LinkedIn promises to send only the messages you'd want to read
LinkedIn is working on an email, text and push notifications platform called Air Traffic Controller (ATC), perhaps in an effort to avoid losing more money to settle another lawsuit. The social network for professionals was notorious for spamming members until those who've had enough filed a class-action suit in California. To settle the case, LinkedIn agreed to pay select members $13 million, and it also cut back on notifications to the point that it's now sending 50 percent fewer emails than before, or so it claims in ATC's announcement post. The new platform's expected to rein in notifications even further by using algorithms to guess the kind of emails -- and even texts, if you signed up for those for some reason -- you'd actually want to get.
ATC's algorithms learn from observing your actions, particularly how you interact with the website. For instance, if you visit it frequently, you'll get even fewer alerts, because the platform assumes you've already seen what you needed to see. It also gives the website a way to learn which method of communication you prefer and which types of content you'd like to receive regularly. Finally, it'll help LinkedIn enforce daily and monthly notification limits, which could prevent you from tossing its emails (unopened, even) straight to the Trash folder. It's unclear if the company has already started using the platform, but the moment it does, there's supposed to be "an immediate improvement to both the quantity and quality of communications you receive."
[Image credit: shutterstock]
