# LinkedIn: advice for beginner? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 10, 2013, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linkedin-advice-for-beginner/670865 "2013-10-10T12:23:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linkedin-advice-for-beginner/670865/21 "2013-10-11T22:33:45Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I’m not sure that this is true. I have the free account, and it tells me THAT people looked at my profile, but if I want to know who, I have to pay. Yes, it’s true, as both **lorene** and I have mentioned. Upgrading your account to paid simply extends the window for how far back you can see profile views. If someone looked at your profile yesterday, for instance, that information is available to you whether you have a paid account or not. I think the extended window unavailable to free accounts is for views older than 30 days. And as far as the “paywall” is concerned, the basic free account allows you to do pretty much all the networking you’d need for job search and professional connections. Upgrading gets you things like that extended window for profile views, “InMail messages” (ability to direct-message non-connections), and extended profile views and search parameters. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linkedin-advice-for-beginner/670865/22 "2013-10-11T23:11:08Z")
> [@Just\_Ed](#): > > Yes, it’s true, as both **lorene** and I have mentioned. Upgrading your account to paid simply extends the window for how far back you can see profile views. If someone looked at your profile yesterday, for instance, that information is available to you whether you have a paid account or not. I think the extended window unavailable to free accounts is for views older than 30 days. > . You’re right. Sorry all. I can’t see who search me, but its because of the way I have my profile views set. ETA: now I’m not so sure, it shows a page blank of names, with instructions to upgrade if I want to see the names. Whatever. it’s not important to me. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linkedin-advice-for-beginner/670865/23 "2013-10-11T23:19:18Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > You’re right. Sorry all. I can’t see who search me, but its because of the way I have my profile views set. > > ETA: now I’m not so sure, it shows a page blank of names, with instructions to upgrade if I want to see the names. Whatever. it’s not important to me. Ok, I got it. I have my profile to appear anonymously when I view others. As a result, others appear anonymous to me. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linkedin-advice-for-beginner/670865/24 "2013-10-11T23:19:47Z")
We might be talking about two (or more) different things. First of all, you cannot see who _searched_ for you name (they will show you the number of times your profile came up in search, but not who was searching). As far as I know, this isn’t even in any of the upgrade packages. We’re talking profile views, specifically. Secondly, if your own profile is set to anonymous, LinkedIn will not show you who looked at your profile either (it’s sort of a reciprocal thing; if you want to see who looked at your profile, you have to set your own so that they can see you looked at theirs). Lastly, it’s not necessary to pay to see who looked at your profile, only that your own profile is not anonymous. Hope this helps. Edited to add: Yep, now you’ve got it. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linkedin-advice-for-beginner/670865/25 "2013-10-12T19:06:58Z")
**Napier** , is your group going to have a LinkedIn page? You also need to decide if it will be open, closed to members only, how will people join, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2013, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linkedin-advice-for-beginner/670865/26 "2013-10-12T23:00:55Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > **Napier** , is your group going to have a LinkedIn page? You also need to decide if it will be open, closed to members only, how will people join, etc. I don’t know if a “page” is what LinkedIn calls what we are going to have, but we are going to have an online space where we can have discussions and post things, and it will be “on LinkedIn”. It will be closed to members only. We will have some way outside of LinkedIn by which we will identify new members, and somebody who knows how to do such things on LinkedIn will add give them access. The point of this thing is to facilitate a conversation between people who already know each other. We are not going to use this to advertise ourselves, sell something, identify new victims, anything like that. It’s to be a virtual clubhouse, not a virtual storefront or ad campaign. That’s possible there, right? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linkedin-advice-for-beginner/670865/27 "2013-10-13T04:21:53Z")
> [@Just\_Ed](#): > > Yes. Note it’s actually a two step process – first they’ll simply compare the addresses of your contacts to their database to see if any of your contacts are already on LinkedIn, and offer to send them invitations. The _second_ part is where you can wind up spamming all of your contacts if you let LinkedIn send invitations to all of the addresses they’ve just read from your contacts. LinkedIn has lately been getting some heat for this. They are getting [some bad press](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/businessdesk/2013/10/ask-the-headhunter-a-challenge.html) and even [some lawsuits](http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-linkedin-sued-for-hacking-users-email-accounts-pestering-friends-20130920,0,7883960.story). Allegedly, they badger you for your e-mail address _and password_ :eek: then spam all your contacts, sending them invites _in your name_ to join LinkedIn, without your knowledge or prior consent. LinkedIn is also accused of [selling indulgences](http://corcodilos.com/blog/6547/linkedin-payola-selling-out-employers-and-job-hunters) to both employers and job-seekers, regarding the placement of job postings and/or resumes in search results. ETA: P.S.: I myself, not a LinkedIn member, have received some such spams. And my cousin, the LinkedIn member in whose name those spams were sent, has advised me that she’s _pissed_ about it. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linkedin-advice-for-beginner/670865/28 "2013-10-14T22:40:36Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Allegedly, they badger you for your e-mail address _and password_ :eek: then spam all your contacts, sending them invites _in your name_ to join LinkedIn, without your knowledge or prior consent. They can “badger” me all they want (and it’s really just a “would you like to connect with more members? Enter your email address and password here”) but if I don’t accept it, they can’t email my contacts. > > LinkedIn is also accused of [selling indulgences](http://corcodilos.com/blog/6547/linkedin-payola-selling-out-employers-and-job-hunters) to both employers and job-seekers, regarding the placement of job postings and/or resumes in search results. The solution to the first issue is pretty easy—don’t enter your email password. You don’t get kicked off if LinkedIn for not letting them spam your friends. The second issue is just :rolleyes:. I was checking out job postings on LinkedIn recently and the site asked if I wouldn’t like to enhance my application and gain more attention by paying for an advanced membership. Like a recruiter is going to go, “My goodness! Let’s get this woman in here right away! She’s that rare breed, a LinkedIn member!” Napier, that’s exactly what I meant. For some reason my brain was only coming up with “page” to describe it. I’ve been in both open and closed groups and prefer closed. The open ones are usually where people are trying to sell themselves more than have a discussion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linkedin-advice-for-beginner/670865.md?page=1)