LinkedIn’s “platform” will reportedly have to “approve” all apps that get on it, in order to make sure it stays nice and business-y.

Wrong strategy. Having to be approved will keep away developers. I understand the need to keep things clean and business-y, but there are much better ways to do that. Putting in constraints *before* the app even gets in is stupid: it’s shooting your own platform in its foot. They should look at the ecosystem as a social system: bad stuff will get in. Instead of heavy guarding at the gates, they should smartly police inside, plus have clever encouragement for the types of apps they want in their system (featured app lists, make sure leaderboards for apps are weighed the right way, etc…). Please LinkedIn, we need Facebook competitors. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot taking the “easy” solution to the app-moderation problem.

(Enough mixed methaphors for you?)