"LinkedIn, an Internet social network for professionals, will open up its service on Monday to outside software developers, starting with BusinessWeek magazine, to transform itself from an online contacts and referral database into an indispensable daily tool for business users," reports Reuters.
LinkedIn's "Intelligent Applications platform program" lets developers create software for the service, and supports OpenSocial, but applications have to be approved. Reuters says:
The partnership with McGraw-Hill Co's BusinessWeek will link keywords, such as company names, to the LinkedIn service. Visitors to the BusinessWeek site, who place their mouse pointers over certain keywords will trigger a pop-up box detailing how many of their LinkedIn contacts are related to the company or keyword.
Venture Beat has more, and compares LinkedIn with Facebook.
Last year, BusinessWeek ran an interview with LinkedIn co-founder Konstantin Guericke: How LinkedIn Broke Through.
