I've given up hope of trusting my network
I had hoped that LinkedIn would actually be a trusted network of friends and associates. I think they still advertise it as just that. I am revising my opinion. I still want a trusted network, but given the following facts:
1) I know the people I trust so if I need a trust-worthy opinion, I can contact them directly. I know how to reach them.
2) Many of these people have other people in their networks that they don't know. And by leveraging those people's networks, the chain of trust is broken.
And...
3) I still value being able to reach people that I don't know enough to trust...
I am now officially an open networker on LinkedIn. So my opinion on LinkedIn not being a trusted network still stands, but I am not going to count on it to be that any more.
I'll be changing my profile to show that I am an open networker. And I am partly telling you this so you can connect with me on LinkedIn if you want to. And partly because I don't want someone seeing my profile on LinkedIn and totally calling me on what I said about it before. I'm being pre-emptive. And I'm saying that if you have stuck around here long enough to read all this stuff that I write, you will surely be rewarded to the full access of my network, up to three degrees, if you so wish. Amen.
Comments
Anonymous
April 01, 2009
I hope I didnt have something to do with your sudden change of heart. LOL.Anonymous
April 01, 2009
Haha, no. I logged on to surrender to LinkedIn. And approved all the friend requests I had sitting there, including yours. But consider yourself the first connection in the era of linking like it's my job :)Anonymous
April 02, 2009
I think I've been around almost since the beginning of this blog! :) I just had to double check that you were in my LinkedIn network though! Here's a question for you: How valuable do you feel LinkedIn recommendations are? I know every little helps, but do you think the difference between having/not having recommendations is negligible?Anonymous
April 02, 2009
Yeah, Ian, I think you were! I know that you were still in college. I have mixed feelings about the recommendations (and not only because I lost some when I deleted my job at Microsoft to update it, rather than just making the chances. What can I say? I was having a dopey moment. I have seen so much self promoting and patting of friends on the back, that I do not trust recommendations. I have seen recommendations for people that I know were not doing a goos job. So they don't mean much to me. But people are still seeking them out and writing them. So they must mean something to someone. I just don't ask people to recommend me. So yeah, I think the difference is negligible.Anonymous
April 02, 2009
I agree that LinkedIn is not as trusted a network as we'd like, but it's better than everything else. Aside from the annoying link requests from people who shouldn't be asking, I apppreciate the model and the occasional contact request to my network -- which I am very protective of. I scrutinize these requests, sometimes following up offline before approving, and try to provide hearty explanations when I do forward someone. Just the fact that this tool and workflows exists is fantastic. Useful enough that I can ignore the minor spam...Anonymous
April 02, 2009
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April 03, 2009
It's interesting, isn't it? There isn't anyone on my network I haven't worked with, except a few recruiters. And there-in is the issue. Do I open up farther and possibly link to people who might help me find something wonderful and elusive or do I maintain it as a trusted network? Considering how many "pass it on" requests I get from people who are at least 3rd degree (and who I've never met), I am not sure of the value of keeping it closed myself. It is something I am still contemplating.Anonymous
April 03, 2009
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April 03, 2009
cbuck - that's because you are a people person. :) Paul - great points. I haven't yet gotten into the SN functions, aside from installing the blog ap the other day. I'm kind of thinking about LI as a companion to FB, where FB friends are the people I know and want to tell about what is going on today and LI being the people I know professionally and may want to get in touch with (either them or their networks), in case I need to find someone who knows about x. I'm actually not a recruiter anymore (though I work in staffing), so I am not in it personally to find job prospects. But I like the idea of being able to leverage knowedge across the network if I need to. And you are right that my previous conflict has to do with my personality. Honestly and credibility are very important to me. So at that time, to connect with someone that I didn't know felt wrong to me. Now as things have changed, I don't feel there is the expectation that I actaully have a relationship with all the people in my network. I just top-linked this week and holy cow. Lisa - I'm willing to share my feedback as I go through this process. Burg - agreed!Anonymous
April 03, 2009
Facebook is bad enough. LinkedIn is garbage. Do you really want to be that available? It seems like a last resort for people who are desperate for work. You're not leaving MS, are you Heather?Anonymous
April 03, 2009
Sure, I want to be that available. I don't see the world through the negative filter that you do, RB. I'm not sure what you need, dude, but I suggest you get it soon, because you are a downer.Anonymous
April 03, 2009
Sure, I want to be that available. I don't see the world through the negative filter that you do, RB. I'm not sure what you need, dude, but I suggest you get it soon, because you are a downer.Anonymous
April 05, 2009
I like LinkedIn for the fact that I can check out a company/prospective boss and team ahead of an interview. I do not however participate in the recommendation portion. If anyone asks to write a recommendation, they should only write it if you have great things to say and back it up. I only have 1 recommendation from a co-worker from many years ago, and I don't think I have written one for anyone. I am suspicious of profiles that have tons of them. Makes it sound like the person is perfect, almost too perfect. When I interview for a job I have my list handy of people who can give me a good recommendation and I contact them when I know I am in the running for the job so they aren't caught off guard. I often wonder if recruiters look at LinkedIn and make decisions based on someones profile there and how many recommendations might be there. Overall its a useful site, but I wouldn't vouch for all the features. Also I'd be nervous being a open networker as I would fear the amount of emails it would generate.Anonymous
April 10, 2009
But Heather, on the recommendations, how are they any different from recommendations that you would see outside of LinkedIn? If anything, I'd say LinkedIn recommendations are better because there is at least a technology control in place, i.e. the other person has to log in and write the recommendation. I could hand a recruiter a paper recommendation with a former manager or colleague's name on it that I wrote. I would like to see LinkedIn add a feature which would allow you to categorize your network connections. I would like to see at least the following categories: Direct manager Indirect manager Colleague Business partner Direct report Indirect report Classmate Personal friend As well as a sub-category within each of "current" and "former" (although former personal friend would be kind of harsh).Anonymous
April 11, 2009
Bad_Brad, I think they are different because (many) people on LinkedIn trade them like currency and because I have seen people write disingenuous recommendations just so the other person will reciprocate. I'd rather call a "reference" where the person has to actually say these things, than rely on a LinkedIn recommendation where they can hide behind their online persona. Obviously, all of these things are dependent on the trustworthiness of the person making the recommendation, which in and of itself is an issue for me. But as someone who used to be a recruiter, I can say that I do want a few references checked, but really don't care about the recommendations on LinkedIn. Ultimately, people are going to need to demonstrate their value as an employee during an interview (which is also an imperfect system). You are taking a risk with all of these things, but to me, the recommendations on LinkedIn mean almost nothing. Sorry. It's just how I see it.Anonymous
May 04, 2009
LinkedIn, like many social networking sites is as valuable to an individual as their level of personal commitment to filter the requests to "friend" or "connect." Filter wisely and the value might be higher for everyone. I pass on many more than I ever accept, seems to work for me anyway. Facebook not so much for business.