Add LinkedIn to the list of Silicon Valley tech firms revamping the way users consume news.
The social media company on Wednesday launched a new version of the news-reading app Pulse, highlighting why the startup that created the app joined the Mountain View tech firm in 2013.
Akshay Kothari and Ankit Gupta created Pulse at Stanford University in 2010 as part of a class project, but back then the founders didn t know much about the millions of people who used the tool.
When LinkedIn purchased Pulse for $90 million two years ago, the startup also gained access to the trove of data the social network has on millions of business professionals — education, career and their connections to others.
They used that information to update the news-reading app.
Instead of having to follow publishers through the app to find articles to read, the new version of Pulse uses information from a LinkedIn user s profile to immediately provide a list of daily stories when he or she logs in.
We could have tried to crack identity ourselves by forcing people to sign in but I don t think it would have gone that far, Kothari said at LinkedIn s San Francisco office. So we were really able to accelerate the integration of who you are with what you read by joining LinkedIn.
The revamped Pulse also tells its users why it s being shown a certain story. It may be trending at a company similar to the one he or she is working at, a co-worker shared it or an editor at LinkedIn picked it.
The goal is to make you a better professional. What kind of news stories can I tell you so you re in the know in terms of what s going on and be ready for the day, Kothari said.
Users can provide feedback, swiping left to remove a story from their feed if it s not what they want to see and still follow people and publishers.
In the old version of the Pulse app, users were shown an array of stories every day based on who they followed, making it hard for people to figure out what article they should be reading, Kothari said.
When the founders created Pulse, it was also meant to make it easier to read news on your phone. Now that s more of the norm with an increasing number of people consuming news through their social networks and apps such as Flipboard.
About 3 percent of U.S. adults get news from LinkedIn, according to 2013 data from the Pew Research Center. Other tech firms such as Facebook and Apple also unveiled new features this year to make it easier for its users to read articles.
Despite all the choices for reading news, Kothari said he thinks Pulse provides something different.
We don t feel like there is any other company that is providing a personalized business news experience, he said.
People who use the old version of the Pulse app will still be able to do so until the end of the year.
Pulse had about 30 million users when LinkedIn purchased the startup. An updated number wasn t available Tuesday. LinkedIn has more than 350 million members.
Photo Credit: A screenshot of what the new version of the Pulse App looks like on the iPhone. Provided by LinkedIn.
