We’ve all been there. We’d like to reach out to an old classmate or colleague or intramural kickball teammate, but we don’t want to appear too eager or too enthusiastic or too… out of the blue.   

Regardless of the reason we’re hoping to reconnect, that initial outreach can be daunting:

“Will they be annoyed?”
“What should I say?”
“Will they remember me?”

But now, thanks to LinkedIn’s recent platform update, it doesn’t have to be so daunting. Conversation Starters, the job-seeking social network’s attempt at making the art of connecting more seamless, is here to reduce that stress and give us back at least a few minutes in each therapy session.

“At LinkedIn, we’re always working on ways to help you be more productive and successful in your career,” they explain in a recent in a recent blog post. “One of the key ways we do that is through messaging, since conversations are at the heart of building relationships.”

Conversation starters include updates on professional activity, shared experiences, and shared connections. See that a past associate got a new job or title change? Now you can congratulate them on their well-deserved promotion and start a conversation. Or perhaps you and a colleague have a mutual connection—break the ice by dropping their name.

While other social networks help us stay connected, LinkedIn is constantly improving the way we all reconnect. So take advantage, drop a line, and get ahead.

Featured image via Mashable.