LinkedIn changes search algorithm to remove female-to-male name prompts

LinkedIn has changed the way it generates search results to remove prompts that had asked people who searched for some common female names if they meant to look for similar-sounding male names instead. The professional social networking site has rolled out a change to its search algorithm designed to recognize when a person searches for another user's full name, and doesn't try to prompt them to search for another one, spokeswoman Suzi Owens said in an email. The changes follow a Seattle Times report that found that, in searches for at least a dozen of the most common female names in the U.S., LinkedIn's results included a note asking if users had meant to look for a predominantly male name instead. A search for "Stephanie Williams" brought up a prompt asking if the searcher meant "Stephen Williams." The site similarly suggested changing Andrea to Andrew, Danielle to Daniel, and Michaela to Michael, among others.