Need a laugh? Spend an hour or two on the subreddit LinkedInLunatics. Trust me.
There it is financial expert that he feels it is necessary to share with his friends, clients and community that he enjoys watching pornography (in moderation, mind you!). There is the typical crowd of experts that use cultural events like the Olympic competitions to teach us life lessons. Or matchmaking company who thinks LinkedIn is Hinge.
Who couldn’t suppress a smirk at the creative director of a social media company who felt compelled to share his… almost – almost, of course! – missed the flight, but managed to share this very important life lesson: “Take risks. Saying ‘we can do it’ got us on the flight.” This should be a bumper sticker! Or the “creative director” who learned seven important lessons after his son threw a bag of tangerines at his balls (not oversharing was not one of them). Or the Nonprofit Leadership Consultant who is very happy because apparently her butt looks great in her son’s jeans. Erm, thanks? But why?
This is all from just last week. It’s too much in many ways. I only have so much time! Besides, I’m here to work.
There’s no question that LinkedIn is the place to be for business owners, especially those who sell business-to-business, like me. I rely heavily on the platform for interaction, leads, and information. But it’s embarrassing. All the posts are fantastic. Everyone is fabulous. People are “visionary leaders” and “strategic innovators” or “growth hackers.” They’re all doing GREAT work (although an increasing number of them are “open to work”). They’re “creating value” and “making the world a better place.” Professionals love and hate LinkedIn.
“It’s a cesspool,” Stephen Council said in Gate of Saint Francis And yet, it has to admit: “As much as it annoys its users, and even within an online culture ready to criticize the platform at any moment, it works. Two tech workers told SFGATE that they feel job postings seem more up-to-date on LinkedIn than on rival Indeed. And more tech-specific job boards, like those run by salary aggregator Levels.fyi and startup incubator Y Combinator, don’t have anything approaching LinkedIn’s scale.”
Personally, I can’t stand being on it, but I find it necessary to log in once or twice a day. Why? I use it to post my columns and react to people’s reactions. I look for potential contacts. I don’t want to be rude by not responding to people’s messages. I love the opportunity to “connect” with someone who is seemingly out of my reach. And I sometimes enjoy giving a “like” or congratulating people who have reached a milestone, such as a work anniversary or a birthday.
But LinkedIn needs a revamp. What can be done? As an avid user, I have two important, disruptive and revolutionary suggestions.
1. Be more Reddit, less Facebook
All LinkedIn users should be required to belong to at least one LinkedIn Group. They can make general posts on other sites, but these posts would be limited to 140 characters (I miss that, just like I miss Twitter) and AI algorithms would enforce the rule and prohibit posting of images containing more prolific messages.
If people want to share how great they look in their kids’ clothes or the lessons they learned when the barista forgot to put beetle juice in their coffee, they can post their feelings in a group, where (hopefully) a moderator who isn’t crazy and members who have little patience for nonsense can be their judge and jury. If the group rules aren’t followed, you’re out. If you can’t find a group that will tolerate your nonsense, then you’re done with LinkedIn.
After the newsletter promotion
2. Change the way the platform is monetized
LinkedIn should raise its monthly fees to separate its serious members from those who want to share stories about the enlightenment they gained from testicular pain.
Not only that, but people should automatically be charged $0.50 each time their connection request is accepted. That would prevent half of Pakistan’s population from inviting me to let them help me grow my following, and it would also cut down on the endless stream of coaches, motivators, leadership experts, and consultants who promise to help me “double my business” or want to “explore ways to work together.”
Adding a “hate” button next to the “like” button could also lead to harsh, if introspective, comments from members who don’t realize how annoying they are. But, after all, these are mostly nice people who believe they are saving the planet with their valuable advice, praise, and updates, so maybe that’s going too far. Maybe.
LinkedIn is approaching a tipping point. Someday in the not-too-distant future, it will become too annoying for many professionals and we will migrate to another platform that is less annoying. For many, that tipping point has already arrived. For me, it has arrived.