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Recent LinkedIn Changes ? Boom or Bust? follow this blog post

posted by on April 15, 2007

LinkedIn?s recent changes have made me take a very good look at what they have done in an attempt to ?control? how you and I network through their so-called social networking platform. Since introducing LinkedIn to the recruiting community in2004 you?ve heard me speak very highly of them. Even in my previous post I give them praise for a recent development that makes it easier for us to manage our inboxes.

 

But recent changes gave me serious pause!

 

Only for a moment, until I considered all the implications, I was stunned by their decision to control how we send out networking invitations to people from within LinkedIn.  Long-time friend and fellow LinkedIn guru Danny Thomas (he?s an open connector -  invite him to your network via danny.thomas at zyman dot com) brought this to my attention shortly after it was put in place:

 

Invitations are now limited to 256 characters!

 

And that?s INCLUDING spaces! Yeah, spaces. Imagine! That?s not very much at all. You can?t really say much of anything in 256 characters.

 

For example, if you wanted to invite Danny you could try:

 

Danny,

 

I found your profile and noticed you are an open linked networker like me. I?m looking to connect with people in the Recruiting industry so we can share leads, ideas and business contacts. Would you please accept my invitation to share networks?

 

Thank you,

Shally

 

But that is not accepted by LinkedIn because it is too long. The above is counted as 284 characters. So we have to shorten it by at least 28, depending on how many characters are in your first name. Or, you could leave your signature out altogether. I went with this:

 

Danny,

 

I found your profile and noticed you are an open linked networker like me. I?d like to connect with people in the Recruiting industry to share leads, ideas and contacts. Would you accept my invitation to share networks?

 

Thanks,

Shally

 

But the fun doesn?t end there. I MUST now also choose how I know this person. Is this because LinkedIn doesn?t trust me? My choices are:

 

  • Colleague
  • Classmate
  • Business Partner
  • Friend
  • Other
  • I don?t know Danny

 

Now for the good news, if I choose Colleague, Classmate or Business Partner I don?t need someone?s email address. This is good because I can now reconnect with alumni from both my employers and alma matter without needing to know their current address.

 

If I choose Friend or Other then I do need their email, but this is the way it ?used to be? before the change so nothing new here, only I have to specify if Danny is my friend of if he is my Other ? which could be very negatively perceived. After all, I don?t want to be anyone?s Other. How bizarre a way to start a conversation! Dear other, LOL!!  

 

But ? here?s the best piece of news, I can now choose I don?t know Danny and for that I don?t need his email address! If I know he?s open to accepting invitations then I just select that and trust he will accept mine, no need to guess or find his email.

 

As you can see with the new LinkedIn, it?s a bit easier to connect with someone who is an open connector, LION, or TopLinked, and its MUCH more difficult to connect with people where you may need a bit of an explanation. The 256 limit makes it very awkward to explain to someone why you want to connect with them. Its just too short a window.

 

Conclusion: LinkedIn Good or Bad?

 

Both.

 

Let me explain ? its easier to connect with people when we don?t have their email addresses, but is harder to connect with people to whom we need to address a few words expressing our request. I think its terrible that they shrank the limit and I see no reason, nor value for doing that, other than to punish or inhibit power connectors, or people like recruiters who use LinkedIn to find and connect with new people. But at the same time I thank them for making it easier to connect with colleagues, alumni and complete strangers who are open to networking.

 

What you should do now:

 

  • Write a note via regular email to someone before you invite them to connect. That way, from within LinkedIn all you have to say is ?Per my previous email, I would like to request a connection with you on LinkedIn? or something to that effect.
  • Go crazy connecting with people you don?t know but who are open to connections (LIONS, MPLF, TopLinked or MyLinkWiki, Open Link)
  • Search for people you do have: done business with, worked with and went to school with, and you can now invite them because you don?t need their addresses and as fellow alumni they should be open to connect.
  • The webmail lookup still works so run that and add people from your Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, and AOL accounts. Use this link as a shortcut: https://www.linkedin.com/secure/uploadContacts?displayWebMail=
  • Let LinkedIn scan your Outlook (if on a work computer check company policy) to find everyone in your Inbox who also has a LinkedIn account. Use this link as a shortcut: http://www.linkedin.com/addContacts?displayMagicButton=
  • Upload your contacts from ACT!, Outlook PST files, your handheld contact managers or PDAs, or any spreadsheet. Once you upload them LinkedIn will tell you if they already have an account and this its easy to invite them. Use this link as a shortcut: http://www.linkedin.com/uploadContacts?displayUploadContacts=&context=2
  • Paste a bunch of email addresses separated by a comma and LinkedIn will tell you if those people are already users. Use this link as a shortcut: http://www.linkedin.com/addContacts?displayAddByHand=

