Link Away from LinkedIn?

LinkedIn's spectacular growth and importance in the working world means more distracting posts and sharply-worded reminders from folks who think they are the arbiters of what and what is not appropriate social media interaction.  True, LinkedIn is still an indespensible service.  Nevertheless, what about taking a break from LinkedIn and becoming a big fish in a smaller pond?

Once upon a time there was a site called Monster.com.  The site used to have great job postings, but now is relegated to offers to become an insurance agent or to work from home making fabulous sums of cash while doing nothing.  A few years ago, a great site called Facebook allowed you to connect with your junior high friends, but now those same friends (that you still don't talk to) are littering your news feed with status updates like, "Mai-ling achieved Global Baker Queen status by baking 25 trays of baklava, 40 kilos of sohan, and 150 different flavors of mochi" on Cafe World."  And now LinkedIn lets you connect with any professional in your function, industry, previous employer, or social cause.  You can peruse jobs and participate in discussions.  But now, job boards on LinkedIn are full of MLM schemes, LIONS (the ones who have millions of contacts) send you connection invitations with the frequency of a cheap ham radio, and discussions include topics like, "10 ways for your resume to get noticed." (Why, why, does there always have to be 10 reasons for something?  Aren't 7 1/2 enough?)

So what is a LinkedIn fanatic like me to do?

Get over it.

Monster, Facebook, and LinkedIn are businesses.  The fact is that we are squatters on these company's properties.  We do not have to pay for using these services (unless you want Monster's or LinkedIn's "enhanced" or "premium" features, or need credit to play Facebook's "Mafia Wars.")  These companies make a significant amount of money from sponsors and advertisers, and need the eyeballs, i.e. page views, to keep their operations moving.  These three companies are all progressive, impressive, and from what I can see, well-managed.  With success comes hassles.  If it were in these firms' interests to monitor those annoying postings and exclude their posters, they would do so.  We do not pay for these services, however, so with free comes occasional farce!

Indeed, the LIONS and offers to view "MyGreenLife.com" and its regurgitation of job leads poached from other sites are annoying.  But a recent trend that I find just as irritating are the LinkedIn groups' hallway monitors that assume any discussion is "inappropriate," a blog link "spam," and a question, "only suitable for a Google search."  I have had my share of nasty-grams from group members who apparently have little better to do than move a topic of mine to "jobs" or froth at the mouth at a subject they just don't like.

It's too bad.  I have always viewed this site more than just a collection of opinions, but also as my online portfolio.  I do not run advertisements on this site because the revenue is not worth it and I don't care about the number of page views.  By posting a link to an article, my approach is to let readers view my work, judge my tone, and then make a decision whether they would like to have me as a resource.  Just a few months ago I had met many great people from this method, but now, the school marms on LinkedIn are doing a pretty good job throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

But I still post on LinkedIn anyway.

My feeling is that if you do not like something you see, react the way you would to that school bully or badgering co-worker:  avoid them.  I see MLM offers and ridiculous topics all the time, but I do not have time to raise the issue with the mangosteen extract-make $200 from home-best gadget since the Snuggie-crowd.  The law of diminishing results will eventually catch up to them and they will disappear.  Or not.  Does it matter?  Sending snappy messages takes time away from the job, job search, or most importantly, social interaction and exercise.  As for job searching . . . we all know the stats . . . unless you have some fantastic specialized skill highly in demand, chances are you will find your next job or gig by networking, not by policing the world from your computer monitor.

  So LinkedIn will not go away anytime soon.  But I have a suggestion:

Find an online network that is designed only for your industry, function, geographic area, or all or most of the above.  For example, a few months ago I was invited to join an East Asian business group that uses Ning as its platform.  The group has only about 125 members, but it is fantastic.  Upon my joining, the expectations were set up front, rules were set, and the topics are almost always on key.  Here are some other advantages:

• Any questions that you pose will engender great answers, and potentially, some useful leads.
• You can be exclusive about who you invite to this group.
• The sites are easy to set up and there is much flexibility.

I don't view this Ning site as a replacement, but more as an enhancement to LinkedIn.  The biggest differences are, however, that the professionals leading this group are resourceful, helpful, and most of all, courteous.  I have only seen gentle reminders to follow the group's script, not nasty comments that just belittle someone while making the commenter appear small.

So whether you are continuing to slog through LinkedIn or if you find a "home" in a boutique network, keep your head high and play, and be, nice.  If you take a risk and get the dreaded nasty-gram, keep your head high--and don't take the bait!  Try articulating your notion, idea, or discussion in a different tone, and you will do just fine.

Has your opinion of LinkedIn or other social media changed lately?  Tell us how and why!