LinkedIn is supposed to be the social network for professionals. The key word in that last sentence is “supposed”. LinkedIn is a social network that we could honestly do without, and quite frankly LinkedIn is overrated. What it is isn’t really that great – people can spam 24/7, send messages without proper content, endorsements without any true value, and home to the lamest ads on the net.
Spam 24/7: When it comes to a network for professional people, you come to expect a certain standard. What is a social media network with groups full of spam and no comments worth? That is the question that jumps to mind when using LinkedIn. This in itself is an issue that should not be as prevalent on such an extraordinary social media site, like LinkedIn. Moreover, the issue of spamming in groups and the graveyard of comments makes adding connection on LinkedIn difficult – it is too difficult to create a true conversation on the topic at hand.
I am a member of the largest social media group on LinkedIn. What would I expect to see? Post and questions on social media would be the smart answer and expected one; however the majority of posts are just spam or people trying to sell something.
Bad Messages: A professional, no matter the market, never misses an opportunity to make a great first impression. There are those that do it better than others, but sloppiness is just pathetic.
Example:
Person A wants to connect with person B, and so he/she send the
following standard message:
I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.
What exactly about that message is professional? If anything it is quite the opposite. Why should this even bother any of us? It is our choice to connect or disconnect with someone.
Unfortunately, this bugs me more than words can express. Person A should send B a short message explaining why they want to connect, and a bit about what he/she does. The point of social media is to create a conversation. Messages like the one above, all but kill-off any chance to create a cultivating conversation.
Endorsements with no Value: heard the saying, “actions speak louder than words”, well that is indeed the case. If I am a genius at email marketing, then I probably write about it as well, and work around the clock in the sphere, so what added value do I get from endorsements? It seems like something to do when you are bored. If you think I am
special at something, then Tweet it out or interview me. Content is what drives everything.
The Ads are so Boring: Don’t get me wrong, I salute LinkedIn for not following in Facebook’s steps and adding more advertisements to every square foot of the page, but I don’t think I can compare the quality of the ads on LinkedIn to what I stumble upon elsewhere. It is not LinkedIn’s fault, but it is just one more straw that is breaking the camel’s back – if you are going to advertise in my face, at least make it appealing.
I could be going overboard. What do you think?
