It’s the rebel in me. As soon as someone says you should not do fill in the blank, I want to do it. I don’t follow the herd.
The self-appointed LinkedIn police are out and the little dictators will tell you that you should not post silly math questions or use LinkedIn as a place to sell your car. It’s not about your cat or dog, family, or even a spot to say congrats on another birthday. This is not Facebook.
It’s simply unprofessional.
And they’ve deemed it unacceptable.
They know valuable content and because they are mind readers, they know your audience is not interested in these things. Said audience does not appreciate this.
So the LinkedIn police will comment on a post, sometimes capitalizing in shout-y tone for further emphasis, that this is unprofessional. (Is this unsolicited advice appreciated?)
I am so glad they know best.
You cannot do these things in real life; it certainly wouldn’t happen at an in-person networking event. It is unnatural to talk about your family, the car you’re selling, or tell a joke. LinkedIn is not the appropriate spot. Ever. This is not networking.
What is striking to me is the time the LinkedIn police spend commenting on these unprofessional posts; that they’re so wrapped around the axle about this that they waste their valuable time chastising.
Dear Self-Appointed LinkedIn Police:
Here are some other options:
- Move along past the post. Simple!
- Select the option I don’t want to see this.
- Select the other option Unfollow. Just do it and disconnect from that person if the majority of their content is so unprofessional.
Frankly, these silly math questions and other unprofessional posts — the ones you might cringe and think yikes! — I haven’t seen that often. Expect it’ll happen occasionally. It’s life…human nature.
About these consummate unprofessionals on LinkedIn, ultimately it’s THEIR profile, THEIR network. They get to decide what to share and post, including silly content, political rants, religious stuff, anecdotes about the family. And it’s up to THEIR connections to stay connected with them or not.
Here’s the kicker. There are successful people on LinkedIn who are known for posting some crazy, outrageous things that I’d never ever in a million years suggest anyone on LinkedIn do and most definitely not by our esteemed LinkedIn police. But it worked out great for them, resulting in referral partners and more business. Perhaps it’s because they were different, not chameleons, and they stood out in a crowded network in their own way.
Also unusual and difficult to explain are those very successful old-school marketers who don’t have a website. Shocking. Not something I’d recommend either because everyone should have one…right?
This is a good reminder that the formula is different for everyone. It’s not a one size fits all.
As always, thanks for reading.
Until next time,
Angie
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