LinkedIn came up with a fresh new homepage this week, and with a fresh new member, as Bill Gates gave up his Facebook account and joined the 19 million LinkedIn users in an unusual manner, by posing a question on his new favorite community site, asking for suggestions to encourage young people to pursue careers in science and technology.

What’s the connection between LinkedIn’s latest features and Gates’ “divorce” from Facebook? Obviously, Facebook! While still trying to catch up with its rival, LinkeIn has been also working on making the “staying” more enjoyable for cyber-visitors, through a status feature similar to that of Facebook, and by turning Facebook’s most popular user into a new “acquisition”, as strange as that may sound.

LinkedIn is currently submitted to a makeover meant to re-boost the site’s positions compared to its rivals. A good way to start was to personalize the user interface with a series of modules that allow users to organize their information on the profile page and keep their friends updated with whatever they are up to.

Gates’ presence only made things better for LinkedIn, as his profile became the most searched profile on the site. This time however, the philanthropist won’t have to worry about getting suffocated with too many friend requests, as LinkedIn will block friend requests. After all, they wouldn’t want to lose their most popular user like Facebook, would they?

At the end of the day, LinkedIn is working on improving the time people spend on the site, which allowed Facebook to be one step ahead, at least until now. The task is a difficult one, considering the differences between the two rivals. LinkedIn has an average of 6 and a half minutes per visit, while Facebook has 21 minutes. If we think of it, Bill Gates’ new account could give them a little push, but the new design should have much more to do with a future success.