Discussion is the new SPAM

Aneta, the 200 character limit is just for the discussion topic. You have an additional 2000 characters for the details. We realize that the design doesn't make this obvious and plan on modifications to make it clear.

Steve;

What about communications from LinkedIn?

Exactly as you say, things are not obvious or apparent - and were so BEFORE the implementation at the time of design . Why so secretive to us after the launch. The design MUST (it's not even a should) explain some features AT the launch. Communication rates a zero.

Or have I got it wrong?

Aneta, we use the LinkedIn blog for product announcements. Ben Guthrie wrote about the introduction of discussions and other enhancements there on the night we launched this new feature. http://blog.linkedin.com

Steve Ganz - thank you for your reply, but you and the blog post you pointed to completely ducked the main point of this thread (see the title: "Discussion is the new SPAM") - namely, that without any provision whatsoever for even a basic level of discussion moderation, you have just created a haven for spam. So, as a group manager, is my only option to combat spam simply to turn the discussion "feature" off?

As a group manager you not only have the ability to turn off discussions completely, but you also have the ability to remove individual members from the group and block them altogether.

I just spent some time going through the groups that I am personally a member of as well as looking at user feedback and customer service logs. I haven't seen any evidence of spam thus far. If there are specific examples that you are aware of, please let us know.

This is just the beginning. I want to reiterate that, as Ben stated in his blog post, this is the first step in a series of upgrades to the Groups functionality that you will be seeing in the months to come. Stay tuned.

I did turn off the discussion feature on my new business development networking group. Lucky I did because someone requested I turn it on to start selling to the group even before a first meeting in October was announced. How Gauche!

Nothing like driving away the CEO of X-Big Bank because he gets spammed with resumes and pitches in one form or another. It's called tuning out. And before even the first dinner is announced I had a member that wanted to fill his inbox. Look at the clutter on the home pages.

I liked the feature Members Withdrawn because this allowed for some post-group communication. That list had the potential to nip problems in the bud. It is missed.

As for a definition of SPAM... If I shotgun a message, that is SPAM according to me. SPAM = Junk Mail. Broadcasting messages like "join my group" one time from one member may be innocuous SPAM. But LinkedIn has 20+ MILLION members and not all of them will share the same ideas of Nettiquette or a unified definition of SPAM.

Turning the Discussion feature Off is the best part of the upgrade to that particular feature.

Just my $0.02

And, Steve, thank you for pointing out Ben's blog. It needs to be better advertised. I have enough to read daily without looking for more. In my face changes require an in my face explanation, IMHO.

Steve Ganz - thank you for your reply. Does removing a person from the group also remove the messages that they posted to the discussion area of that group? Thanks!

Removing people from the group does not remove their messages. The good news is that the ability to delete individual comments and even entire discussions is currently scheduled for release on September 18th.

Steve Ganz - That is excellent news - thank you for sharing! Might there also be a way to have a moderated discussion (meaning posts would be held in a moderation bin for approval before going live?) Thanks!

Moderated discussions are certainly under consideration, but there are a number of high priority features we need to do. If you're interested in discussing ways to improve LinkedIn Groups as well as discussing best practices for managing a group on LinkedIn, we've created a LinkedIn Groups Product Forum to continue the discussion. Here is the link to request to join: http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/51082.