LinkedIn Launched A New App To Make Networking Easy - Even For People Who Absolutely Hate It

Networking can feel like a necessary evil: You know it's important, but doing it right takes a lot of effort. LinkedIn's goal is to make it all easier.

Today, the company released a new app that helps you keep track of what's going on in the professional lives of the people you're connected with.

When you open LinkedIn's Connected app, you'll be greeted with a list of the most important updates in your network - if it's someone's work anniversary or birthday, or if they changed jobs, or were mentioned in the news. It's an easy prompt to reach out to those people, to congratulate them or ask them about about their new gig.

Every day, the app delivers a new list of targeted updates that will help you find ways to strengthen your existing relationships with a personal touch. The app's tagline: It takes the "work" out of networking.

"It only takes a couple minutes a day to your keep network warm and active," product manager David Brubacher told Business Insider. "When you are investing in and nurturing your network, that's when more opportunities come to you."

Brubacher said people who make an effort to stay connected with their connections have their profiles viewed about six times more often, receive seven times as many endorsements, and get four times as many private messages (which LinkedIn calls InMail).

Users can also sync Connected with their calendars to get even more personalized updates and notifications. For example, several minutes before you have a meeting with someone, LinkedIn might send you a push notification to check out their profile. Or, if you had a meeting the day prior, one of your update cards might be to connect with the person that you met.

The app is structured with different "cards" you can swipe through to see each update in your network, and you can click through each update card to see the profile of the person and what you have in common, or should remember about them.

Connected launches for iPhone today, with other operating systems to be rolled out soon.

Take a look inside the app:

Every day when you open the app you'll be given a list of the most important updates in your network. You'll be able to take action directly from each update card, but you can also dig in to see more details about your connection, and leave notes for yourself about what else you should remember about that person. LinkedIn keeps track of all the people that you've reached out to.