A little over a week ago Monster.com introduced BeKnown, a Professional Networking App on Facebook and in a way the (long) awaited response from Monster to social recruiting using Facebook and LinkedIn. With BeKnown Monster gives users the opportunity to connect their professional network with Facebook, while at the same time separating it from their social (read non-professional) network. However things didn’t work out as planned for BeKnown.

API access

For users to connect with the professional network, the BeKnown app used to connect with the LinkedIn API. Used, because within a week after the launch of BeKnown, LinkedIn has disconnected the service from it’s API access. Only hours after BeKnown revealed the first 3 days resulted in 45.000 members. At the same time LinkedIn cutted off acces for BranchOut and a few other applications for the reason of LinkedIn API Terms of Use violations. LinkedIn says to be concerned that the applications will be charging for enterprise services related to the LinkedIn API, most likely in a way LinkedIn charges for using LinkedIn user data professionaly and thus competing directly with their commercial LinkedIn Recruiter products.

From a business point of view LinkedIn cutting of API access for competitors may not sound odd, but from a social point of view LinkedIn’s decision shows that even the most social companies in the world still operate under old school business models. LinkedIn only exists by virtue of its users providing personal data to the LinkedIn application and if users want to share these data through other applications, isn’t it up to them to decide. But that’s probably too radical a thought. And for Monster, they have gambled and they might have gambled wrong as LinkedIn’s reaction wasn’t totally unexpected.

BeKnown Presentation at #srconf

At the Social Recruiting Conference (#srconf), being held at June 30th in London and organized by Alan Whitford and Vic Okezie, a first view of the BeKnown Experience was presented by David Henry (@hoorayhenry), VP Media & Digital Marketing Europe at Monster Worldwide. It has become a little doubtful though that all of the ideas mentioned in the video will see the light of day.

Social Recruiting Conference 2011 – BeKnown Presentation – June 30th, 2011 from Oscar Mager on Vimeo.

Update:

Yesterday ERE.net has published details about LinkedIn’s decision to cut off Monster’s BeKnown and BranchOut’s API access: LinkedIn to Monster & BranchOut: Pay Up.