Who is not taking LinkedIn seriously?
People on LinkedIn have thousands of connections, they take time to comment on the posts they like, dislike, agree or disagree with. It is an open platform. It is baffling when people want others to stop posting certain material on LinkedIn because according to them it is unprofessional.
Before starting any debate let us be clear with what is the purpos
e of LinkedIn.
On LinkedIn’s official website we can find its mission statement.
“LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with hundreds
of millions of members, and growing rapidly. Our mission is to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”
So it clears one thing that the platform was not created to make random friendships. It is to connect/reconnect with colleagues, classmates and other professionals to open opportunities.
It is an assumption whenever an invite is sent to someone or vice versa the profile is viewed prior.
It is a common drill on every social media platform that people are followed if their posts are informative or interesting and unfollowed if their content is disturbing.
What is confusing on LinkedIn, we connect to a person, we follow them and then we start discrediting them.
Will commenting on the picture/post saying “This is not Facebook, be professional.” Make that person stop? In fact they are not the one making LinkedIn Facebook because their post is seen by their connections or followers only, by commenting on their post we are spreading it to all of our connections.
We are giving people the attention they want and then making them bad in front of the world, what does this make us?
If the post is so disturbing, just unfollow the person, or if one wants
to make world a better place by dictating others, then send them a personal message. Discrediting them, ridiculing them or begging to stop posting such stuff in front of their connections, yours and everyone who commented on the post will not bring a positive change in the person.
Another common practice is posting screen shots of personal conversation or spreading phone number of a “Bad Guy” in order to get rid of him.
Question becomes, Will posting a screenshot of our personal conversation to warn others about the bad guy makes any difference?
Even if it does, it is equally unprofessional.
If pictures or any content is bothersome, remove them from your connections (check LinkedIn Help Center for instructions.)
The purpose of criticism should be someone’s improvement not shattering every piece of their personality and confidence.
Facebook, LinkedIn, twitter, Instagram a
nd freedom of speech are the crutches people take to badmouth about others and elevate their egos while hiding behind computer screens.
One needs to understand that if LinkedIn is a professional network for an engineer, doctor, teacher, and student, it is a professional network for a painter, performer, sculptor, actor and so on. Nobody is forcing anyone to connect with a person one cannot stand.
Discrediting others on a PROFESSIONAL network will not make one look anywhere near professional.