Skip navigation
sponsored by 

LinkedIn and Twitter link up

Users will have the option of sending only selected information to Twitter

A Twitter page is displayed on a laptop computer in Los Angeles
A Twitter page is displayed on a laptop computer in Los Angeles October 13, 2009.
Mario Anzuoni / REUTERS
  Tech Holiday Gift Guide  
  More
Holiday Retail
Gifts for the hardcore techies
Our crib sheet for the hard-core techie is at hand. From designer flash drives to the holy grail of remotes, these offerings are sure to please even the fussiest geek on your list.

  Real Women’s Guide to Technology

An MSN special that focuses on consumer technologies that can benefit women.

Tech and gadgets videos
'Assassin's Creed 2' a big step forward
Sharpen your hidden blade and get ready to stab some people in the back.  It’s time for Assassin’s Creed 2. Msnbc.com reviewer Robert Gonsalves takes a look at the game.

Video
Tech Watch
The latest in technology and entertainment news.
  Auto Tech

A better economy may lure buyers, but these trends could seal the deal.

Go to Auto Tech

By David Lawsky
updated 1:50 p.m. ET Nov. 10, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO - LinkedIn and Twitter have linked up. Starting immediately, users of LinkedIn and Twitter can cross-file to each other's services, by checking a box on either Twitter or LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is the largest professional social network, with 50 million members around the world who post information about themselves, such as resumes, to help find jobs or employees, and to stay in touch with each other.

Twitter allows people to broadcast short messages up to 140 characters to subscribers, who are called "followers."

Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here

LinkedIn also has an update box, which happens to be 140 characters.

Allen Blue, a co-founder of Twitter who is its vice president of product strategy, said LinkedIn members would be able to automatically post recent Tweets if they wanted.

Blue said users will have the option of sending only selected materials to Twitter.

He said that in addition to the obvious advantage of increasing the audience for either tweets or LinkedIn information there were two other advantages to the new system.

Twitter "wants to take advantage of the strong identity in LinkedIn to make those professional tweeters more successful." While anyone may sign up for a Twitter account without revealing their real identity, LinkedIn is based on the social networking idea that people put their identities on the Web.

Second, LinkedIn users who cross-post will be speaking both to their followers and to the broader Twitter audience that searches for tweets by keywords, location, user and the most current, Blue said.

Both companies are privately held.

Copyright 2009 Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Resource guide