Jay Langdon, SPHR's dashboard

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This easily exceeds 50! Look at networking groups, committees within groups and multiple variations of similar groups. – Jay Langdon, SPHR, on August 15, 2008 18:55

This easily exceeds 50! Look at networking groups, committees within groups and multiple variations of similar groups. – Jay Langdon, SPHR, on August 15, 2008 18:55

LI-Customer Service can send you a spreadsheet of all of your groups and you can select the 50 to keep. – Jay Langdon, SPHR, on August 15, 2008 01:02

As of 8/13/08 NO EXTENSIONS for groups cancellations per LI-CS. "I have not heard that any extensions are put into place, the dates are still the same for this change. I can send you a spreadsheet over and you may mark which ones to keep, we can then remove the rest for you.

We will need to receive the spreadsheet back ASAP on this item. Does this work for you?

Please let me know and we can move forward on this item.

Thanks,
Troy L." – Jay Langdon, SPHR, on August 13, 2008 17:24

I guess I should comment here. Joris, when I read Marc Freedman's post I was struck with awe. I think he expressed in an exceptional, excellent way, what so many feel.

I had over 400 LinkedIn groups and managed a few. That number is unfortunately rapidly reducing, as is the value that I can get through LinkedIn. For power networkers that invest significant time in evangelizing sites like Linkedin there is a violation of trust tantamount to treasonous treatment of the people that matter most. LI hasn't learned this lesson and that's too bad. There is something substantial there (good and not so good).

Vincent Wright is a person that I'd call friend and ally, though we are not close. He is someone that edifies others even when he's personally in difficult spots.

IMHO, there is professionalism here, there's also some venting being done; and rightly so.

Ladies and gentlemen I salute you and applaud your further commentary. – Jay Langdon, SPHR, on August 11, 2008 01:22

Lets see. We'll get an email a week after we're limited to 50 groups, won't see the groups that we'll still need to drop, customer service [Ticket: 080807-001871] has something available to help, but I'm still waiting for that initial response from them.

Have you seen the great number of questions on LI Q&A on this topic?

"Sagans" beautiful word! – Jay Langdon, SPHR, on August 08, 2008 19:16

Hi Adam,
I originated this question so I'll echo the 'heavy-handed remark'. I've also previously used the term draconian (elsewhere). Suffice it to say that the negative feelings are echoes by many. I find it VERY surprising that you are playing the cost card, less than a month from LinkedIn receiving a $53,000,000.00 venture capital cash infusion.

YES, this isn't an official Customer Service channel. That's the point. I personally have been frustrated to no end by LI-CS. They simply DO NOT answer questions, or respond in a timely manner. You have to love it when your account gets suspended at 9:00pm on a Friday night. and customer service is there for days. LI-CS is terrible! They refuse to clarify points, continue to issue vague and unclear guidelines, rely upon hidden policies that LI-CS refuses to make public, even though they enforce these same rules upon their users.
What LI management continues to miss is the value that their organization has, in this Web 2.0 world, is the users themselves, not the technology. Upset enough good people like Vincent Wright and so many others and you get a 2.0 revolution that Pareto would be proud of. But then again, I am in the 0.1% (I've always been an overachiever.) so I'm biased.

Really poor rollout! – Jay Langdon, SPHR, on August 08, 2008 03:39

I think I've actually found someone more upset than myself at this non-sense. I've got to give you some respect, you made me laugh "egregiously boneheaded and wrong" is just too beautiful! ... Step away from the dark side... Hang in there man. LI will either figure this out OR a competitor will step in and handle this. If folks can leave Google, they can leave LI as well. – Jay Langdon, on August 07, 2008 23:53

The real question you have to ask is even if you belong to ALL LinkedIn, not User created groups will your account still be penalized.

Hi Adam,

I'm definitely one of the people that is over that 50 group limit. I think that comes from having diverse legitimate interests as i do. But it also means disconnecting from many groups that I've found valuable. I dare say, I do not see how that can be supportive of LinkedIn's overall mission - improving/facilitating professional networking.
but I dare say I don't abuse the groups. – Jay Langdon, on August 05, 2008 07:59

1) Stop limiting networking - in direct opposition to your stated purpose. (e.g., limiting: number of connections, open networking, large/power networkers, groups to 50, number of invitations, posting 'confidential' information like email addresses.
2)Distinguish between type of network (hard/close connection like LI currently espouses, and the more popular loose/open network connection.
3)Have friendly and INFORMATIVE customer service in all areas, that is responsive in a timely manner.
4)Have a real person, not come cryptid lawyer write your next User Agreement.
5)Stop abusing the people that use, not abuse, your site the most.

Hi Christina,

I think that if folks in the other LI departments responded as positively as you do that LI as a whole will do quite well.

I do get curious about specific issues, like when told I'm in violation of some policy that I can't get a clarification of which policy. You'd think that excerpting a section of the User Agreement would be relatively easy. My problem is that I've read the UA multiple times, diligently try to follow it, yet still end up with various types of suspensions/restrictions on my account/group(s).

I also wonder if other people are having similar problems.

Hi Christina,

Thanks for writing. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised.

I certainly understand change, growth and stumbles, but am not pleased at how much of this is being handled. I just don't see that much being developed on the front in functionality-wise that benefits the end user. In fact, it seems that every time a new feature is added something else gets taken away.

LI recently added group search capability. This is great and long needed. But simultaneously, LI restricted the number of open requests to join groups to ten. Not the best, but what was really bad was the rollout - i.e., that end users were not told, they had to get surprised in a dark alley that they were applying to too many groups at once. Something that is not entirely within their control; namely group managers may take a long time to respond to some.

The dark alley stuff really bugs me. I've had my account suspended or restricted at 9:00pm on a Friday night. Have you tried to reach LI customer service over the weekend <grin>? It seems to me that LI CS could simply be more friendly in their approach before implementing adverse actions without notice.

How about publishing an 800 number for customer service and staffing it.

On the philosophical side of things. LI promotes small strong networks, but many, many professional networkers including myself know the real power is in having a large loose network of 'weak' affiliations; in addition to the close-strong connections. Technology wise this difference could be easily captured by indicating a strong/weak, close/open network connection in a flag form.

I suppose one must ask the question why is it in LinkedIn's advantage to limit networking connections? So many LI activities seem to be doing this.

I'm currently on Day 6 of dealing with my Tucson Networking group being suspended. Can't get my questions answered, LI policy clarified or even pointed out which specific aspect of any policy I've supposedly violated. Just snipets of information that doesn't get anything resolved.

I like LI. I think that there's a core of some greatness here and that's why I promote it so strongly. But I think in LI being cautious for genuine abuse LI is overlooking much. Your value is in your happy clients. Are your clients happy? What sort of focus group studies are you doing? How does LI calibrate customer satisfaction, and in turn improve upon dissatisfaction topics systematically?

</grin>

It gets even better when you play with it for a while. LinkedIn has policies, but they don't tell you what they are, then seemingly on a random basis LI restricts, suspends or otherwise brings down the hammer of Zeus without explanation, clarification or reason above the 2nd grade "because".

Did you know that LinkedIn will not let group administrators reasonably screen applicants to their groups? Even though it is built into the technology?

I wonder when a superior alternative will come to fore.

Somehow, I don't think 'starting' is on the mark. LinkedIn appears to have had technical, customer support, and even philosophical issues that violate Web 2.0 laws. Namely allowing the end user maximum ease and flexibility to add content, make connections and otherwise drive the website.

I share your concern that many features of LinkedIn regularly do not work.

Will an alternative product come on the market?