Social network LinkedIn will let its users "follow" and receive updates from people outside their personal contact list.

For some time, LinkedIn users have been able to follow news by industry and sources, companies, and groups. And now, users can follow other professionals on LinkedIn.

The new feature means that celebrities and ordinary LinkedIn users alike will be able to post messages, share photos and links to news articles that can be read by a broad group of people.

The ability to have followers will initially be available to only 150 LinkedIn users the company has pre-selected, including Virgin Group's Richard Branson, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson and Huffington Post President Arianna Huffington. President Barack Obama and presidential candidate Mitt Romney are also among the initial group. Eventually, any user on LinkedIn will be able to have others follow them, the company said.

LinkedIn makes money from selling ads and premium subscriptions, as well as from offering specialized services to recruiters.