Wall Street Journal launches its version of LinkedIn

The Wall Street Journal is launching tomorrow (Sept. 16, 2008) a redesigned website with many social media features that we know from sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and others.  Associated Press writes that the new “Journal Community” will be open to paying subscribers only.

“Community members will be able to comment on individual stories, create discussion groups on specific topics and ask one another for advice on such topics as starting small businesses or finding a place to take clients during a business trip, say, in Prague,” writes Anick Jesdanun (AP).

PR professionals should sign-up and listen. Listen to what others are saying about your client, competitors and the industry. Getting the perspective of a WSJ audience (about 230,000 paying users) might be quite different than feedback from your company’s Facebook page or Twitter.

This might also be good forum for your CEO, so make sure he or she gets involved early. But remember to be a resource, not just a source of marketing talk.

For screenshots take a look at Silicon Alley Insider.