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LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

Old Apr 6th 2010, 5:39 pm
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Angry LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

I find LinkedIn quite useful in keeping track of 'people movements' in my industry.

However, I am finding that more and more people are hiding their connections. To me this is (a) pointless - seeing that it is supposed to be a networking site - and (b) mean spirited - 'show me yours but I won't show you mine'.

What do you all think?

Do you use LinkedIn - if so, how useful do you find it? If not, why not?

Thank you in advance for sharing!
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Old Apr 6th 2010, 5:43 pm
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Default Re: LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

I think the same, although I've not really come across anyone who has done it, yet....

Just got on to Linked in recently. Not really made any effort to use it to its full potential yet....currently using it as a kind of facebook for reuniting with old colleagues. The theory of it is sound though - perhaps in the future I may well make better use of it.

Last edited by Dan725; Apr 6th 2010 at 5:46 pm.
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Old Apr 6th 2010, 6:13 pm
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Default Re: LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

LinkedIn can really open up some privacy issues if you are not careful, it gives users access to peoples data that no other site would.
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Old Apr 6th 2010, 6:52 pm
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Default Re: LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

Originally Posted by Duncan Roberts
LinkedIn can really open up some privacy issues if you are not careful, it gives users access to peoples data that no other site would.
Care to elaborate?
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Old Apr 6th 2010, 7:21 pm
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Default Re: LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

Here's why I turned it off.

Competitors get to see prospects I am working with, perhaps before I closed the deal. If the prospect invites me to linked before the deal closes, I would hardly refuse, now would I?

This is the primary use that makes me turn it off, it's a cheap way to get prospects or leads to/from another company.

But your right, it does become pointless when you turn it off. Just as twitter becomes pointless when 300 people per minute twitter about the CA. Earthquake.

I've managed to stay off face book for the same reason. In fact, my wife says I will be "less manly" if I get a face-book account. She thinks it's for up-to 17 year old and older ladies who like to gossip. I get my own back when she tries telling me trivial things she's heard on face-book. I tell her to shut up (politely of course)
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Old Apr 6th 2010, 7:47 pm
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Default Re: LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

Well, I do use LinkedIn, again mainly to keep track of where my (ex)colleagues are. Didn't even know you could hide your connections.

Then again, I'm not on Facebook and I keep LinkedIn mostly to my professional contact so I'm not too worried about the privacy issues.

As an aside, did anybody else notice that the descriptions for the work you did in the past got shortened very recently or was that only me?
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Old Apr 6th 2010, 10:08 pm
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Default Re: LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

I've got my network visible, but I did have it off originally when I got laid off...basically I didn't want other folks to tap out my connections and see where I was getting job nibbles from.

HR/recruiters have it off so that you don't poach them, and when I was using a recruiter I had it hidden so that they couldn't contact my network for other positions.

It's a great way of keeping in touch with past colleagues though, and people you meet at various networking events/conferences to find a way into a place or scrounge some contract work.

The way I see it, if I know you, worked with you, think you or I might have a need to be linked or anything like that, I'll try and link up. FB on the other hand, I'll generally only have you on if we're mates and would have gone out for drinks etc, other wise I wouldn't, you'd be a colleague and be LinkedIn only, till either of us were no longer working with each other.

Edit - so what's your opinion on opening up for connections? People with thousands of connections, seems to be very diluted if you don't know them people in some way....though I probably can't say anything as Dave Perry is a connection

Last edited by Bob; Apr 6th 2010 at 10:13 pm.
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Old Apr 6th 2010, 11:10 pm
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Default Re: LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

Have your linked in open only if you're comfortable anyone potentially seeing it.

As long as you're OK with that, you won't go far wrong.

I use my LinkedIn as a pure networking and nothing else. Along with my 3500 contacts he he

Truth be told, my last job offer was via LinkedIn.
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Old Apr 7th 2010, 1:19 am
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Default Re: LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

One thing that gets on my tits is people posting their twitter feed as their status updates...it's one thing having a link to their twitter, but I don't want to read your mindless rubbish...
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Old Apr 7th 2010, 1:40 am
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Default Re: LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

I'm on Linkedin and I think that's how head hunters have found me in the past (or that's my theory anyway).

The only thing that's been awkward in the past is that I was asked by a former co-worker to be 'introduced' to a former client of mine, with my endorsement. In this case the former coworker had been fired (a decision I agreed with) and while she's a very nice girl, I wasn't about to compromise my rapport with this client via an introduction ... especially as I believed she was trying to get a job at that company. I just ignored her request and pretended I'd never received it.

To me it's helpful to keep in touch with business contacts more than anything.
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Old Apr 7th 2010, 1:58 am
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Default Re: LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

I use it it, but I'm walking a fine line between trying to network to find another job and not adding too much to my profile so as to alert my boss who I'm also connected to!
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Old Apr 7th 2010, 2:47 am
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Default Re: LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

Originally Posted by Kaffy Mintcake
I'm on Linkedin and I think that's how head hunters have found me in the past (or that's my theory anyway).

The only thing that's been awkward in the past is that I was asked by a former co-worker to be 'introduced' to a former client of mine, with my endorsement. In this case the former coworker had been fired (a decision I agreed with) and while she's a very nice girl, I wasn't about to compromise my rapport with this client via an introduction ... especially as I believed she was trying to get a job at that company. I just ignored her request and pretended I'd never received it.

To me it's helpful to keep in touch with business contacts more than anything.
Do most of your contacts show their connections? I am becoming very frustrated because I find that more and more people hide their connections.
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Old Apr 7th 2010, 2:54 am
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Default Re: LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

Originally Posted by Elvira
Do most of your contacts show their connections? I am becoming very frustrated because I find that more and more people hide their connections.
Okay, this is bad. I just logged in to see that someone sent me an invitation to connect in January and I've only just read it. Oops! I clicked on a few of my contacts and yes, I could see theirs. Short of clicking on everyone individually is there a way I can tell if they are hiding their contacts?
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Old Apr 7th 2010, 3:00 am
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Default Re: LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

Originally Posted by Kaffy Mintcake
Okay, this is bad. I just logged in to see that someone sent me an invitation to connect in January and I've only just read it. Oops! I clicked on a few of my contacts and yes, I could see theirs. Short of clicking on everyone individually is there a way I can tell if they are hiding their contacts?
No, I think you have to look at each contact individually.

I just think that hiding one's connections is against the whole spirit of being a member of a networking site.
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Old Apr 7th 2010, 3:00 am
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Default Re: LinkedIn - people who hide their connections

I have 90 contacts and of them - 5 have hidden their contacts now. 4 years ago - only 1 had hidden.

You can tell because when you look at your contact list - on the far right is the number of contacts that person has. If its black and NOT underlined then you cant 'link' to their contact list as its hidden.
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