LinkedIn logoWait for it: 230 million LinkedIn users around the world will soon be piling on the publishing bandwagon.

LinkedIn says it is “always looking for new ways for members to contribute professional insights.” That means it is allowing members – as well as the so-called “Influencers” – to publish “long-form posts about their expertise and interests.” Not everyone has the ability yet, but it is being rolled out to the aforementioned 230 million.

It’s a good idea, in theory, and I’ve noticed myself that publishing such a post creates a bit of a stir. LinkedIn waves the posts in front of people and many do view them. The posts certainly seem to increase your visibility and invite comment. Some people, like Alex Pirouz who cited the 230 million, say they’ve also generated leads and increased their following.

But. Is it just me, or is the noise of multiple posts getting louder and louder? It’s getting harder to see what your connections are doing and reading, because so many people are creating these long-form posts.

And I haven’t figured this out yet: Are these posts replacing blog posts (and is that LinkedIn’s evil plan?), or are they repeats of blog posts? Because who has time to blog incessantly, and write frequent long-form posts, and comment and like and tweet and write Facebook updates?

Are you writing long-form posts? How are you balancing them with blog posts? Please share in the comments.