I have noticed an extremely alarming trend developing here on LinkedIn. There seems to have been a tremendous increase in the amount of postings of unsuitable materials, comments, and/or personal status updates that have NO “business” being placed on LinkedIn and that are threatening people’s online branding and social networking.
These are the kinds of comments that belong exclusively in Facebook, where the sharing of personal information, life updates, social, lifestyle, and political preference editorializing exist and are accepted. NOT IN LINKEDIN.
As a public service, I want to remind the entire LinkedIn community that LinkedIn is a “business” community. The company seems to be taking the stance that members should be allowed to “self-police.”
Well, I have been holding my tongue for the past few months but I am really starting to see a pervasive pattern. It might do some good to recall that more and more Millenials are gravitating to LinkedIn to assist in their online branding.
That’s great. I mean, 90 million Americans and 3 out of every 4 workers are Millenials. But I suggest before you begin posting, join a few relevant Groups of professionals in your industry or who do what you do (want to do for a living) and monitor how these people engage, interact, and what they post.
For starters, check out this article: 9 Things You Should Never Do on LinkedIn. Yes, we can all submit alerts to LinkedIn that we believe specific posts are not appropriate (report this update), but doing so does not seem to have any impact on reducing the growing number of personal promotion posts that are finding their way into this community.
So please…think twice before posting opinions, self-promotions, or social, political causes here. Some of us have worked very hard over the years to build LinkedIn as an invaluable online source for valuable insights, relationships, and knowledge-sharing.
Here’s to your continued success in 2016.
– Ethan
