On Thursday, business-focused social network LinkedIn commenced the roll out of a new feature which will allow the users to mention as well as hyperlink other LinkedIn users and companies in status updates and conversations.

The new feature - which is quite similar to the services that are already available on popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter - will chiefly facilitate the LinkedIn users to start conversations with their peers on the LinkedIn site.

The new feature - the roll out of which has started for the English-speaking LinkedIn users - will require the LinkedIn users to type the name of the person or company into either their status update box or the comment field on the homepage. Then, from a drop-down menu, they would have to select other LinkedIn users from the list; and finish writing their status update or comment, and finally post it.

However, LinkedIn's new Facebook-like feature is more limited than the similar options available on other social networks in the sense that LinkedIn users will be able to mention only those peers with whom they are connected or those who are part of a discussion thread on the LinkedIn homepage.

Nonetheless, about the new feature, Angela Yoonjeong Yang - LinkedIn's associate product manager - said in a Thursday blog post: "We're excited to introduce a new way for you to engage with your network through the ability to mention your connections and companies in the conversations on LinkedIn."