It's interesting to note that the vast majority (over 80%) of the
TopLinked Top50 list have opted to be Free, rather than Premium
LinkedIn users (as I have)

As one of those folks (like you) who have helped LinkedIn grow, I find
out that LinkedIn doesn't really care about me at all - in fact they
resent 'Power Users' like you and me.

I USED to be a Premium User - and in fact, through my Podcast series
on The Connections Show (www.tinyurl.com/ConnectionsPodcast) used to
be an ardent evangelist for more people to support LinkedIn by
becoming Premium Users.

The reasons for this were twofold:

1) I believe(d) that if you're getting benefit from LinkedIn, it's
probably a good idea to support it financially, so it can grow and
prosper.

2) By paying for the service, I had a right to expect a certain level
of service. (compared to free users who just had to expect whatever
LinkedIn chose to provide)

It seems I was wrong - and ultimately, poor Customer Service,
unanswered emails & unresolved problems led me to downgrade my paid
account to a free one, in protest.

Initially, this was only supposed to be for a month or two - but
ongoing service difficulties etc have given me no reason to change my
position.

Now they're pulling their stunts again - this time with LinkedIn
Search. I am no longer able to search my 1st & 2nd Degree connections.

All results now show up as 3rd level connections only.

In the panel on the left, the 1st & 2nd level connections are showing
up as greyed out. (with 0 connections). However all my results are
showing up in either Groups or 3rd + Everyone else.

Are you having the same problem??

Stan Relihan

 

It's interesting to note that the vast majority (over 80%) of the
TopLinked Top50 list have opted to be Free, rather than Premium
LinkedIn users (as I have)

As one of those folks (like you) who have helped LinkedIn grow, I find
out that LinkedIn doesn't really care about me at all - in fact they
resent 'Power Users' like you and me.

I USED to be a Premium User - and in fact, through my Podcast series
on The Connections Show (www.tinyurl.com/ConnectionsPodcast) used to
be an ardent evangelist for more people to support LinkedIn by
becoming Premium Users.

The reasons for this were twofold:

1) I believe(d) that if you're getting benefit from LinkedIn, it's
probably a good idea to support it financially, so it can grow and
prosper.

2) By paying for the service, I had a right to expect a certain level
of service. (compared to free users who just had to expect whatever
LinkedIn chose to provide)

It seems I was wrong - and ultimately, poor Customer Service,
unanswered emails & unresolved problems led me to downgrade my paid
account to a free one, in protest.

Initially, this was only supposed to be for a month or two - but
ongoing service difficulties etc have given me no reason to change my
position.

Now they're pulling their stunts again - this time with LinkedIn
Search. I am no longer able to search my 1st & 2nd Degree connections.

All results now show up as 3rd level connections only.

In the panel on the left, the 1st & 2nd level connections are showing
up as greyed out. (with 0 connections). However all my results are
showing up in either Groups or 3rd + Everyone else.

Are you having the same problem??

Stan Relihan

 

My reason for paying a fee is to get the opportunity to search for more people in a single search.  I imagined that the Inmails would be useful too.

I find that I don't use the Inmails. I've currently got about 45 in reserve.
Besides the reporting system on Inmails isn't working. I can't track the Inmails I've sent. I get the impression that they don't work very well.

I'm also in a situation where LinkedIn won't let me connect to anyone else via another user. Essentially unless the person I want to connect to shares a group with me, I have to send an Inmail to make contact. A possible alternative is that the member makes an email address available, but most don't.

So I'm not happy about the level of service I'm getting. Just for the moment, I'm trapped into continuing to pay. But that will change.

John S Veitch
The Network Ambassador

Hi Marc

Unfortunately, the European LI concurrence (Viadeo (French) and Xing (German)
are way too small, and the free account versions are way too restrictive, even
more restrictive that what LI are nowadays (not sure if you received my email
where I had pointed out a new LI limitation for free accounts: certain 3 degree
accounts had family names replaced with initials, and one had to become a
premium in order to see full name.

