I think MS will make it more user friendly and find a way to monetize it to pay that big price tag.

Since when has dealing with Microsoft been user friendly? People gave up on MS tech support decades ago and went to Google to try to figure out Windows or MS Office issues.

Never really a fan of LI. Will have to see what they are trying to do with it.

Fred,

Initially we had great success with LinkedIn.  Then they started mimicking FB, and making it more complicated than it needed to be.  I hope it is for the best. A

I have personally networked with other people on LI to gain relationships and business. We can only hope so with Microsoft.

I send my posts there , but never have bonded with it !

Time will tell.

I believe, Sam Shueh just blogged that they decided not to buy LI. 

I have verified some clients info with it and that's about the extent of what I use it for

I hope its an improvement..not sure its been very successful in the past!

Only time will tell

My knowledge of LI is tangential - I have it, click on it maybe once a month or so. But it's been integral to our daughter's generation - they use LI frequently for business connections. 

I hope it does, Fred Griffin! 

It will certainly have to change for me to ever become an active member.  I have an account but, essentially, never go there!  

Hope they do better with that than with their phones or Bing. I think linkedin.com has more potential especially if you create or participate in business groups.

Doubtful -- all of these mega corporations (publicly owned) are focused primarily on revenue.  Advertising $$ trumps everything else, while user experience often suffers.

I wish I knew what they plan to do with it. Time will tell.

I wouldn't hold my breath.  But, time will tell.

Hi Fred - Microsoft isn't exactly famous for making things easier and more user friendly, but it will be interesting to see what they do with it.

If LI remains independent with Microsoft taking no direct management influence nothing is likely to change!

I was contacted by them to be part of a study to introduce buyers and sellers using that platform to look for agents.

** Please let's hope they improve it for the better and not a Windows 8 platform***  Ugh

I think it's pretty user friendly & many people are using it successfully. Different platform for a different reason than AR.

No, I don't care if stock is up or down. 

Microsoft might have the technical resources to improve the job/career search function. The current system does a terrible job filtering results that match the interests and qualifications of a user, essentialy making LI worthless for that type of job search. 

If this is improved (and it would likely coincide with improvements on the recruiter search end as well), Microsoft could be anticipating a payoff. More paid accounts, promoted positions, more expensive ads, etc. 

Not sure what changes they would make as far as user-friendliness. There is clearly room for improvement, but also a chance to make things worse. 

I can't imagine MS improving anything...  I'm still upset over the ribbon in office!  Heck, I went to open office/libre office because of it!

I am afraid it will soon lose any luster.

It could use some improvement, so we'll have to wait and see. That price sounds awful high to me, so MS must have some changes in mind for improving it. It could also be a huge blunder for MS. I would bet a good % of people just cancel their LI profile. Others will wait and see. Could be something to do with search engines. LI did have a few decent things. Groups was ok. I didn't like their email system.

I don't see the value of linkedin for every day use but for specific use only.

Just heard the news and it should be interesting. Beyond, linking AR posts there, I don't really use it or claim to understand why I should.  

That's a lot of moolah! And I have no idea whether this is a good thing or not.

I previously used linkedin.... if it's improved, I may revisit that site....

Time will tell. The recent changes with LI becoming more FB-like are not a posistive.

Acquiring LinkedIn is a good strategic move for MS.

MicorSofts Enterprise and infrastructure solutions are perfect for the audience represented by LinkedIn. Not unlike Ben's purchase of AR into which he promotes his 'solutons.'

Will it be IMPROVED? Of course, but only in ways that enmesh MS into this 'sharing business' environment.  If a user does not like MS way of thinking, user friendly may not be the measure of the outcome.

Excellent questions.  Attractive is in the eyes of the beholder.  Whether the site is improved is in the eyes of the beholder.

Linkedin is supposed to be another Monster.com.  But the model was drastically changed over the years.   My take is Linkedin made nothing and will be another businesss that MSN can do without it.   Easy come and easy gone.

Wow, our business employment information is more valuable than I thought! Actually I will have to mull this purchase over to see what will be the pros and cons. I think it has GREAT potential for leads and look forward to hearing from others who have utilized it effectively with good results.

I read about that - seems to be a high price tag for LI