I have been on for years but I seldom log in, maybe once a month or so.

It's been ok for me but like I said I am not on it often.

quote:

Originally posted by HighZonie:
I've heard nothing but BAD experiences with it.

Privacy issues, phishing, e-mail spam, re-distribution of your e-mail contacts.

This is my experience and why I avoid LinkedIn.

Several years before I retired at the behest of my manager I joined LinkedIn. Encouraged by our company for the potential business contacts.

Waste of time for me. Any job offers I received through there were completely out of my area of expertise and generally on the eastern side of the metro area, at least an hour drive time one way in a perfect world, real life probably add a half hour a day.

As to potential business clients, zip,nada,none.

Then there is the hack. LinkedIn is where my "we videoed you watching porn and want Bitcoin payoff" can be traced to. I misspelled my simple password, each of those emails cite that exact spelling.

While I left LinkedIn active post retirement once the blackmails started (each automatically routed to Spam) I deactivated my account. Still about every six months a flurry of activity demanding Bitcoin payoffs........

I’ve had an account for nearly 20 years that came free from work. Its a good way to keep up with former coworkers and to gather info on who works within certain departments at companies. It can be a pain with notifications, which you need to turn off or you’ll get plastered with e-mail. Right now it is the only kind of social media that I have an account with. When I retire in a few years, I’ll shut it down.

+

no.

I found it worthless when I was looking for a job.

Plus, I got lots of “connect” requests from people I didn’t even know, but who were trying to leverage my position and/or employer for their benefit.

It's worth what you put into it. Connect with others in your industry in your position and then start connecting with the next level up, the ones who would be hiring for your position. That is after you have built a good profile that can showcase what your skills are. I have over 1600 connections on LinkedIn now.

I got a job with a 50% increase in salary 2 years ago because of a LinkedIn connection and I just accepted a new position I will be starting in November with another 50% increase from that new base salary because I connected with a CEO and he contacted me for a position that was never posted anywhere.

I ended up closing my account because too many sales people would call, knowing that I was in a management position, trying to sell everything from asset management systems to Apps to make things better. I also received many emails form head hunters but never replied.

Was not worth it to me, but I am not in active search mode.

I never found it necessary. First of all: I never found it necessary to go seeking a new job every three years or so. I got a job, put my all into it, and only moved when I found my current position no longer tenable. I kind of treated my employment like a marriage: For better or for worse.

The upside to that loyalty and dedication was I was never once laid off when times got tough in 43 years of employment following my separation from the U.S. Army.

So, LinkedIn... LinkedIn has primarily been a source of annoyance for me, with Random People spamming me for one reason or another. Just happened, again, the other day. So linkedin.com went back on my mail server's blacklist--where it's been for most of the time.

I think I had it blackholed at work, too.

The social media aspect of it is worse than useless. I hate those silly articles and motivational memes. They mean nothing, they add no value. It's just content marketing for people who want their names/brands out there.

But it is good for networking. It has gotten me a job before, plenty of interviews, some new customers, etc. I haven't paid for the premium edition.

I've long called it "Facebook for Professionals".

With all of the same negatives and the additional privacy aspect of anyone who signs up having your complete career path at their fingertips.

jumped on it when it first came out and it was nice idea for professionals that simply wanted to network

it morphed into something far worse than FacePlant and I unloaded my account about 8 years ago

still get emails all the time for someone wanting me to connect with them on LinkedIn

if I were you I wouldn't waste your time

I’ve done well with it, but I have one rule. If we haven’t met in meatspace, we don’t connect on LinkedIn. In the ATL IT community, it’s helpful to track contacts I’ve made over the last 25 years.

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
I'm pissed at them for releasing my private e-mail during their data breach. Jerks.

I also get tired of people I don't know trying to "network" with me. Yes, I understand you want to do what I do, and I understand you are in college, but no, I cannot get you a job just because you contacted me. Nice try.

Then there was the fake profile that tried to network with me, and I was able to prove it was a fake.

But I have heard that if you are looking for a job, you pretty much have to have a profile, and it has to look good and have plenty of (real) people in your network.

There are actually professional linked-in profile writers.

Pretty much this. They’re awesome if you’re just not getting as much spam email as you’d like.

You will get some hits though, probably from headhunters that want you to relocate but that’s just been my experience.

LinkedIn has been called the "Facebook for Professionals." I found out the hard way that you don't own your data on LinkedIn -- they do (read the fine print!).

I got so tired of being notified that my real estate agent had recommended me for database skills, and other such nonsense, as well as having every Tom, Dick and Harriet wanting to Link (their term for "friend") that I decided to close my account.

ZZZzzzzaaaaap. The notices and emails didn't stop. However, I could no longer log in, so apparently the only one who did not have access to my data was me!

So, I re-opened my account and wrote in very noticeable text that I was inactive on LinkedIn and that I would not respond to friend requests or any other related messages.

The volume of crap email has dropped off dramatically, but not completely. I have a spam filter on my email program that automatically sends any LinkedIn message to the trash. Phooey.

No!

quote:

Waste of time for me. Any job offers I received through there were completely out of my area of expertise and generally on the eastern side of the metro area, at least an hour drive time one way in a perfect world, real life probably add a half hour a day.

I think it's helpful to have a profile if you are looking for work. If you are not looking for work, it's only good for providing fuel for salespeople to hunt you down and call you constantly.

I have found it to be a major pain in the ass. I'm in IT and it has never turned me on to a better job. When I got tired of a job / employer I found my personal network or dice.com to be much better at fining new employment. I also don't know anyone that has found a job via LinkedIn. I have read posts here where some have found good jobs using it but my experience has been the exact opposite.

No thanks. There’s nothing in it for me and I don’t care to hear from people looking to get anything out of me. I regret joining FaceBook but he damage is done as far as that. I learned from the experience at least.

Linkedin is the only social media I do. I’ve been contacted by recruiters about great job opportunities, and I’m always getting people I don’t know wanting to connect, which I ignore. The positives outweigh the negatives IMO.