Wednesday, August 21, 2013

I'm Too Square for Linked In

    

Did I link in or join the Borg collective ?



   I would first like to send a warm welcome to our new members.  Although I have never written the blog with the intention of simply gathering joiners, and I have been happy with people who read the posts and return as they can, it is encouraging to have people join. In fact, the people who have joined have been extremely bright and well informed people, and this is very heartening for me on days that I feel unusual, perhaps out of touch, and a bit like a dinosaur, especially in terms of my feelings of patriotism for this great nation, prior to its sacrificing itself for political correctness and all manner of peculiarity.

           Today I would like to talk about Linkedin.  For those of you who have been living in a subterranean bunker with only intermittent internet, Linkedin is a social media styled site which allows people to connect with those who are occupationally similar or at least occupationally interconnected.   It's basically career networking on the internet.   I don't do Facebook, Twitter, My Space, or any of the social media styled sites, basically because these are, as my kids say, TMI !   Anyone watching social media will have a great deal of information about you. Most of us reveal much more in simple chatter than we realize, and anyone collecting this data for nefarious purposes could do real damage..   Since my publisher has been phoning me about doing a better job in terms of being available to market both my books, Linkedin was a compromise for me.  It allows people to connect with me, and it allows me to connect with those I may have met once, and with whom I would like to stay in touch.  Some of them are publishers, and others are simply creative bright people with whom I would like to stay in touch.   Linkedin also asks for a heck of a lot of information, however there is a skip button.  I loaded information about myself and the books.  I loaded information about the projects I have worked on.  I did say what occupations I have held in the past, but I did not list all the colleges and universities I have attended. I did not list thirty years of employers.   Anyone with whom I would like to stay in touch from all those years, already has my contact information and I have theirs.   Stalking is a big problem in this country and around the world.  Social media inadvertently nurtures stalking, and to some degree voyeurism.  I went to one of the profiles of one of my friends from some years ago, and it reads like a storybook.  I know her life is not as idyllic as that, yet from her profile it sounds it.
            I needed to get some advice on what I should disclose on my Linkedin account, and so I spoke with my eldest son, who really is an expert on things internet.  My goal was to keep a business-like profile on internet designed to ultimately push the books.  He explained all the ways in which my privacy could be violated using Linkedin.  Not long after our discussion he decided to delete his own Linkedin account, leaving me wondering if I was leaving too much information floating around cyberspace myself. I'll let you know.




         

20 comments:

Sunnybrook Farm said...

I had one and deleted it, it just never did anything for me as they always wanted money to get to the next step. In my line of work, dirt farming I don't need to be linked in or out or any way.

Matt said...

Just so you know, I believe that LinkedIn leaves a cookie on your computer that either reads your email or your email contact list, and then compares with other member's email addresses, then sends requests to be LinkedIn friends. Facebook does the same thing.

Jane, I've gotten two requests from you in less a week from LinkedIn. :)



lotta joy said...

Today I would like to talk about Linkedin. For those of you who have been living in a subterranean bunker with only intermittent internet.

Yes. Yes I've been living UNDER the bunker. I've been getting requests from you to join Linkedin, but I figured it was one of those GOOGLE things that make it appear that it's a request from a friend.

I know NOTHING about it, and just a wee bit more about Facebook.

JaneofVirginia said...

I may find the same thing. It might not be too helpful in a financial collapse anyway.

JaneofVirginia said...

Matt,
I am sorry Linked in contacted you ! If it happened to you then it likely has happened to others without my knowledge. It also has gone after people who were in my other two e-mail accounts, so I think you are correct. This thing either has some benefits which I will see soon, or it's deleted.

kymber said...

Jane - i meant to send you an email about this already but just didn't get around to it - like Matt, i have received several requests from you from linkedin in the past few days. i don't trust it at all. just my 2 cents.

your friend,
kymber

JaneofVirginia said...

Lotta Joy, I was hoping it was a way to promote books and blogs, but it's a social media pyramid scheme run by overzealous computers. I have gotten a couple of people who linked to me, probably not because they know or remember me, but because they think they should because we have met somewhere. A couple of good friends who were familiar with the format joined and then vouched for some of my skills. Feel free to ignore it, if you want.

JaneofVirginia said...

Oh gosh, Matt, Joy, everyone else, You don't suppose they tried to link to my gynecologist, do you ? How humiliating !

Matt said...

Its all good, Jane. I knew what was happening.

Matt said...

I didn't get one from your doc, but I did get one from Joy's proctologist.....

JaneofVirginia said...

Yes, this will definitely do things for my professionalism.....NOT.

JaneofVirginia said...

I'm sorry Kymber,
I didn't even know it was doing that. It told me about some of them, but not others. It apparently contacted one of my favorite singers, who went to the trouble of reading my profile, but didn't connect. LOL

JaneofVirginia said...

Gee, I wonder if it will find a way to contact my stalker from the 1980s.

Kathy Felsted Usher said...

I used LinkedIn but it's absolutely business and critical for networking in my field plus can provide some good articles on issues that affect my work. I'm connected to my boss, my former boss, co-workers, industry groups, etc. but don't use it like Facebook at all.

JaneofVirginia said...

That was my intention also. I wanted to connect with publishers, marketing people, and some authors I run into at gatherings from time to time. I had no idea that Linkedin would go after the people in my e-mail listing who have nothing to do with that particular endeavor.

kymber said...

Jane, hon, i sure do hope that they don't send out info from your gynecologist...or heaven forbid...your dentist - bahahahah! i am sorry that i didn't get around to sending you the email sooner. i knew that it wasn't you and that it was just the way linked in worked.

oh heck - a stalker from the 1980's??? did they wear spandex and say "awesome" all of the time.

boy Jane, you really have been there and done that - bahahahahah!

your friend,
kymber

Linda said...

Some people join with a fake name just to read about people.

kymber said...

oh Jane - i sure hope that it doesn't....but from what i can gather, if anything can contact that stalker, it's linkedin - bahahahah! oh that's not even funny.

JaneofVirginia said...

People who have worked as nurses are at high risk for having to deal with stalkers. Many times they are decent to people who misinterpret and then absolutely won't leave you alone. Some of these people bother you for quite literally, years. I am fortunate that this was an issue only once for me.
I actually was joking about a gynecologist. My gmail accounts don't have her on it, but there are others who are on my gmail directory for my blog which deals with bereavement. I vehemently would not have wanted them bothered by Linkedin. Their asking everyone to join as if I consciously asked them to, is quite a violation.

JaneofVirginia said...

I am sure that goes on. If they read about me, can they buy my books ? Sounds like a fair trade to me, at this point.