 

Here are three other LinkedIn articles you may enjoy:

All this and much much more about getting the most from your LinekdIn networks can be reviewed in detail in my LinkedIn CheatSheet: http://www.jobmachine.net/cheatsheetsmain.htm

 

I also plan on releasing a document that includes many template ideas for managing your network, forwarding requests, rejecting requests, asking for invitations, accepting or declining requests, and creating your own ?Invite me to LinkedIn campaign.? In the meantime, the above should keep you busy and though it is now a bit harder to network.

 

Cheers,
Shally  LinkedIn | Bio | MSN | Skype

 

P.S. If in Chicago you GOTTA see this: EMA Staffing Symposium!

 

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3 comments

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  • 1 point 2 years ago

    I've been getting more and more annoyed with LinkedIn over the past few months - this just adds another piece to it.

    They seem to be trying to make it more difficult for those with larger networks to grow them. I understand that in no way do I have a network as large as the "big guys" but my 1400'ish contacts is quite a bit to me.

    Limiting text is going to make it more difficult for me. One of main reasons I use LinkedIn is to keep track of candidates. I introduce my candidate to LinkedIn over the phone - then I send the invitation from the system. In that invitation I like to add a nice summary of our conversation and the invitation to connect. That can no longer be done.

    I think LinkedIn is making it easier to connect with current and past co-workers (even former classmates - that is a joke... that is an entirely different problem) while making it more difficult to connect with *new* connections. In reality - if LinkedIn really wants to keep growing - they should be focusing on how to help attact more first time users (out of my 1400'ish I'd guess well over half of them were first time users).

    - Scot

  • 1 point 2 years ago

    Dear Shally,

    I'd of preferred to comment on your blog, but it requires a lengthy registration process. Sorry I was turned off. So I'll reply here :-)

    First off, great blog! I like the way you throw down the gauntlet. Should we LI members be upset? Maybe or not. But why?

    In my view, LI is merely responding to user requests to further their ability to filter and reject. These are mere limitations designed to make users feel empowered - perhaps for the first time in their careers. Listening to the many posts of this forum, I'd presume that quite a few would find that to be an attractive feature, but it won't open up new opportunities.

    The minority are *open*. An even fewer minority truly wish to get to know complete strangers for business opportunities. This thinking of advanced categorization and filtering seems ridiculously limiting and old school in this global time don't you agree? I'm a scientist at heart and this taxonomy thing is great if you're Darwin back in the 19th Century trying to sort out life's origins. But I think we are quite past that :-)

    Nadine Turner ------------------------------- Read my blog: http://nadineblogs.wordpress.com/ See how we're connected: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nadineturner

  • 1 point 2 years ago

    Well, Shally, here's my initial response:

    Limiting is NOT leading.

    What Linkedin really, truly, deeply, desperately needs is LEADERSHIP - NOT character limitations.

    We need demonstrations on how to use the awesome power sitting there in Linkedin, staring us in the face. Not technological restrictions. Especially restrictions that can so easily be countered and that encourages members to look for loopholes.

    All these types of restrictions are going to do is encourage people to ask, "How can I get around these restrictions?"

    That's a bad strategy.

    It makes it harder on those of us who really want to use Linkedin the right way.

    Instead, members need to be told, shown, taught how to use Linkedin responsibly and how responsible usage will benefit them, their businesses, and their careers.

    Maybe it's my own personal penchant for verbosity but, a 256 character limit makes NO sense to me.

    I'd need more than 256 characters to invite my own son.

    I won't use it.

    -- Thanks! Vincent Wright Chief Encouragement Officer http://www.MyLinkedinPowerForum.com | "Encouraging Linkedin Users"