LinkedIn good or bad for you

Engineering Potpourri Pat's Pub
#1

What do you engineers think of LinkedIn? If you joined, are you happy you did? What are the benefits, and what are the downsides?

Would it make sense to share the www.SimpliEngineering.com URL at LinkedIn if someone had a technical engineering question?

#2

I don’t mind LinkedIn. I use it every once in a while, but I don’t visit it unless I am looking for something specific. I have never just browsed it though. I found it interesting to see what past classmates and coworkers were up to since I had last seen them.

For me I would say it is a neutral thing:

  • nothing worse than a tad too many notices in my email inbox about people’s birthdays and work anniversaries.
  • nothing better than some reminders about some people I’d prefer not to forget that I otherwise might have.

I don’t see how putting the SE link there would hurt, and it may direct some eyeballs this way at least.

#3

I agree with SuperSalad.
Don’t share SE URL !!!

#4

Only time I ever visit is to connect to people requesting or decline connection requests. No other use for me. And those same people who ask to connect never contact me via it anyway, always by email.

It is Facebook for business!

1 Like
#5

LI is full of recruiters and marketers.
… Nice folks mostly, but not the sort who would value SE.

#6

Welcome RAPT…

Dik

#7

LinkedIn is just one of many platforms that have to be utilized for an effective social media strategy.

#8

I’ve been a member for over a decade and the number of times I’ve accessed it you can count on one hand… I seem to get by without it…

Dik

#9

I’ve began using LinkedIn more lately - it is indeed heavily used by recruiters and marketers, but has found momentum in recent years as a solid networking platform, as well. I see it used by many engineers in the 25-35 age range as a ‘professional facebook’ - as RAPT put it.

I think it would be a good idea to put SE’s url there - it would likely drive more traffic from that age group (conversely, may draw more recruiters, as well). Pros and cons.

1 Like
#10

It has its uses for me. Business uses, mostly, of course.

In the process of looking for business-to-business services, contractors, specialty equipment and things like that, it helps to find a company profile on LI, and even investigate some of the principals of the company if they have profiles.

I have a co-worker who actually seems to check it daily for some reason. It’s annoying when he mentions something on our company’s LI feed as if I’d notice. He also posts to the company’s LI feed more often that the marketing department. They seem to love it. I shake my head.

1 Like
#11

Joke:
Q: What time is it on LinkedIn?
A: 12:00, 12:00, 12:00, 12:00, …

I’ve not had much use for LinkedIn. Unlike Engineering forums, LinkedIn seems rather uninteresting.

LinkedIn contacts might be useful in case of career changes.

#12

After moving cities I started using the site. It helped me keep some form of contact with previous colleagues and establish some sense of legitimacy with my work history. I kind of regret not logging on earlier in my career, but I have always had some apprehension with social media and work.

I’ve been approached by recruiters, mainly. Maybe 2% have ended up with interviews or offers. The other 98% just put you through an interview that grabs your information and goals, and then you never hear from them again.

I’ve seen conglomerates list LI on applications.

My least favourite parts of the site is:
A. Random people who try to connect with you but do not offer you an introduction
B. Lurkers that check out your profile (especially in private mode) and don’t offer you an introduction

It’s useful for connections but not much else.

#13

I was subscribed to a number of supposed ‘technical’ forums related to my specific areas of technical practice and interest on Linkedin a number of years ago.
The signal to noise ratio of the questions and responses was astoundingly low. People with no background asking for others to solve their problems and others who merely seemed to be posting half relevant advice just to get their exposure up. In the end I got tired of all the useless notifications and unsubscribed from most of it.
Its probably not bad at what its meant for, which really is more about employment and to a lesser extent companies that provide services, but it certainly fails at any sort of discussion forum.
I have managed to get some benefit out of it occasionally, there’s some excellent products I’d found via the distributor’s Linkedin promotions that I would not have found otherwise though. I’ve also used it to keep in contact with former work colleagues.