Big Data in Practice

14 LINKEDIN How Big Data Is Used To Fuel Social Media Success

Background

LinkedIn is the world’s largest online professional network, with more than 410 million members in over 200 countries. LinkedIn connects professionals by enabling them to build a network of their connections and the connections of their connections. The site was launched by Reid Hoffman in 2003, making it one of the oldest social media networks in the world.

What Problem Is Big Data Helping To Solve?

Competition among social networks is fiercer than ever and what’s hot one year may not be the next. LinkedIn need to ensure their site remains an essential tool for busy professionals, helping them become more productive and successful, whether they’re using the premium (paid-for) service or the free service. As such, Big Data is at the very heart of LinkedIn’s operations and decision making, helping them provide the best possible service for the site’s millions of members.

How Is Big Data Used In Practice?

LinkedIn track every move users make on the site: every click, every page view, every interaction. With 410 million members, that’s an awful lot of events to process each day. Data scientists and researchers at LinkedIn analyse this mountain of data in order to aid decision making, and design data-powered products and features. I could fill a whole book on the many ways LinkedIn use Big Data, but here I just want to look at a few key examples.

Much like other social media networks, LinkedIn use data ...