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Finally, I Closed My LinkedIn

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Re: Finally, I Closed My LinkedIn

#141

Post by hliyan »

ThePhysicist wrote: post #28

From a professional standpoint LinkedIn gave me a lot of value for free so I'm mostly feeling positive about it, but I agree that like any social network it has downsides and can lead to psychological stress. Personally I live by the mantra that "scrolling is dangerous", i.e. I try to never interact with social media or news platforms that incite me to scroll down a feed of algorithmically curated news or updates, as…

Counter-example to the original author: I refused to have a LinkedIn account for the first 12 years of my career (LinkedIn launched the same year I started my career, I believe). But after I opened one, it really helped my career. I found my last two jobs through it. My timeline looks OK because I unfollow a lot of people. I've done the same with Facebook. I rarely come away from either site with my blood pressure any higher than it was going in.

Re: Finally, I Closed My LinkedIn

#142

Post by eddieroger »

smhmd wrote: post #131
distances wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's easy enough to block the feed in your browser. I've done exactly that with Facebook. I haven't deleted my FB account as I still get some random messages from old acquaintances that don't have my phone number, but I removed the feed with uBlock to make sure I'm not exposed to that.

I did something similar lately. But it's hard to keep up with local news, now. I couldn't find a news aggregator for my country/province. Maybe, I need to build that myself.

I recently started reinvesting in RSS via reader that I can sync, and was pleased to remember that my local paper (a Gannett paper, which matters since they use the same engine on all their properties) supports several RSS feeds, from a site-wide news feed to counties or topics. It's been good enough for me to not push further, but I imagine my local TV news sites have similar feeds. This should scale up from county to city and state, I'd think.

Re: Finally, I Closed My LinkedIn

#144

Post by tcbasche »

shusson wrote: post #43
Avalaxy wrote: post #25

The author says it himself in the introductory paragraph: > I never used LinkedIn... hadn't even updated my profile in the 9 months since I left my last software engineering job. So you use LinkedIn only passively, never do anything on the platform and then write a rant on how it provides you no value? Maybe actually _try_ to use the strengths of LinkedIn before you dismiss it?

> So you use LinkedIn only passively I imagine there are a lot of passive users of linkedIn. I found the article interesting as I have been considering deleting my account too and share similar emotions.

I deleted mine about 2 years ago and haven't looked back. It's not affected my ability find work one iota, and literally nobody has asked me about it.

Re: Finally, I Closed My LinkedIn

#146

Post by makison »

Created Linkedin account while I had a job, kept it passive for a while - 6 months. Became active when I quit, recruiters started contacting me. Got a new job, during covid and only because of Linkedin, in 2-3 months.

Re: Finally, I Closed My LinkedIn

#147

Post by tcbasche »

achow wrote: post #58
gerland wrote: post #49

Most of my best jobs came from LI leads, so I don't really get the point. I find LI to be a more open and just system than hiring a guy that knows a guy, or forcing people into slavery in open source. It's not the hiring that is broken, but the tech industry itself. There is nothing that compares in how low a measurable value is priced in any other domain. It seems that the less you can put a price on something, the…

Hear! Hear! I too don't get the animosity for LinkedIn. For me too all the career defining moves happened because of LinkedIn. Never ever going to close my account.

I guess YMMV though. I closed mine and it hasn't really affected anything. Career has been able to move forward full steam without it.

Re: Finally, I Closed My LinkedIn

#148

Post by tcbasche »

philshem wrote: post #125

“If a LinkedIn account is deleted, and no one is there to hear it, does it still make a sound?” (I previously deleted my account and then waited 12 months to see if anyone noticed. No one did. I did have to create a new one in order to create a company page.)

This was my experience too. Same thing happened with Facebook. No-one really noticed the account was gone. Doesn't mean I instantly lost all of my friends either ...

Re: Finally, I Closed My LinkedIn

#150

Post by SCdF »

I've said it before, but if your CV is one of hundreds that are being reviewed for a role and you don't have a linkedin, it basically means that everyone else is more legitimate than you.

This sucks, I am aware. But since people send fake / bullshit / impossible to verify CVs all the time, I'm not really sure what the alternative is.

So by all means delete your linkedin, but maybe instead consider just never logging in until you need to update your job history, once every couple of years. Or do delete it, but just be aware of the reality of how that may play out.

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