Late last year, LinkedIn announced a new version of their API. Starting May 1st, all integration features with LinkedIn must use the new API. JFBConnect v8.1 was just released and is fully compatible with the required changes. If you use LinkedIn integration on your site with JFBConnect, please upgrade before May 1st to ensure there are no authentication issues on your site. There are quite a few things to be aware of with the new API version as well, so please read everything if you incorporate LinkedIn authentication on your site.
About 4 years ago, LinkedIn removed quite a few profile import features from their API. Before that, you could import a user's complete job history, their patent portfolio, a good view of their connections and many more details about the user. With the update in 2014, they pretty heavily limited what could be fetched from a user's profile.
Unfortunately, this new API version takes things even further by limiting profile fields further and removing some popular features we've supported. LinkedIn still does make a wider set of data and features available to some apps, which is all detailed below.
Starting with JFBConnect v8.1, the profile fields you'll be able to import from LinkedIn are:
The permission allowing your site to post to your company profile has been removed. Since that permission is no longer available, the LinkedIn Channel ability of JFBConnect to automatically (or manually) post content to your Company Page will no longer work for most sites.
LinkedIn has long had the LinkedIn Marketing Developer Program. This is a service you can apply for that is free of cost if you are approved. If you gain access, your app will have access to the entire LinkedIn API, including full profile information and the ability to post to Company Pages.
JFBConnect still can support these additional features, so if your application is in the LinkedIn Marketing Developer Program, please get in touch and we'll gladly work with you to enable additional LinkedIn features for your site.
Many social plugins previously provided by LinkedIn are being removed. JFBConnect has removed support for the Member Profile, Company Profile, Company Insider, Jobs You May Be Interested In and Alumni Tool plugins. The only social widgets for LinkedIn that should continue to work are:
The widget availability is for all sites, regardless of whether your app is in the LinkedIn Marketing Developer Program or not.
While the above information is disappointing, LinkedIn is still an incredibly valuable social network to have on your site. It's a business-focused social network, of which it's pretty much the only one. Even with the limited profile import ability, there is always a huge value in having a quick registration process for your users, especially when their email, name and profile picture are imported automatically.
We plan to continue supporting LinkedIn in JFBConnect. We don't anticipate any more major changes to their API coming in the future, and we don't believe it will become even more restrictive over time.
To repeat, the new LinkedIn API will be required on May 1st. At that time, all versions of JFBConnect before v8.1 will no longer be able to authenticate with LinkedIn. If you use LinkedIn authentication on your site, please update before May 1st.
