Does anyone use, or understand Linked In? (vanity question)

Inquiry | 2/20/14 | Baynative

[Baynative]

I get messages from a website called Linked In all the time. It appears to be some sort of business oriented facebook thingie. But, I can't figure out what it does.

[Hulka]

On LinkedIn you are not “friends” and they never send an email that says you are “listed as a friend,” as this is never done.

If you are not a member of LinkedIn you will not be contacted. The connection request is between members, not non-members.

When asking to connect to someone on LinkedIn you select the reason WHY you want to connect. . and one of the options is “friends,” and this option requires a person, your friend, to know your email address and enter it and actually click on ‘send’. . .LinkedIn will not do that.

If, as you write, you receive an email from someone asking to be friends on LinkedIn, or says someone has listed you as a friend on LinkedIn, this did not come from LinkedIn.

There are spoof emails from other websites that try and mirror LinkedIn and also spoof Facebook invites. . .so be careful.

If you are a member on LinkedIn, you can send a request to connect with another LinkedIn member and the connect request will be sent but it is not a request to be ‘friends,” as you will receive an email that says “So-and-So lists you as a friend and wishes to connect”

[Chuzzlewit]

I am on it.. I know many people on it... supposedly helps you keep up to date with the job market..

I don’t participate very much on it, and don’t know anyone who has gained a job or new position from LinkedIn. Sort of like befriending all kinds of people on Facebook and then start wife shopping.

[Arlis]

Yes, but it’s almost as ego-centric as Facebook, only in a “professional” guise. It’s a business ego trip.

Everyone gets to blow their own horn and brag about their “strengths”, and have them supported or suggested by Linkedin “friends.”

Mostly, it’s to feed the user’s egos.

The actual networking results in a practical sense are small.

[daniel1212]

No I don’t use it, no I don’t understand it, yes, I think it’s an annoyance.

I have never subscribed, but keep getting invites from "Cassandra Lai"

[RetiredNavy]

As companies also look to gather imformation on candidates, it is also often used to compare to resumes and confirm information. For the user, it is a great way to get your business experience out there.

[Agamemnon]

I joined Linked-in back in 2006 but did nothing with it until I launched my professional website in 2008. When I joined my website to Linked-In I received a call by a client inside of 3 weeks of doing so that resulted in a >$100,000 service contract which lasted for 6 months (I own a pharmaceutical/life science consulting firm).

Since 2008 I have Linked-in with ~ 2300 people at an assortment of professional levels -- and decision makers when it comes to capital spend and originating service contracts. I am literally on a "first name" basis with many CEO's, and Executive VPs, hedge fund investment mangers and well-placed academicians.

I have reconnected with many former classmates and have been able to follow their careers even as they are able to follow mine. It surprised me to see how many people I have known over the years and who remember me as well.

You will be located on the internet and to some degree you have the choice as to how you will be located by others on the internet. Linked-in is nothing like the nonsense FaceBook is. I do not have a FaceBook page simply because that is not how I choose to be known to the world or located on the internet.

I have the basic service and it costs me nothing. I even own one of the grad school Group sites associated with one of my graduate degrees. Alumni ask me to join and if appropriate to the Group I allow them to join (currently at ~ 800 members since I launched it). It also gives me new people from one of my academic institutions to connect with who I may not have known when I was there. Example: Had an MD/PhD/JD just this week request to join the group and we became Linked-In connections. We are arranging a long-term service contract at this time wherein I will be advising one of his pharma start-ups.

Professionally speaking, for a guy in his own business like I am, it has been a blessing in many ways. That said, if you read other commenters here, some don't find it to be of quite the same value in their professions.

Resume's are still necessary of course as are professional brochures and business cards to some degree, but a client wants an easy way to do their research on you and inviting someone to view your Linked-In profile really cuts to the chase, saves time, postage, drives traffic to the web site, and it's all free.

FReegards!

[BuffaloJack]

I almost started using it about 2 years ago when I got an invite. I chose not to after I found out the NSA data mines it.

[discostu]

If you’re in an office oriented career it’s a handy place to use to look for work. Especially if you’re in a management position, you can write “columns” there that increase your visibility. And it links to some interesting news stories.

[Arrowhead1952]

I got invited to join LinkedIn from my cousin and a real estate buddy’s email. I deleted the original email [without opening] and alerted them by emails. I told them they should check their systems for viruses.

My cousin replied that she had not sent the email and her computer did have a virus. Same with the real estate agent. His home computer had a Trojan virus and sent emails to some or all of his address book.

[DManA]

Two years ago LinkedIn somehow went into my google account and sent invitations to everyone I’d ever sent an email to.

Never got an acceptable answer about why. Somehow it was my fault.

[Squawk 8888]

I’ve been on LinkedIn for several years and I still don’t know what it does.

[Cyber Liberty]

Linked In has started a “feature” that links your address book contacts. I won’t turn it on because I don’t want them contacting people without my knowledge.

[Organic Panic]

I use it. And I get frequent freelance work fron linkedin and the recruiters that troll profiles.

Thecreason people get requests are the people that set up accounts and use their email name and password as a login. It is a liitle deceptive but if that happens you give “permission” for linkedin to email everyone in your contact list.

[Hulka]

I’ve obtained several consulting projects through someone I know who knows someone kind of thing. . .through LinkedIn.

[markman46]

it a business professional networking site, I have been using it for the past year to connect with HR/recruiters and people i know in the healthcare business, used it to send my resume to three different company's and have had two interviews just this month

[Hulka]

And the NSA doesn’t data mine FR. . . ?

Quick, log off and continue posting.

[Hulka]

Post 32 probably explains what happened.

I don’t use that “contacts” function.

[Solson]

I use it all the time as not just a "facebook for business" but a great way to network and connect with potential business associates.

It's also become a key recruiting and hiring tool and in many cases, your LinkedIn profile is more important than your resume. For someone like me who is in technology related companies and solutions, if you didn't have a linkedin profile, I don't think I would hire you.

[JHL]

I do not have a Facebook account, but I do have a LinkedIn account. I use LinkedIn for business purposes and find it to be useful, sometimes very useful. It depends on the kind of business you're in, I suppose. My job involves a fair amount of Business Development responsibility, for that LinkedIn is a great tool.

As others have commented, I ignore the annoying features and emails, and just use it when I need to or can get something useful from it.

[GeronL]

I signed in once but I have no idea how to use whatever it is supposed to do. lol