Another problem for the European competition is just that: they're European, so
they're competing with each other, and more targeted to local users: Viadeo is
most used in France, and Xing in German-speaking countries (Germany and
Austria). So it's not uncommon to receive invitation and messages in German...
Another weakness, that at least Xing has, is that they had gone public, maybe a
little too soon (so now their stock isn't doing so great).

It's funny, as the article you've pointed out speaks about Facebook, don't you
feel how low LI has gone, becoming more and more like FB? They've integrated
useless FB features, like status, sharing it, following, Twitter integration
etc. etc.

My 2c

Vlad
http://www.linkedin.com/in/vladimirpacuraru

 

Hi Marc

Unfortunately, the European LI concurrence (Viadeo (French) and Xing (German) are way too small, and the free account versions are way too restrictive, even more restrictive that what LI are nowadays (not sure if you received my email where I had pointed out a new LI limitation for free accounts: certain 3 degree accounts had family names replaced with initials, and one had to become a premium in order to see full name.

Another problem for the European competition is just that: they're European, so they're competing with each other, and more targeted to local users: Viadeo is most used in France, and Xing in German-speaking countries (Germany and Austria). So it's not uncommon to receive invitation and messages in German... Another weakness, that at least Xing has, is that they had gone public, maybe a little too soon (so now their stock isn't doing so great).

It's funny, as the article you've pointed out speaks about Facebook, don't you feel how low LI has gone, becoming more and more like FB? They've integrated useless FB features, like status, sharing it, following, Twitter integration etc. etc.

My 2c

Vlad
http://www.linkedin.com/in/vladimirpacuraru

Yep, that's Linkedin for you!

- Steven Burda
Sunday, 11-28-2010

http://tinyurl.com/WhyLimit
http://tinyurl.com/WhyTop4

 

Check this out - more reason to push you to an upgrade... 

http://imonlinkedinnowwhat.com/2010/12/09/linkedin-free-level-losing-steam-as-linkedin-jumps-the-shark/

(or http://bit.ly/gWXoQK)

-- 
Jason Alba
::  http://JibberJobber.com - Organize your Job Search
::  http://LinkedInForJobSeekers.com - DVD  
::  DVD bundle: http://JibberJobber.com/specials
::  http://twitter.com/jasonalba
::  Review my third book? http://ow.ly/1WhqM 
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

_

Hi

I saw this as well, and as Marc said, I think I've reported it to him (as I know
he keeps track of such LImitations :)

However, at least for now, either the change is buggy (and it isn't seen
everywhere (i.e. I've got plenty of 3rd degree contacts that I see in full, but
still there are contacts like this where only the 1st name is displayed) or
there is something we're not aware in their algorithm which makes that only
certain 3rd degree contacts are seen this way (i.e. it's a feature, not a bug).

Only time will tell, but in any case, this is not an incentive to upgrade.

My 2c,

Vlad
http://www.linkedin.com/in/vladimirpacuraru

 

Very interesting, thanks for sharing Marc (I had not seen this, busy week). I use the service and think it’s great on my i-phone, I just wonder if LinkedIn thinks it will both help grow the network and allow people to connect directly via trading business cards in the future? LI has hired three people I know out of the ranks of the staffing industry in the past several months to help push the “what is to come” vision and services. A long way from the grass roots internet networking we were all using the tool for over the years.

 

Cheers,

 

Chris Wellington

 

Great points Marc! But I disagree with “saturation” I think there is still a lot of new market share (in the new medium or vehicle) of non-users but how to differentiate from the Facebook and other IPOs coming in the next 1.5 years. I wonder if a Goggle will not just grab them up secretly to build the empire of services? Was pitched tonight on needing a sponsored button for my blogs and main websites, crazy! Once was yellow page budgets, ha don’t even have one land line any longer.

