By Dennis D. McDonald

Many years ago, when I first joined LinkedIn, I was a strong advocate for using social media as a tool for personal and professional communication and collaboration. LinkedIn, with its emphasis on networking, seemed like a natural choice for professional development and job seeking. Back then there was a debate between those who supported "open networking" and those who preferred to connect only with people they knew personally.

I found myself in the middle of this debate. I now have many connections with people I don't really know. However, LinkedIn's restrictions on messaging non-network members and members’ general reluctance to publish email addresses have significantly diminished its value to me as a professional networking tool.

Despite these issues, I've returned to using LinkedIn to promote my interests, such as republishing my website posts or sharing links to articles, especially after moving away from other social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter/X, and Facebook.

Interestingly, I'm now receiving LinkedIn connection requests, some of which lead me to question if they're from real people or bots designed to harvest information. Indicators that raise questions include profile photos with faces turned away, lack of a full name, few or no other connections, recent account creation, and generic or missing invitation messages.

I don't hide my contact information like many others do. While recently LinkedIn has not been a crucial professional networking tool for me—I prefer direct communication methods like email—I do recognize the value of a networking tool focused on professional communication. Unfortunately, LinkedIn's low entry barriers and its confusing array of services, features, and advertising may be diluting its potential value, even for paying customers.

Copyright 2024 by Dennis D. McDonald

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