jatiN mahindrA doT coM

Heavy users of LinkedIn and Microsoft Outlook will soon have to do a lot less tab-toggling.  Microsoft has introduced something called the Outlook Social Connector, and early next year, LinkedIn will become the first networking site to support it.

As you’ll see in a moment, the Outlook Social Connector is an accurately named offering.  A post on the LinkedIn Blog explained that, with it, a user will be able to "[k]eep up with LinkedIn connections right from your email inbox."  You can see a picture of what that’ll look like below.

Then comes click-saver number two: the ability to email LinkedIn contacts straight from Outlook.  The Outlook Social Connector will create an Outlook Contacts folder with all of their info, and automatically fill in "to" fields when users start to type out people’s names.

Finally, while using Outlook, it’ll become easier to forge new connections.  The post suggested, "Just click a button next to any e-mail you receive and instantly send an invitation to connect to the e-mail’s sender."

We’ll admit: there may not be a huge market for this sort of thing.  But in certain sectors (HR, PR, etc.), the Outlook Social Connector’s tie-up with LinkedIn should come in handy, and will likely increase the profiles of both entities.

Related Articles:

> LinkedIn, Twitter Connect Through Status Updates

> LinkedIn Tests A New Design

> LinkedIn Announces 50 Million User Milestone

Related posts:

1. LinkedIn Can Be One of Your Most Valuable Traffic Sources
2. Social Media and Email Continue to Get Cozy
3. LinkedIn Greets 60 Millionth Member
4. LinkedIn to Roll Out Changes to Address Book
5. 2010 Digital Marketing Outlook
6. LinkedIn For iPhone 3.0 Launches
7. LinkedIn Launches New Design
8. LinkedIn Celebrates 3 Million Members In The UK
9. Now LinkedIn Will Be Featured in a Lot More Apps
10. LinkedIn, Twitter Connect Through Status Updates
11. LinkedIn Makes Profile Organization Easier
12. LinkedIn Enhances DirectAds