What LinkedIn Could Learn From OKCupid and Others
iamvictorio.us
What LinkedIn Could Learn From OKCupid and Others
1–10 of 15 posts
Re: What LinkedIn Could Learn From OKCupid and Others
#2Notifying users when their profile is viewed is crazy for anything other than a dating site, where these notifications simulate the real life mating ritual of coyly expressing interest in someone. I'm not a huge privacy freak, but I don't want anyone on any other network to know I've viewed their profile unless I take a specific action or opt in.
Likewise, encouraging "random friends" would degrade the value of LinkedIn's network. Part of its current value is that your "connections" presumably have a real link (work history or friendship) with all of their "connections" and can potentially make a worthwhile recommendation or introduction. This goes away if randomness is introduced.
Dating sites are barely social networks - they exist to facilitate quick one-on-one interactions - so social networks should copy their features with extreme caution.
Re: What LinkedIn Could Learn From OKCupid and Others
#3Notifying users when their profile is viewed is crazy for anything other than a dating site, where these notifications simulate the real life mating ritual of coyly expressing interest in someone. I'm not a huge privacy freak, but I don't want anyone on any other network to know I've viewed their profile unless I take a specific action or opt in. Likewise, encouraging "random friends" would degrade the value of Linke…
Yep. I never click on website profiles when I know that the person can see the visits. The good thing about LinkedIn is you can turn that off, but even then, I notice it adds the person to the suggested users list after a month or so (I wonder if it adds me to their suggested list?).
There's lots of reasons why I don't want people to know. Like for example, a friend works at company x, so every so often I look at other employee profiles at company x to see if he joined LinkedIn (and is therefore in their connections).
Just harmless stuff like that, which might look sinister to someone who doesn't know the context.
Re: What LinkedIn Could Learn From OKCupid and Others
#4I only just started using LinkedIn. One of the major problems I've always had with the service was the fact that it would notify you that someone from some area had viewed your profile. This is a major intrusion into the seclusion of my visitors' browsing activities for several reasons, but most of all because you have no control over what might be inferred by this view.
I think this is an alarming trend on social networking sites. As saturdaysaint already pointed out, this is okay for dating web sites, because the point of them is to encourage pairings between members. Social networks, like facebook, and professional networks, like LinkedIn, have grown to the point where they are virtual address books containing more than just information about your contacts, but up to date information about the activities and interests that they choose to disclose.
Product management teams need to tread carefully when introducing features that go against the grain of real-life interaction. To me, page view notifications are the virtual equivalent of a little voice alerting you whenever someone has mentioned your name in conversation. Absent of context, what could you rationally infer from this notification? Context is key, and without delivering that, the notice is at best worthless and at worst dangerous.
Re: What LinkedIn Could Learn From OKCupid and Others
#5Notifying users when their profile is viewed is crazy for anything other than a dating site, where these notifications simulate the real life mating ritual of coyly expressing interest in someone. I'm not a huge privacy freak, but I don't want anyone on any other network to know I've viewed their profile unless I take a specific action or opt in. Likewise, encouraging "random friends" would degrade the value of Linke…
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Re: What LinkedIn Could Learn From OKCupid and Others
#6I only just started using LinkedIn. One of the major problems I've always had with the service was the fact that it would notify you that someone from some area had viewed your profile. This is a major intrusion into the seclusion of my visitors' browsing activities for several reasons, but most of all because you have no control over what might be inferred by this view. I think this is an alarming trend on social ne…
You can switch this off in the preferences.
Re: What LinkedIn Could Learn From OKCupid and Others
#7I only just started using LinkedIn. One of the major problems I've always had with the service was the fact that it would notify you that someone from some area had viewed your profile. This is a major intrusion into the seclusion of my visitors' browsing activities for several reasons, but most of all because you have no control over what might be inferred by this view. I think this is an alarming trend on social ne…
You can switch this off in the preferences.
Ah, thank you, I wasn't even aware. It nevertheless should be something that's an opt-in feature, rather than an opt-out annoyance.
Re: What LinkedIn Could Learn From OKCupid and Others
#8Notifying users when their profile is viewed is crazy for anything other than a dating site, where these notifications simulate the real life mating ritual of coyly expressing interest in someone. I'm not a huge privacy freak, but I don't want anyone on any other network to know I've viewed their profile unless I take a specific action or opt in. Likewise, encouraging "random friends" would degrade the value of Linke…
Yep. I never click on website profiles when I know that the person can see the visits. The good thing about LinkedIn is you can turn that off, but even then, I notice it adds the person to the suggested users list after a month or so (I wonder if it adds me to their suggested list?). There's lots of reasons why I don't want people to know. Like for example, a friend works at company x, so every so often I look at oth…
With my experience, LinkedIn will say that you are an anonymous user or give me a list of 15 people to guess who you are. I also don't think the people recommendations algorithm includes whose profile you visit.
Re: What LinkedIn Could Learn From OKCupid and Others
#9Something Linkedin ought to be taken to task for (Which they continue to get away with) -- phishing:
Linkedin will show you a login-like screen with your email address pre-populated and a password prompt. Two dangerous things can happen: 1) a user can absent-mindedly assume they're at their email login page and type in their email password (less likely) 2) a user can absent-mindedly assume that this is the Linkedin login page and type in their Linkedin password.
The problem with (1) (and 2 if your email password is the same as your linkedin password) is that you've just given Linkedin access to your email contact list. Then Linkedin can shoot an email to all your contacts letting them know you're on Linkedin / etc.
To me this is a form of phishing that countless less-tech-savvy folks are getting caught up in and should not be OKAY in the industry.
Re: What LinkedIn Could Learn From OKCupid and Others
#10Something Linkedin ought to be taken to task for (Which they continue to get away with) -- phishing: Linkedin will show you a login-like screen with your email address pre-populated and a password prompt. Two dangerous things can happen: 1) a user can absent-mindedly assume they're at their email login page and type in their email password (less likely) 2) a user can absent-mindedly assume that this is the Linkedin l…
I'm almost certain LinkedIn doesn't try to use your username/password you use for the site to access your email. Triggering millions of password failures on gmail/yahoo/etc. is not something that they would risk.
During signup, if you are on one of the major webmail services, it will explicitly ask you to authorize yourself on them so it can get your contacts however.
Having worked there and specifically as product manager for the Who Viewed My Profile portion, I can tell you that they take privacy very seriously.