graph platform , that lets other websites embed Facebook widgets , install `` Like '' buttons , plug-in a commenting system , and let users log in with their Facebook credentials . Though LinkedIn 's new platform does n't mention Facebook by name , the term `` Professional Web '' clearly shows the company trying to position itself as a more mature and respectable alternative to Facebook . The new tools rely on JavaScript APIs and the OAuth 2.0 system for logins ( the same as used by Yahoo , Google and Twitter , among others ) . Among the offerings : . -- A Share button that posts a link to a page or news story to the user 's feed on LinkedIn . -- A Recommend button to give a vote to a product you like . WIRED : LinkedIn scores $ 53 million . -- Member profile widgets that show the LinkedIn profile of a company executive or website owner . LinkedIn 's Share button joins a growing number of plugins that try to get users to spread the news about a site or news story , a pantheon that includes Facebook 's Like , Twitter 's Tweet button , and social voting and submission widgets from Digg and Reddit . For those who run their own blogs or websites , LinkedIn is making it simple to show off a snippet of your LinkedIn profile and for visitors logged into LinkedIn , they 'll see thumbnails of connections they have in common . Companies can also embed widgets that shows off employee profiles or profiles of companies featured on their site or in a news story , showing off the ones that are `` in '' your network . The box can also be configured to show off key information about the company -- and a link to its official LinkedIn page -- instead of employee profiles . WIRED : LinkedIn to lay of 10 % of staff . It 's a powerful challenge . LinkedIn has a solid and growing user base , one that 's shown it 's willing to pay for extra features . The company is preparing for an IPO , and extending the power of LinkedIn 's focus on business , not pleasure , outside of its online walls could help the company grow into a powerful competitor to Facebook . WIRED : Let IPOs bloom again -- LinkedIn files with SEC . It would be the `` real world '' site that people graduate to , from the college fun of Facebook . Unfortunately , LinkedIn 's platform faces the tough challenge of coming almost a year after Facebook debuted its Like button and its Open Graph API . In social networking years , it feels like almost a decade , and LinkedIn will have to work hard to convince websites and busy developers that it 's worth their time to graduate to the `` professional web , '' as well . Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2010 Wired.com .
LinkedIn announces new platform for its business-focused social networking site . Sites can embed `` recommend '' buttons , company-profile boxes , contact widgets . Score: 6