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Permalink Reply by Irina Shamaeva on March 22, 2012 at 5:20pm

It is just that sending an invite suggesting a matching job is not a great practice, that's all. I suggest sending invitations to connect only to people who will likely accept them. In addition to people whom you have met, you can invite people who are "open networkers", "toplinked", etc. (We shouldn't assume that fellow group members would always want to connect.)

Even if you invitation to connect is not marked IDK but is not accepted either, it is wasted.

There are other excellent ways to get in touch with people regarding jobs. One is sending messages to your group members, there's no need to connect for that (but make sure the person qualifies to hear about your opening, because otherwise they can mark your message as spam). Another is InMail; yes, those are paid, but they work beautifully.

You can also: "share" content on LinkedIn, post in groups, post in Q&A, post on your company status, create a group and invite to join it.... lots of ways to get that communication going.

Regarding the suspension problem...I have also heard that some people have multiple profiles on LinkedIn... but we shouldn't do that, of course.

Irina

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Permalink Reply by Paul Alfred on March 22, 2012 at 5:49pm

Just thought I would also add ... LinkedIn will also restrict the number of connections you connect with even when you are a paid subscriber as again this is not a Job Board it's a Social Network. LinkedIn does not want to cheapen the service for why most of its users are actually on the Web Service.  They will observe how you add connections organically over time as supposed to just adding connections systematically -without any kind of relationship.  I get complaints from recruiters ( Paid Subscribers) who only use LinkedIn as a Job Board - they get a warning - then they are not allowed to add any more connections for a certain period of time abuse it further ... Well ...  Just a side note Facebook will also warn you if you add people you don't know to your friend list again organic growth is key ... "Social Media ..."

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Permalink Reply by Paul Alfred on March 22, 2012 at 6:15pm

Marie, if you can get the email of the contact - you can go to the Add Connections and insert the email ( From your personal account - not in the Paid Subscription service) - you can do this from dusk till dawn ... : >)   I do that a lot. Jokes aside ... Irina also made some great suggestions if you don't have the email address of the contact.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on March 22, 2012 at 7:04pm

Recruiters have become more irritating than fruit flys and the worst spammers on the planet.  We damn sure have figured out how to differentiate ourselves , have we not.!

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Permalink Reply by Kelly Blokdijk on March 22, 2012 at 9:06pm

Actually, I was under the impression that the IDK "flag" was common knowledge by at least most active LI users. I wasn't there from day one, but have used the tool for approximately 6 1/2 years and LI's "suggestion" to only connect with people you know has been in place that entire time as far as I remember. Likewise, the ability to report questionable practices has been provided to ensure a quality experience for those that comply with the core functionality and expect others to do the same.

Personally, I've NEVER invited anyone that I have not met or at least had a "virtual" interaction with to join my network and don't anticipate doing so in the foreseeable future. I understand as a recruiting professional, cold calling or cold emailing, etc., is part of the deal, but that doesn't mean it is a welcome practice by the general population. Therefore, rejection is also part of the package, is it not? Telemarketing, door-to-door soliciting and panhandling comes to mind! 

As others have stated, each person has their own preference and purpose for how and why they use LI for professional networking. I happen to know plenty of people who refuse 100% of invites from anyone they don't know. There are others at the complete opposite side of the spectrum that go out of their way to add "random strangers" to their network as if connection collecting is somehow going to lead to winning the lottery. 

Unfortunately, the overall LI user experience has diminished significantly over the past 3-4 years. IMHO, this isn't LI's fault, but the behavior of people that conveniently forget to keep in mind the "professional" part of professional networking. The majority of connection requests I get are either the generic LI wording or something equally unimpressive and impersonal.

Ironically, an existing connection recently sent me a LI intro request to meet another existing connection - their note was appropriately professional and it stood out enough that I thanked them for their courtesy and consideration as that is practically always lacking from similar requests that I get multiple times per week/month. Not that I don't respond to the others, but that is a perfect example of how to differentiate in a positive manner versus being a presumptuous, entitled pest. 

I've had mixed, but decent results using other methods of contacting people. Usually, if I'm not connected, I find a mutual group and send a message through that channel, using the "send a message" feature, not the "invite to connect" feature. And, no matter what I customize the message to be absolutely clear and as respectful of that person's time by stating the essential info which minimizes their effort needed to reply. 

KB @TalentTalks 

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Permalink Reply by Bill Schultz on March 22, 2012 at 11:38pm

It's not free Sandra.  They sell advertising on their site.  The membership is the value.  They IPO'd because recruiters use their site.  If you don't like something, you should be heard.  Not saying it's right to send out unsolicited connect requests  Just saying if someone wants an explanation, one should be forthcoming.  We don't have to sit with our tail between our legs because we're not paying directly.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on March 23, 2012 at 11:11am

Lol, well Bill, if I don't pay for something I think of it as free. If my presence gives somebody else something to sell great. If I abuse the rules to the point that I get my nose slapped I think I better put my tail between my legs and following the rules. My take is that rules are made so everybody can utilize a service the way they want to as long as they don't step on somebody else's toes. If anybody is blasting out 50 requests to connect a day they are going to get popped as a spammer. If I can make 65k in three months with aprox. 75.00 cost to me or no cost. I am going to be very respectful of rules whether I like them or not.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Schultz on March 23, 2012 at 11:58am

Vmy point addresses the fact that she deserves an explanation, free or not. I'm not arguing the point you so eloquently put out there.

Sandra McCartt said:

Lol, well Bill, if I don't pay for something I think of it as free. If my presence gives somebody else something to sell great. If I abuse the rules to the point that I get my nose slapped I think I better put my tail between my legs and following the rules. My take is that rules are made so everybody can utilize a service the way they want to as long as they don't step on somebody else's toes. If anybody is blasting out 50 requests to connect a day they are going to get popped as a spammer. If I can make 65k in three months with aprox. 75.00 cost to me or no cost. I am going to be very respectful of rules whether I like them or not.

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on March 23, 2012 at 12:28pm

Well, I think the explanation is pretty clear. If you get x number of "I don't know this person" rejections of connection requests your account gets suspended. If we don't read the rules or ignore warnings, ignorance is no excuse. That is why we get a warning. What is there to discuss?

Sort of like driving the wrong way on a one way street, getting a ticket, then wanting an explanation because we failed to see the one way sign. We don't directly pay to use the street but if we fail to see or ignore the street signs, we get a ticket and we get to pay it. Does the judge care or need to explain that we broke the law. We make mistakes, we get to pay for them so maybe we pay more attention in the future.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Schultz on March 23, 2012 at 12:58pm

That's all they have to say then.  

If the user has a specific question, there should be an avenue for her to get an answer.  Whether it be a knowledge repository, forum, etc.    It is not up to you or me or LI to judge the worthiness of the question and simply ignore it. 

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Permalink Reply by Paul Alfred on March 23, 2012 at 2:04pm

Indeed Bill .. LinkedIn does have a problem getting back to users ... Perhaps they could use Google's example of working with a forum where users can support other users questions.   But Sandra does have a point ... If a web service issues a warning about a behaviour (Social action) and you ignore it ...  well ... 

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Permalink Reply by Sandra McCartt on March 23, 2012 at 2:05pm

They already did.  You get a warning on your account first it pops up right in front of your very little eyeballs it says , You are nearing the number of i don't know responses that will cause your account to be restricted.  Please review the terms of service.  Or you get a notice that you have surpassded that limit , your account has been restricted and if you continue to get those responses your account will be suspended.  What is to discuss or question after you have received a pop up warning and been referred to terms of service.

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