letiquette Archives - iRespectOnline

March 16, 2014 By Fiona Lucas

Spotting fake profiles on LinkedIn

LinkedIn lately seems to be getting “busier”. There seems to be more and more people over posting (not original content), sharing pictures (cats and dogs etc), games and other spammy material which don’t really add value to their connection.

The LinkedIn advantage is that it is a professional space, and it seems that in the panic for people to “get on LinkedIn” there is a typical lack of research put into place before creating a profile. Adding to this is the appearance of fake profiles which are created to mine your data and capture information. Some even steal identities. Unfortunately methods used by some to connect (such as Lion networks) I believe actually aid in this because these network growth strategies encourage the sharing of emails without any due diligence. If you just want big numbers and you connect to anyone, then you are not really going to care if a profile is fake or not.

LinkedIn have worked hard to try to prevent their platform being undermined by these scams. In particular one scheme involved hackers using Amazon Cloud to scrape data. (Read a business insider report here).

So what can we do to try to protect our data? It’s simple. Be selective with whom you connect with. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t connect with people you haven’t met or don’t know, but you should make sure that when you receive a connection it comes with a personalised message that lets you know why they want to connect. Take some time and check out their profile to see if it seems legitimate. If you are too “busy” to look at a profile and just click connect all the time, then really you are not using LinkedIn to your advantage.

These pointers may help you decide if a profile is legit:

1. Incomplete profile with no summary, or recommendations and very few details but may belong to many groups.

2. Dubious sounding job titles merely keywords or something like salesperson at salesperson

3. Using a stock photo for their profile. (You can check if an image is purchased by dragging it into the google image search box)

4. Stolen profile? You recognise the name and details, maybe someone famous, but its seems wrong. Bots steal information and create profiles from stolen identities. Do some research on the person and look for duplicate profiles.

5. No personalisation of request? If there is no personalised message with a connection request, ignore until they do, or write and ask a question or two. Someone operating a fake profile may respond but not well to a question of any substance. See further Letiquette tips here.

6.Asking for money If you are a job seeker and they ask for money, offer get rich quick programs or want more of your personal data then be wary!

LinkedIn is a brilliant professional platform, let’s work together to keep it that way.

by Fiona Lucas

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March 16, 2014 By Fiona Lucas

LION isnt the king on LINKEDIN

I have to admit that until recently, I hadn’t been too fussed about the posts I was seeing about LION networking. The reason is that I am fairly discerning with growing my network. I like to see what shared business interests, connections, goals, and values are there before I accept or request a connection. I generally prefer to either have met someone or engaged with them in some way (this could be reading articles that really resonate with me) before I bring them into my fold.

However suddenly I have seen more and more of them. Perhaps this is because as my own network increases I am more exposed to those who follow this particular “strategy” through shared contacts. I had read a few articles from Jo Saunders recently which peaked my interest, so I made a point of looking into it to see what I thought and add my own research into the mix.

I found some who love it, and many who don’t. I have also found some areas of disconnect within LinkedIn’s own terms and conditions (T&C’s). LION (L.I.O.N) is frowned upon because the T&C’s say that you should know someone or request an introduction to them; however the ability to mass email without personalising and the “people you may know” as well as bypassing a personal introduction when using the app seem to contradict this somewhat.

My approach is to look at it logically and for me, the LION strategy does not align with my personal values and principles. I am always open to meet people I don’t know, therefore I joined the openlink network, however I want the connections to be value to both of us. If you enjoy using the LION networks then that is absolutely your right, but please don’t send random invitations to those of us who haven’t joined.

I see no real value in growing massive numbers of connections just for the sake of it, in fact that creates more work down the track if you find yourself needing to “cull” connections. Then there is the real problem that this form of connection exposes us to bots and scrapers which mine our data. Many of these Bots send spam emails and inappropriate content, and I am sure, that like me, the last thing you need is more spam to deal with. Time is precious and we all want to use it to learn and grow our businesses, and connect with others in a collaborative way.

How can you tell? Well usually the words LION or L.I.O.N feature in their profile name or headline and they tend to share posts which ask you to add your email to them (or create groups for this purpose). Another big giveaway is a connection which comes with “because you are a trusted friend” – this is the default when a mass connection email is sent out and a good indication that the person isn’t really seeking you out based on merits!

I’m not LION to you when I say it just doesn’t do it for me. What is your experience of LION?

by Fiona Lucas

February 17, 2014 By Fiona Lucas

LETIQUETTE – LINKEDIN ETIQUETTE

LETIQUETTE – LINKEDIN ETIQUETTE

In recent times there has been a bit of a change filtering into LinkedIn and in my opinion it’s not all been for the better. From my observations it’s change being driven by users, due to a poor understanding of what LinkedIn is for and how to use it well. As a Social Media professional educator, I constantly come across clients and associates who create profiles on every different platform because they believe that is a good strategy. Sometimes it is, provided there is a strategy and plan behind it.

Where it goes pear-shaped is when we start taking rules and behaviours from one platform to another and there is a mismatch between audience and purpose.

Professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn have rules for a reason. The rules are not there to restrict – it’s about targeting. When I’m discussing LinkedIn with clients and associates, I keep hearing so many stories about “spammy” emails and requests to connect from very disconnected sources, so it inspired me to do the following post, to help you get more out of LinkedIn and leverage it’s power for your profile and business.

LinkedIn’s own mission statement is: “…to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful”

I hope this post helps you to understand how to use and engage with your connections to help make your experience a positive and successful one.

1. NO PROFILE PIC (who are you?)
Think of your presence on LinkedIn just as you would when attending a physical professional networking event. You don’t walk into a room with a bag over your head do you? For best results, have a clear professional and current headshot on your profile. Ensure that your eyes are showing because we connect far more readily with people when we can look into their eyes. Your photograph (or lack thereof) is one of the first things people will look at.

2. NO SPAM PLEASE
Just because someone has connected with you on LinkedIn this is not an invitation to be placed on your mailing list. Nothing can be worse for your reputation than being known as a spammer. Anti spamming rules apply and if you wish to add someone to your newsletter, then email them asking them and make sure there is an opt out option. This is important for you to understand because if enough people mark your emails as “spam” then LinkedIn just might shut your profile down.

BEWARE THE THIRD PARTY APP: There are several products on the market which purport to build your networks and help your to build your brand and be found online. Unfortunately many of these programs make it very easy for you to send out invites and requests to your entire list. Some of these are referral key Etagged.me Erated.me Make sure you do your research before accepting such invitations – they may do more damage than good.

3. SENDING A BLANK INVITATION

If you only request connections using the standard connect form and don’t complete it, you are sending a blank invitation. LinkedIn provides an option to add a message with a request to connect. Please USE it. LinkedIn is about QUALITY over quantity. If you wish to build relevant relationships, which can help you to leverage opportunities, then it is worth taking the time to customize the message.This is even more important when reaching out to someone you have actually never met or engaged with. Let them know why you would like to connect. Tell them you enjoyed their article or the talk they gave. Remind them that you were at the conference or that you share similar interests or thoughts on a subject they are passionate about.If you actually don’t know the person, have no connections or their email address, then ask a mutual connection for an introduction. Some try and get around this by linking to a business the connection is part of. This does nothing for your reputation and could be just AWKWARD! Connecting with someone by saying you have worked with him or her at your business, or their business and you never have just to make the connection is a poor strategy! Come on – imagine being at a physical network event and someone says to you “oh I just met Bill over there, he says you used to work for him”, and you’ve never met the guy? If you wouldn’t do it in real life, don’t do it online. Worst still if you run into this person in the future your reputation will already be damaged!By the way..

4. IT’S NOT A DATING SERVICE
Linked in is NOT a dating service! It is inappropriate to use it as such. There are plenty of websites and platforms designed for that service. If you do happen to connect with someone and at some point it leads to a relationship that is lovely, but don’t send inappropriate connection messages – it doesn’t build your reputation and you just might get marked as spam and end up without a profile.

5. NO SELFIES OR CUPCAKES
LinkedIn is NOT Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or any of the other social networks. Whilst Facebook is primarily a social network, one which also has fantastic opportunities for businesses to connect and develop customer/client relationships (B2C, C2C and B2B), LinkedIn really works best as a professional networking platform. Here you can build and develop your profile, seek new connections and new opportunities, build or change your career and find partners and joint venture opportunities.It’s been said that “you wouldn’t wear flipflops to a job interview so don’t kick your shoes off on LinkedIn” and I think that is a great analogy. LinkedIn’s roots were in the recruitment industry – linking people and jobs, but over time they recognized the potential to help business to grow and to find connections way beyond the capabilities of a job board. LinkedIn has deliberately been created in a more formal and professional way and many professionals who would shy away from the other social networks will happily add opinion and share information within the constraints of the LinkedIn environment.
That said, the power of visual marketing means you can share powerful content, just ensure it is relevant. Using great images in your blogs is still a great strategy. Cupcakes are fine if that’s your business, but not if it’s your afternoon tea!

6. BE TRUTHFUL
This is the most important one of all. There is no benefit to lying or exaggerating on your profile. Your online profile is a snapshot of your resume and subject to scrutiny. Don’t risk your reputation.Highlight your achievements, your contributions to the world, but be transparent. Don’t take personal credit for a team effort and don’t reinvent your titles. Just be honest. This is especially true for those just starting their careers, it can be tempting to “gloss it up”. Please don’t. You can still be creative, especially if that suits your industry, but just keep it real. For example if you managed a business, use your title; don’t say you were the CEO (unless you were of course!). If you contributed to an article or book, say you were a contributing author, not the “author”. A little honesty goes a long long way.

I hope you have enjoyed this post, please pop over and join our LinkedIn company page so that you can keep up to date with our posts and let us know what you think. We would love to hear about your LinkedIn experiences.

Fiona.

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This post has been written to provide information and education about using LinkedIn and the use of the name is within branding guidelines. We are not an affiliate.