 

With the business card the “old schoolers” still feels is the safe bet to hand them to an I-Phone guy like me, then LI can capture even more users instantaneously, some of these people may never go to a SM site…but they are now J I don’t think it product extension I think its additional “for sale” services so they can sell business owners like me on more data. Just my thought after swimming through the sea of tools for 2011…we all choose LI even with a 400% increase in cost for new hire. Was truly free at one point for some of us that have been there for a long time now…

 

Keep it up!

 

TGIF

 

Chris Wellington

LinkedIn (LI) Events is Meetup for LinkedIn members. It's been around for over two years now.  What do you think of it? Have you found it valuable? What tips or other uses have you found?

I've used LI Events a few times for DallasBlue events. I've found it useful for supplementary marketing and services and have added it to my regular event operations. My review and comments are below.

Weak features:

• Primary event listing. Don't have a web page? LI Events allows you to publish the basic facts, including a link to a web site.  The listing does not provide payment or formal registration.  It's OK for a simple and free get-together.  It's adequate for a secondary listing.  But it's not a selling or registration service.  I don't recommend it as the primary home for a professional or corporate event.

• LinkedIn community promotion.  I've seen little evidence that business members turn to LI Events to find a new seminar or business event.  You might attract a few people.  But don't count on it to fill your meeting.

• Branding. There is little you can do to brand your meeting on LI Events.  The event is associated with your personal profile. You can't provide a logo, HTML, or otherwise format your listing and description.  Your organization is a single non-descript line in the event overview.  LI provides a custom URL with the event name.  But that is quite long.  Use bit.ly or your favorite url shortener.

Recommended use:

• Contact marketing. LinkedIn makes it easy to invite your connections. The event will also show up in LinkedIn updates on the home page and in email for your LinkedIn buddies.  LinkedIn messaging restrictions apply. You can only invite current connections and send to a maximum of 200 people at a time, which can only be filtered by metro area and industry.  Don't rely solely on LI Events for your marketing. But it definitely should be a part of your outreach.

• Social communications. LI Events supports comments.  It's limited compared to LinkedIn group discussions.  Still, it's a useful real-time and social way to publish event announcements and updates, receive and answer questions, and allow other comments and suggestions. My normal event publishing doesn't provide this functionality.  I've found LI Events to be a nice supplemental resource. 

• Online event networking.  I've been looking for several years for a free service outside Meetup that allows invitees and attendees to look up one another before an event to see who's coming, plan personal meetings, and initiate contact, as well as to follow up afterward. Only people who RSVP in advance on LinkedIn will be listed in the LI Event, just a subset of actual attendees. So it's far from a complete solution.  Similar to Event communications, I don't have a solution for online event networking and so find this to be a helpful, albeit limited, feature.

Be sure to actively promote the LI Events event URL for communications and networking everywhere you list the event - your main event web page, your newsletter, all event marketing pieces, and all registrant messages.

--

Marc Freedman Founder and CEO (972) 200-3490 marc@... Your LinkDaddy Connect   Twitter • Blog • Profile/LinkedIn  Groups   Newsletters • Tribe Blue Business Accelerator • Entrepreneurs Networking   Networking & LinkedIn Party • LinkedIn Groups - Blue (25K members) - DFW Featured Services   Web Development • Directory • LinkedIn resources • Jobs • Advertising

Services provided through Blue, DallasBlue, and MyLink are independent resources for business people,
networkers, and users of LinkedIn and other social networks, and are not affiliated with or endorsed by
LinkedIn or other networks.

• Is LinkedIn's brand and position so dominant that there is no way to puncture it and get noticed?
• To my knowledge no such petition has ever worked.  Aside from blowing off steam, do these petitions do any good or are they a waste of time?
• Over the years LinkedIn users who protest changes have left for other networks, tried to reach company executives, requested an Advisory Council be formed, canceled their paid subscriptions, etc., all to no avail.  Are there tactics that you think might be more successful?

