Does LinkedIn Have a Connections Fraud Problem?
LinkedIn is NO Facebook: CEO Dan Nye has promised he will not tolerate virtual food fights and a Robert Scoble show is conspicuously missing. Nevertheless, LinkedIn is NOT immune to Facebook style user unrest over how the networking service serves its members.
At this very moment, power LinkedIn users are weighing other professional networking options online out of frustration with a perceived “LinkedIn police.” The white collar LinkedIn bad behavior alleged represents a new breed of online social networking infraction: WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF CONNECTIONS FRAUD AND FRIENDING FRAUD!
While Robert DeNiro famously asked “Are you talking to me?,” LinkedIners wonder “Do I know you?” When a LinkedIn member answers “NO” to a fellow member’s connection invitation, that is when the LinkedIn “police” take notice.
LinkedIn is on the lookout for “abuses” of its 16 million strong pool of prime professional networking targets: “What If I Get Invitations That I Don’t Want?,” LinkedIn asks, and answers:
If you receive invitations from people you don’t know, we recommend that you not accept those invitations to help you ensure that your personal network contains only people you know and trust. If you receive an invitation from someone you don’t know that you find annoying, intrusive, or abusive, you have the option of reporting that invitation as inappropriate. We use such reports to help detect possible misuse of LinkedIn invitations.
LinkedIn members are provided three response options when they receive “invitations to connect”: 1) Accept invitation, 2) “I don’t know this person,” and 3) Decide later (archive it).
Victims of the LinkedIn “police” warn of a “fatal” I don’t know button!:
It happens all the time. One guy who I know quite well was on his computer at 3am when he looked at my invitation and he pressed the fatal ‘I dont know’ button. I was horrified so I emailed him and asked him to have it removed by LinkedIn - no chance - its still on my record.
I realize that a personal message is one of the ways this may be avoided - but there’s always a chance someone can spoil your day. Personally I put some duct tape over my “I don’t know” button!
LinkedIn is aware of member discontent with what is perceived as LinkedIn treating casual network connecting as deliberate spam-like malfeaseance. BUT, WILL LINKEDIN CHANGE ITS “I don’t know you” ways?
I recently pointed out LinkedIn’s sexist, glass-ceiling reinforcing all male “icon” strategy. SEE: Sexist LinkedIn: Hillary Clinton and Gender Politics and Facebook vs. LinkedIn: Who has the Women?
Linkedin subsequently informed me they “noticed my blog mention about the executive male mascots on LinkedIn and are trying to work with design teams to change that to unisex, if feasible.” LinkedIn did change its icons (on the down low) but the new profile “Summary” icon still appears to contain an image of a male executive.
LinkedIn also appears to proceed on the down low with the wealth of user product feedback it garners from its own “Answers” feature. LinkedIn prides itself on the direct communication it enables between members but itself prefers cheery corporate blog posts and PR media for its member communicatons.
MORE: Reid Hoffman: LinkedIn About Face (book) and Deal Maker on LinkedIn: ‘What Do I Do With It?’ and 2008 Social Media Warning: Beware Google AND Facebook and Salesconx Will Monetize Your Rolodex: LinkedIn Beware? INTERVIEW
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