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LinkedIn's New Way to Kill Itself

3 points by jprince ↗ HN
So I keep getting LinkedIn invites from people whose name I only barely recognize. I check out their profile and see they definitely are in the tech space, and I might like to know them, except I'm not sure who they are. I'd like to send them a message to ask how they know me, but of course I can't without upgrading to Premium. I'd like to accept them and then send them a message, but if it turns out I don't want to be associated with them, I can't EVER remove them from my network. So what do I do instead? I just Ignore EVERY SINGLE REQUEST I GET unless I remember the person clearly and thoroughly.

It's a great way for LinkedIn to not create connections for people, don't you think?

6 comments

[ 3.6 ms ] story [ 29.5 ms ] thread
palidanx
What bugs me more is the zillions of e-mails you get from the LinkedIn groups.
dl8
Yeah, and most of the emails (that I've received) are just HR people promoting their own blog posts or something.
bmelton
I hate LinkedIn, but I've always found that to be a feature, not a bug.

I very seldom bother with LinkedIn, but on the rare occasions that I do, it's always because of a connection I don't want to miss out on. My boss from 10 years ago, for example, found me on LinkedIn and connected, and I accepted that connection with zero hesitation. He was a great manager, and literally made everybody around him better, and I'm more than happy to have my name alongside his.

That said, there have been people with whom I've worked alongside for years whose requests I let languish. Good friends, in many cases, and often competent workers, but, at the same time, not necessarily those I'd be willing to speak effusively on for a job recommendation.

In short, my criteria for a LinkedIn connection is whether or not I can answer the phone unprepared and sing to a potential employer about how amazing they are. For anybody I can do that with, accepting the connection is a no-brainer... for everyone else, it's basically a non-starter.

That LinkedIn makes it hard to remove contacts only solidifies that decision for me all the more.

J_Darnley
Mark as spam. That's what I did when I received invitations from random people to join linkedin.
stevekemp
I feel your pain. I only setup an account there to issue takedown notices against people who would copy and paste articles I wrote into "groups" as their own work.

I could find zero way to do this without becoming a member.