 

Great idea Mark! I also hate the way LinkedIn rolls out new features or changes to existing features with no notice and totally piecemeal. I had 14 people in my LinkedIn class yesterday and one still had the old Home page layout and another was the only one to have the new Settings page layout!

 

 

Lonny J. Gulden                                                       

ChiefConnectionsOfficer.com                                    Web: www.chiefconnectionsofficer.com 

O: 952.829.7828                                                       Email: lonny@...

M: 612.867.3560                                           LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/linkedinninja       

F:  904.212.9233                                                    Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/linkedinninja

 

---

From: MyLinkNetwork@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MyLinkNetwork@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Marc Freedman
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2011 1:31 AM
Subject: [MyLinkNetwork] Are LinkedIn petitions futile?

 

 

Another LinkedIn petition has been started to protest yet another new LinkedIn cutback.  This time it's removing email addresses of prospective LinkedIn group members.  If you're a group owner like me, I recommend signing it.  There are over 200 groups representing over a million members.  Read and join at http://www.petitiononline.com/LIemails/petition.html .

It's a remarkable case of negative branding on LinkedIn's part.  They regularly remove features with no notice, no grandfathering, and no recompense.  They intentionally harm their evangelists and best users.   They  ignore customer service complaints.  It's a hell of a way to run a business.  Yet they have always gotten away with it.  You and I would be loathe to do that for own business.  But then we're not a market leader that can act imperially. 

I don't intend to debate this latest feature removal here*.  It's just one in a long line of LinkedIn's ever-tightening noose of restrictions.  My question for this group - So what?   

• Is LinkedIn's brand and position so dominant that there is no way to puncture it and get noticed?
• To my knowledge no such petition has ever worked.  Aside from blowing off steam, do these petitions do any good or are they a waste of time?
• Over the years LinkedIn users who protest changes have left for other networks, tried to reach company executives, requested an Advisory Council be formed, canceled their paid subscriptions, etc., all to no avail.  Are there tactics that you think might be more successful?

* I know of one discussion on this at the SuperGroup LinkedIn group.

--

Marc

Marc Freedman
Breakthrough Marketing
BR82.com
marc@...
(972) 200-3490

Most of LinkedIn Users Don't Use the Site
http://www.designtaxi.com/news/34090/Report-Most-of-LinkedIn-Users-Don-t-Use-the\
-Site/?page=2

It seemed that within LinkedIn's initial public offering document, the
professional networking site 'admitted' that most of its users don't use the
site, according to a report on BNet.

On page 15 of the document's 'risks' section, Jim Edwards of BNET observed that
the 90 million-strong network has highlighted that "… a substantial majority of
our members do not visit our website on a monthly basis, and a substantial
majority of our page views are generated by a minority of our members."

It was also indicated that "the number of the registered members is higher than
the number of actual members."

"That's a concern for a business that is reliant on advertising, as LinkedIn
is", reports Edwards. Consumers will need to be exposed to the advertisement
messages more than once a month for the ads to be effective, but now this
desired consumer pool is only limited to the minority of its members.

32% of LinkedIn's revenue comes from advertising, and current advertisers pay
either a minimum of $2 per-click or $3 per-thousand-impressions to reach out to
the professional users on the social network.

LinkedIn earned US$161.4 million in net revenue in the first nine months of
2010.

Hi Mark

I've just given a try to those 2, Mixtent didn't seem to work for me (too many
connections?) And for cubeduel the concept is interesting, but you need to vote
a lot in order to get some things unlocked, which means that often you get the
same 2 people, and you tend to always vote the same... And as it accesses
several profiles of your connections, I'm afraid it might lock your LI account
(I know it has happened to me, if some of your actions are assimilated to those
of a bot, or if you access to many profiles during one day).

HTH

Vlad
http://www.linkedin.com/in/vladimirpacuraru