Since I wrote the book on LinkedIn (in it’s 4th edition, which is now outdated), I have been keeping an eye on LinkedIn. Not so much the company or product, but the utility. When I speak at job clubs across the U.S., I listen to users. I want to know what value they get, and search for success stories.
The story from users has changed over the last few years. How about for you? Is LinkedIn doing the job for you?
Here is some food for thought:
LinkedIn’s new digs: the SF skyscraper. This article has some beautiful photos of the office, which are amazing. This is what a company valued at around $30B (last I checked) gets to buy. Very nice.
If you want a feel-good story, then DO NOT read the comments on that post. Otherwise, you’ll find that all but one or two are really, really down on LinkedIn.
Speaking of being down on LinkedIn, check out this interesting post by Patrick Moore, LinkedIn employee #32 (from 2004 to 2005): LinkedIn has lost its Vision (posted March 26, 2016). Patrick proposes a fascinating idea behind why LinkedIn has lost its value: “the members and their willingness to keep their profile up to date.” His post gives a very interesting insight from a former insider on the value proposition of LinkedIn, and a bit on the landscape and competitors.
Does LinkedIn still add value? Yes, it does for me. But I continue to hear one theme from people: LinkedIn has disrespected their users. Not once, not in one year… over time. It’s a pattern, and when I hear someone say (like I did yesterday) “I don’t do anything on LinkedIn anymore…,” there’s nothing I can do, but listen.
For now, we continue to get the value we can out of it, and wonder what will be next.
Interesting insight.
As a job searcher, LinkedIn is a critical tool for me in researching organizations as well as positions and people within a company. LI’s job listing function is also decent but I can get the same out of SimplyHired or Indeed.
While looking for a job, I have been reconnecting with people but find that, unless they themselves are looking or they are a recruiter/talent acquisition, their profile is minimal or out of date.
I have joined a number of groups but trying to remain active in them is difficult. LI has not made it easy to browse a group or postings. Especially from mobile apps.
Once I have a job, I’ll “Try” to keep my LI profile current but I’ll have other priorities. The potential benefit that I see for non-job searchers is to somehow facilitate keeping current with contacts, networking and researching potential vendors.
While typically salespersons are good at building networks, those of us in IT are less so. I’ve connected to people and then haven’t heard from them in years. (I’m guilty of this too) I can see if LI improves the ability to network by encouraging us to reach out to others periodically, introduce mutual acquaintances and improve groups so there can be an expert exchange of information and ideas, LI might again grow. As it is, they are ripe for something new to come along and replace it.