LinkedIn is great, but could be even better.

Posted by: Scott Johnson, Co-Founder and Principal Jul 23, 2008 1 Comments

I love LinkedIn and spend a serious amount of productive time on it each day. I have reconnected with lost friends, met many cool people, found new business and hired people—all on LinkedIn. There are many blogs out there that focus exclusively on the rich opportunities LinkedIn brings. One of the best is LinkedIn Mastermind, written by Peter Nguyen (no relation to Tila Tequila, aka Thien Thanh Thi Nguyen).

However, from the perspective of 30 years in marketing and communications, I think LinkedIn could be far better. Sometimes, I wonder if LinkedIn really even understands social networking. Why should they tell me who I can and can’t invite into MY network? If I only invited people I “know well,” my network would essentially be limited to a 50-mile circle around DC and the people I’ve physically met. That’s ridiculous!

The very reason I come to LinkedIn is to meet new people with shared interests, not to keep saying “hello again” to people I already know. But in order to send a request for someone to join my network, I have to first select an option from a list. Is the person a colleague? A business partner? A former classmate? Friend? Other? (In which case I better know his e-mail address, or I can’t send him a request.) And if I can’t prove that I know the person, then I have to choose the last option in the list: “I don’t know this person.” Which then results in an e-mail saying “your invitation was not sent.”

Even worse, when someone gets an invitation from me, they can choose to accept it, archive it, or click on a button that says they don’t know me. No kidding! Why do you think I want to meet you? Once some numbat clicks on the “don’t know” button, as a form of punishment, LinkedIn disables my ability to invite others into my network. Please, If you don’t want to connect with me, just choose “archive!”

Also, I find it insane that some people come to LinkedIn to network, and then hide their contacts. If they don’t want to network, why are they there? And why does LinkedIn allow them to do this?

I realize that LinkedIn has a profit model to protect, but by throwing heavy crude oil on the entire social networking potential of their otherwise brilliant platform, they may be leaving themselves vulnerable to competitors that actually get social networking. Make money on banner ads, job listings, InMails and premium accounts and please let me grow MY network in the ways that I choose.

Scott Johnson

Co-Founder and Principal

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