OT Linked In?

I keep getting requests to respond to this linked in. Does anyone have any experience with it? What's it about?

me too, everybody i talked to says leave it alone, just my take on it

I get them too. I blocked them on my email.

Same here. If still working I would look into it further as it appears to be a network of people that you could use for work related questions ?

Since retired questions that I have can usually be answered by you fine folks on this forum.

Bill

Just another social networking site. What I understand it"s sort of like Facebook, except it"s supposed to be geared more to the "professional" looking to network with others in similar fields of work.

I get them too. Its mostly retired bussiness people. I linked in once but then linked myself back out of it. I'm not a facebook type either.

Like somebody said, I can usually get answers to my simple questions right here reading what others have to say. I really don't care to tell the world everything that is going on in my life either.

When you create a profile, it takes your email address book and does some things with it, but I am not sure if it invites everyone on it or you do that. I created a profile, given I've been looking for work a long time, and thats the thing that stood out, got responses from people I have not spoke to, emailed or any contact otherwise in many years.

Its not a bad thing, your profile and your network of people, if used in that context, you can summarize your background, list affiliate companies, business's, its almost like your own advertisement.

Its been said by Human Resource types, (HR) and or job counselors, or whatever you want to call the folks that help with resumes, recruit, give guidance for job seekers and similar that your social network is very important.

My opinion is that its a bunch of crap, anyone can write anything they want in their profile, and I don't see where that is important, to any potential employer, its like the media, they can say anything. This world is getting half @ss backward with this stuff, its meaningless, unless you keep it simple, state the truth, use it as a public advertisement for your skills, qualifications, education, and maybe some brief work history details, milestones, and other achievements, you had still better to be able to back it up or its worthless to me. I kept mine real simple, no photo, a little information stating education, occupation/background, thats it. Some list a whole resume, I may edit mine, add a few things but thats it.

On the network or connection side of it, I have people I know, industry colleagues, associates or those whom I've worked with, for or know in the industry, but I've ended up with others I can't even begin to figure out who they are and where they came from its almost comical. The initial profile creation was a bit of a shock as people came out of the woodwork so to speak.

If you check out someones profile, and you have one, whereas the PC you are using, say its yours at home, its going to alert them (whose profile you look at) that you have checked out their profile. I did this 2 see if I could find anything out about some people I worked with on a huge project 14 years ago, and before you know it both wanted me to add them to my network, both are very successful, VP's now with big companies. That sort of thing is ok, and you know they thought enough of you to have them added to your network. It does not take long before things settle out and you may get an invite or a request here and there, and thats it. People do show up out of nowhere though. I detected an ex GF whom paralleled some one elses profile, made one almost identical, so she could get a look at mine and throw me off the trail by using the now 2nd married name she has thats the same as someone with the profile she copied, but lives 450 miles away! Problem is, "I ain't that stupid" I know what she did and why, not hard to pick up on things like that, if you do some searches and follow that persons trail, cripes I learned where she now lives, where her new hubby came from, its out there right in plain sight if you look, I'm talking phone number and address too, which you can quickly got to street view, google earth and look at their darned house if you like ! This was likely due to curiosity I am sure, because someone was thinking about you and decided to look you up, she got a little crafty, but has no idea I easily figured it out.

Now another younger gal whom I knew for a long time, socially as well, who worked in the industry on the design side of things, lost contact, like 4 years ago, I was working a lot of hours, who knows what happened, she, just last week requested to be added to my connections hopefully I'll hear back, see whats new, catch up, she's welcome anytime !!!!! So theres a benefit of using the site, might hear from someone you lost contact with, though there are other popular sites for that, it does work here too.

I don't do any of the other social network sites, don't see a need for it, this one is ok, but I got talked into it, being more of a professional/occupational public profile, related to your work, seems ok, so I tried it out.

I did a lot worse just by posting my resume on careerbuilder and leaving an email address in the document I posted, all the spam and idiots offering jobs in fields totally unrelated, thats just useless, but there was one positive thing from it as well. I did get one recruiter for a great job with GE pre-interview me, groom for an interview, then it went nowhere, so......

I doubt if anyone I know really cares what store I walk out of....or when I leave it.
LA in WI

The only way you will get LEGITIMATE requests from LinkedIn is if you are already registered on that site. LinkedIn is basically a website for career minded folk to connect with similar folks, and even potential employers. It also serves to allow folks to "promote" each other.

WRONG! I am not and have never registered on that
site. I get requests all the time from them to join
because other people that I do know who are on
there. All LinkedIn needs is someone to give them
your email address, and they will hound the
daylights out of you!

I joined a couple years ago when invited by someone that I respected a whole lot. I have not been looking for work but I can see it as a good networking tool that could help in pretty much any sort of business. I don't go to it or seek people out but every now and then I get a request to "link" with someone so I usually do. Now and then I get endorsed by someone for having some skill. I don't see any negative to it.

It is link_disallowed for professionals.

It is supposed to be a registry of sorts where professional people hang out, and can search for new career paths, jobs, and such. Supposed to be very professional type place.

Two things went wrong with it.

In their zeal to get more web traffic (web traffic is how these places make money, a bit of a penny per visit....) they got a little carried away trying to invite people to join up.

Then, the spammers took over and really flooded the emails with fake ads to join up to LinkedIn.

Too the point, don't know why anyone would want to be associated with that site any more.

Paul

I was in it for a while, quit because they kept sending junk emails.

Basically it seemed like it was set up for job recruiters (head hunters) to get leads. I didn't see any value in it for me.

I corresponded a couple of times via Email with a person in another country. A few weeks later I was "invited" to join linkedin seemingly by him. About two weeks went by and another, "we are awaiting your decision", and again this persons name was used, the third time,I looked real close, and it was quite obvious that the invitation to join the organization came from somewhere else and they were just using his name as "bait". Since I was never in the "professional" community and am also retired, I decided to decline, (ignore) their offer.