LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner will announce a new effort Thursday to close what he calls the “network gap” — the advantage some people have based on who they know, company executives tell Axios. Why it matters: By organizing its users to broaden their personal networks beyond traditional connections, LinkedIn is trying to strike a blow against social inequality. How it works: For a long time, LinkedIn encouraged users to limit their connections to other people they know. Now it wants to encourage users to connect to new people to expand job opportunities for those who may not have as strong professional networks. Driving the news: During his keynote Thursday at the company’s Talent Connect conference, Weiner will call on the public to take the "Plus One Pledge," a call to action for users to share their "time, talent, and connections with people outside your network who may not have access to the same connections and resources you do.” How it works: The goal is to strengthen more users' networks by making them bigger and more "open "through technology and policies. (For LinkedIn, openness means how many of a user's connections are connected to one another. For example, if everyone in your network knows one another, your network isn't very open.) By the numbers: According to LinkedIn’s data, a single connection makes a huge difference and can change the trajectory of a career. The company says that 3 distinct factors contribute to the network gap: where you grew up, where you went to school, and where you work. While LinkedIn can't change these factors, it can encourage people with different networks to connect more. Between the lines: LinkedIn has focused heavily on addressing issues of economic mobility around the world. Closing the "network gap" is part of those efforts. The big picture: Opportunity in the U.S. is often defined in terms of education, money or location. But as social media becomes a bigger part of our lives, and as more companies invest in workplace networking, there's concern that our online communities will only reinforce opportunity gaps in real life.
LinkedIn has announced plans to tackle social inequality and close what CEO Matthew Weiner called the “ network gap ” by encouraging users to make contacts outside their own professional networks . He said people with equal talent should have equal access to opportunities , and that the company plans to focus on training , apprenticeship programmes and individual connections . It said the network gap was created by where people grew up and went to school and where they work . The idea is to encourage users with different networks to connect more and strengthen user networks by enlarging them and making them more open .