David Bridges
Following the discontinuation of its gold “Top Voice” badges associated with contributions to Collaborative Articles last September, LinkedIn is now implementing significant updates to its prestigious Top Voice blue badge program. This initiative aims to ensure that members who receive this recognition remain actively engaged within the platform, thus enhancing the overall quality of contributions.
Under the new guidelines, when a member earns the coveted “Top Voice” badge, its validity will be limited to a six-month period, after which LinkedIn will conduct regular reviews of badge allocations. Previously, members with the blue-badged Top Voices were allowed to keep their badges indefinitely, which has now changed to foster a more dynamic and merit-based recognition system.
According to LinkedIn:
“Top Voices are evaluated biannually. Once a member is invited into the Top Voices program, they will maintain their status for a minimum of six months and can renew their badge as long as they continue to meet the essential program criteria.”
The criteria to retain the “Top Voice” badge include:
- Consistently creating engaging content that fosters community interaction.
- Delivering high-quality contributions characterized by originality and authenticity in style and voice.
- Sharing insightful perspectives on professional topics, including industry news, commentary, and analysis relevant to specific sectors, companies, or local economies.
- Ensuring that profiles, content, and interactions on the platform adhere to LinkedIn’s Professional Community Policies.
If you’re wondering how to earn a “Top Voice” badge, here’s what you need to know.
Previously, LinkedIn attempted to introduce an automated method for users to gain recognition within the app by offering gold “Top Voices” badges based on their contributions to Collaborative Articles. This approach, however, led to an influx of non-experts obtaining these badges without demonstrating the necessary expertise or experience.
Collaborative Articles are AI-generated prompts that invite LinkedIn users to contribute their insights. The appeal of participating in these articles was primarily the potential to earn badges, which could enhance profile visibility. However, LinkedIn recognized that this system was being exploited, leading to the decision to eliminate the gold badges while retaining the blue “Top Voice” badges, which are curated by LinkedIn’s editorial team.
To qualify for the blue badge, users must adhere to the aforementioned requirements and hope to catch the attention of LinkedIn’s editorial staff. This process is reminiscent of Twitter’s past verification system, where achieving verification required thorough human review rather than a simple automated system.
This new approach is a more effective way to ensure that only high-quality contributors are recognized, but it also means that gaining a badge will require a dedicated effort to post consistently and share valuable insights on LinkedIn.
In summary, the updates to LinkedIn’s “Top Voices” badge allocation process represent a positive shift that aims to better reflect the expertise and skills of contributors. However, it may also frustrate some users seeking recognition within the platform.
In this environment, authority cannot be purchased; the only path to recognition is through consistent posting and sharing authentic insights on the platform.
