Not really sure I actually understand all the ins and outs of LinkedIn. I kinda get that it’s networking software for people in various types of “businessperson-type” occupations.
But, I have occasionally received an email, purporting to be from a friend or a relative, inviting me to join LinkedIn. Why, I do not know. The first couple of times it happened, I sent a reply back, asking my correspondent why I was being invited to join. I have never received a response to an inquiry about that. As it happens, I have no interest in anything entrepreneurial, and the idea of being in a position where “networking” is advantageous to me turns my stomach. And yet the LinkedIn invitation emails still sporadically show up in my inbox.
I’m beginning to suspect that if you’re a member, the software on the site periodically sends out recruiting emails to people in your contacts list. Anybody know what’s going on?
People sometimes import their email contact lists into LinkedIn, to find out which people they know who are also on LinkedIn, so they can connect with them. If there is an email in your contact list which is not associated with a LinkedIn account, LinkedIn shows a button that will allow you to send an invitation to that person to join.
It seems to be of most use to job-hopping tech professionals, and the usual market-churning sales types in insurance and finance who depend on the largest possible circle of “contacts” to schmooze their daily commissions.
The most use I’ve found for it is getting the contact info for long-ago work acquaintances who have little internet footprint.
I don’t know why people treat networking as such a dirty word. It doesn’t matter what position you are in being connected to other people is a tremendous advantage. Being on LinkedIn allowed a recruiter to find me which is about to lead to me getting a new job at a higher level for a lot more money.
That’s what it basically comes down to. LinkedIn is a way for you to find a better job, or a job if you don’t have one. It puts your name out there in a way for it to be found in a way that creates meaningful connections. To put it this way: A senior manager is looking to hire an experienced such and such. They have a former colleague that is now a senior manager at one of their competitors. Our senior manager goes on linked in, looks at their former colleague’s connections, sees 4 experienced such and suches, and then tries to poach them.
I’ve known way too many people in all areas who’ve gotten jobs through LinkedIn. We’ve even reached out to upper level academic administrators through LinkedIn to see if they knew any possible candidates for administrative openings we’ve had.
That said, I don’t know another working professional in my “network” who has ever found it worth maintaining the rather pricey subscription to. Those who use it tend to re-up during job hunts and then let it lapse.
Well, most people I know have found it valuable, across many fields. My point was that the usefulness extends beyond “job hopping techies”. I think that’ same stereotype and there are many different professionals who find it valuable. And I don’t pay anything for my subscription. You can get most functionality for free.
shrug No argument. It obviously survives and sweeps in enough people to stay viable.
Except the all-important ability to contact anyone. My near-universal experience is that you may be able to locate someone by their LI profile, even those phantoms who have little other internet footprint (older, non-tech industries, not web users, isolated by flappers, etc.) but even knowing T. Pufferton Smythe is at BigCo, BigCo guards its staff directory well enough that even a division phone number may not be available. Much less anything like a direct phone or email, or even region that Smythe might be in.
It’s mostly a useful adjunct to other resources. “Oh, yeah, Smythe is at BigCo… I have a friend there who can look up his email for me.”
I have 100s of connections all made through my free account. People who are direct to me and people who are 1 or 2 steps removed, through my contacts. I have never tried a truly blind contact, because for me it’s not necessary. It’s misleading to say you have to pay a premium to be able to use it. Plus, head hunters and recruiters with premium accounts and contact folks with free accounts, so you get that benefit.
Sounds about right. Every person I ever emailed through gmail was send a LinkedIn invite. I never imported my address or contacts list or intentiionally allowed them to spam everybody. But somehow, it sent out shit to everyone. Even Afghani businessmen that I once sent an email to for random reasons. I was pretty pissed, and not I’m extra careful about clicking any buttons on that site.
kaylasdad99, those invites you are getting are most likely the same thing. I don’t think they intentionally sent you an invite. They probably didn’t even know it happened. I didn’t know that everyone was spammed until some people started emailing me with “What the hell is LinkedIn. Who are you!?” and stuff like that. Just ignore it.
…or sue them. Bastards.
It’s like every other tool from AppleTalk to AA - it works for whom it works on tasks it’s good at, but it’s not for everyone and (in this case) it’s not a replacement for any other network or contact list tool I can think of.
There are proponents who argue otherwise. My point to the OP is “your perceptions are not necessarily wrong, no matter how much the fans foam up about it.”
I accept most invites from people who (1) ping me and (2) I know through some connection that makes the link reasonable. That does not include (3) link whores who are attempting to connect to, say, every marketing professional in New England whether they even speak the same language. I don’t even know how many contacts I have - it’s “many.” But it’s never been of the slightest use to me, and I am in a general population that it should be useful for.
So: OP: it’s safe to ignore unless something really useful to you jumps out.
Yes, this was all over the news several months ago. I have also gotten those spam invites from time to time.
The especially dirty thing about them is that they are sent in the name of LI users (who typically don’t even know that their contacts are being spammed in their name), and the message (and even the From: address, IIRC) are made to look like the actual user sent it. So in a sense, LI is sending spam that is forged in the names of their users.
No damn wonder LI users are pissed. According to articles I saw back then, many were canceling their LI accounts because of it. Oh, and suing LI too. I am surprised that they are still doing this shit.
If people want me to add them, I do. Unless there’s no cookie and it asks for my password, which I don’t likely know. Lots of people call me experts in something or another. I don’t quite know the LinkedIn word for it, but essentially it means someone has vouched for my competence in something. I keep telling myself that someday I will return the favor, if I’m ever convinced that it was a favor in the first place.
I get lots of recruiter spam from LinkedIn. I suppose I only consider it spam now because I’m gainfully employed, though.