But while these new updates might make LinkedIn a bit more social, it isn't getting any less businesslike. As with many other LinkedIn features, there are restrictions in place. You can only set your status to "(Your name) is working on...," "will be traveling to," "is looking for advice on," "is looking for a job," or "is reading." Privacy controls can be tweaked to set status messages to public, visible only to contacts, or visible only to second- and third-degree contacts of contacts.

LinkedIn intends these status messages to be productive, not whimsical. "The status feature will provide another effective way to engage and tap into the knowledge of your network," Adam Nash, LinkedIn's senior director of product, said in a statement. "For example, you might let your network know when you're looking for advice or needing to hire someone, or when you're planning a business trip or attending a conference."

So much for telling all your LinkedIn contacts that you can't wait to see the next episode of Lost.