Question about LinkedIn

10 years ago

I believe I started to sign up for this years ago (at least 10 years ago), but as usual when they started demanding a lot of info I just stopped the process. I still get emails and usually ignore them. About a year ago I got a "request to join my network" from a very close friend. Our friendship preceeds all these kind of social networks and although we talk about our work concerns sometimes we don't "network" at all. I thought maybe she was changing the game, so I bit and accepted the request and looked at her picture. I couldn't do much else because I wasn't all signed up and registered or whatever. Some time later I mentioned it to her, and she said she never made the request. I figured that the email had fooled me and vowed not to respond again. I had never looked for this friend on LinkedIn.

I get these every now and them from people with whom I have worked in the past, and I ignore them.

But today I got one from someone with the name of a really, really, old, lost friend from before the days we even had careers.

So I'm wondering... are these things generated by some smart LinkedIn engine that knows I searched for the old friend once upon a time?

Comments (10)

gsciencechick
10 years ago
I believe there is some sort of function where it will send an invite to everyone in your address book! This happened to a colleague of mine. He had no idea until people starting contacting him back. So, if a distant friend requested a connection, that could be it. OTOH, he quickly got a lot of connections, LOL.

There are also spoofing emails masquerading through LinkedIn, so if it is someone who has no clear connection to you, do not click on it.

They also have been hacked in the past, so make sure you have a unique password for their site. Really, a good idea for any site.

I get invites through my work email only, so if something comes through my "spam" email account, I ignore it.

This post was edited by gsciencechick on Fri, Jul 19, 13 at 17:44
chispa
10 years ago
jamies, I also signed up a long time ago and have no real use for it. The realtor I used in another state 7 years ago sends me an invitation once in a while. I delete them. The appraiser that was sent to our house when we refinanced last year just sent me an invitation. I have no reason to be linked to this person! I deleted that too.
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Vertise
10 years ago
Those companies like linkedin or Facebook follow you around, snipe your address book, generate email or publish things on your behalf, who knows what else. I don't even want to browse them anymore. They seem to think your computer and personal business is theirs. I find it all pretty creepy.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Fri, Jul 19, 13 at 23:01
Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
10 years ago
Uhmm, Facebook doesn't do that at all but Linkedin does extremely. For Facebook, don't sign up for any "extras" i.e., Birthday, School thingy, etc. However, if you do, you are required to check a form that states they can post on your behalf to all your friends whenever they want, which a zillion people obviously seem to not understand... and don't play any games either.
Vertise
10 years ago
I saw a Zuckerberg interview and he pretty much stated he thought the whole world should be open, the notion of privacy has changed, and that's where he wanted to go with Facebook. He didn't care whether users liked it or not. He has a dream. The link below might reference the one I saw, not sure.

Looking around, it seems he wants it all kind of open source, where other companies can access FB data and do stuff with it. One article listing FB updates says Yelp could show you whether your friends were online and what they had reviewed there. I've heard this type of broadcast activity before. Years ago, something went on with them accessing your email address book and sending stuff out. No doubt they are collecting information on everywhere you go.

Here is a link that might be useful: Facebook Disregard for Privacy
gsciencechick
10 years ago
Well, privacy IS dead.

LinkedIn is apparently owned by Bain Capital, which does not thrill me. However, for job seekers, our Business faculty say it is absolutely essential in getting a job. It also helps me make connections that can help my students get internships.
theroselvr
10 years ago
If you do not use LinkedIn; do not answer the emails. You wouldn't believe how many I get from people I barely know. Some I've helped at the cancer forum I go to. I know it has to be a feature where it sends to everyone in their address book. I do not have a LinkedIn account

I'm not liking FB much these days either. I've started unfriending people I do not mingle with.

If anyone belongs to public groups; you really need to get rid of them if you like your privacy. FB had a new thing where it shows your FB friends what public groups you belong to. It also shows on your profile unless you were one of the lucky ones to be able to hide it. If it's a group you enjoy; ask the owner to change privacy settings to closed.
gsciencechick
10 years ago
Roselvr, I am the opposite in that I don't use FB, but I have found the professional networking on LinkedIn to be helpful. That way I can keep my personal life totally out of it. I also use Twitter, but it is also a work-related account.
msrose
10 years ago
I signed up with LinkedIn and I remember it asking for permission to access my Friends. I stupidly gave them permission not knowing it was going to actually send everyone an email. I have people that are still in my address book that I no longer talk to, so I was horrified when I realized these emails were sent. My ex-husband was the first to accept my supposed invitation. Yikes! I immediately deleted my account.
Olychick
10 years ago
I signed up a long time ago, but never use it now that I'm retired. I continually get invites, then innumerable reminders that I've been invited, etc. I never reply, have marked everything from them as spam, but they are tricky in their addressing, so they still show up in my inbox. I finally, earlier this week, went into my account to close it. Well, in order to get to my account, I HAD to accept their user agreement, which probably gave them access to everything I own. I was furious and then I could NOT, following their instructions, close the account. I fired off an email to them and got a reply within a day, they closed my account and took my email address out of their system! Great customer service. We'll see if it works.