A LinkedIn Incognito Mode
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Published June 10, 2021
Updated December 31, 2021 |
In 2021, I left LinkedIn. The feedback that I was getting on my articles was "muted." By this I mean that too many individuals had come to realize that LinkedIn--as a social media platform--will not necessarily get you a job, but it sure can keep you from getting one: just the "like" of an article may come back to haunt you in a job search.
So, does "LinkedIn Need an Incognito Mode?" Just a few years ago, my answer to this question would have been an emphatic, “No!” My initial experience with anonymous forums was not pleasant. But I learned, and to prove that old men can change their opinions, I am, now, just as insistent in my “Yes!” … with some qualifications.
This is why.
So, does "LinkedIn Need an Incognito Mode?" Just a few years ago, my answer to this question would have been an emphatic, “No!” My initial experience with anonymous forums was not pleasant. But I learned, and to prove that old men can change their opinions, I am, now, just as insistent in my “Yes!” … with some qualifications.
This is why.
Does LinkedIn Need an Incognito Mode?
- My History with Anonymous Forums
- My History with LinkedIn
- An intelligent, Verifiable, incognito Mode
- A New Type of Social Media Platform: Anonymous but Verified
My History with Anonymous Forums
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Almost a decade ago, I wrote articles for Seeking Alpha. Although I knew IBM from 30 years as an employee, I wanted to test out my theories on the company as an investment.
Every night before one of my articles was scheduled to be published, I did not sleep well. Seeking Alpha is an anonymous forum, and individuals—when cloaked in secrecy—write what they think with abandon; and, if you want to be blasted on a social media platform, insult the company an individual has recently invested in. |
Anonymous forums are exciting!
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Whew!
The experience, though, taught me how to absorb disrespectful comments, handle disagreements with respect, deflect anger with humor, and really, really, read between the lines to find the heart of a person’s concerns and thoughts—or ask them to clarify their opinion. Sure there were jerks, but most of the individuals, like me, were there to learn and educate others. I took pride in controlling and maintaining civility in the conversations—not only with me but between the members of the community.
From my experience, there is nothing like an anonymous forum to humble a person with a half-baked idea or put a quick end to a half-truth—or, unfortunately, spread half-truths if not challenged. It is brutal. It requires a dedication to standing your ground against jerks, adapting your ideas to new insights from those who engage respectfully, agreeing to disagree at times, or even changing your whole belief system.
But isn’t that what it means to live as a member of humanity?
From my experience, there is nothing like an anonymous forum to humble a person with a half-baked idea or put a quick end to a half-truth—or, unfortunately, spread half-truths if not challenged. It is brutal. It requires a dedication to standing your ground against jerks, adapting your ideas to new insights from those who engage respectfully, agreeing to disagree at times, or even changing your whole belief system.
But isn’t that what it means to live as a member of humanity?
My History with LinkedIn
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Fast forward seven years and it is amazing how truly boring and anemic most LinkedIn discussions have become.
It seems that the inhabitants of this social media forum have realized that LinkedIn will not get them a job—except through relationships maintained through it; but “like” the wrong comment or use the wrong word in a reply, and these actions may come back to haunt you as you look for a new opportunity. LinkedIn discussions are becoming as bland as the proliferation of bitter bromides, pleasing platitudes, and cat-and-dog videos. |
LinkedIn discussions are boring and "muted" and therefore not profitable
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So, I would propose that LinkedIn consider implementing an intelligent, verifiable, incognito mode. It needs to provide its users, not with a “cloak of secrecy,” but a “veil of protection” to encourage honest, intelligent feedback on matters that should be of a real concern to the economic welfare of our country. Of course, the following is to just start a discussion, not be the end-all solution. Let the security gurus, architectural geniuses, and business leaders who want real, genuine feedback get to work. If they do, I am sure they could define, build and implement a better solution.
What I am about to propose, is just to spur imagination, thought and feedback. As one IBM director told me, “Pete, it is easier to propose something to a committee and let them dissect and reassemble it, than to ask a committee to come up with something from scratch.” He was a cantankerous but wise old guy. Thanks Art!
What I am about to propose, is just to spur imagination, thought and feedback. As one IBM director told me, “Pete, it is easier to propose something to a committee and let them dissect and reassemble it, than to ask a committee to come up with something from scratch.” He was a cantankerous but wise old guy. Thanks Art!
An intelligent, Verifiable, incognito Mode
Let’s say that IBM’s Chief Human Resources Officer—new in her position—posts up a positive note on how, “We are ensuring equity in our hiring, and employee engagement actually increased in 2020!” Today, this will get thousands of likes, applauds and bear hugs from those who like the message but don’t work for the company, or those who have just been hired and haven’t yet experienced the other side of the human resource equation: Resource Actions.
There are tens of thousands who have (and still are) experiencing IBM’s age-discrimination in its firing practices. Today, they can’t call IBM on these practices for fear that when they apply for a new job, this will come back to haunt them.
There are tens of thousands who have (and still are) experiencing IBM’s age-discrimination in its firing practices. Today, they can’t call IBM on these practices for fear that when they apply for a new job, this will come back to haunt them.
Wouldn't comments that are "anonymous but verified" be helpful?
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What if, such an individual could respond to this post with the truth of the matter—or at least the facts as they have experienced and are experiencing them?
What if, as they were getting ready to reply with an “unlike,” “body slam,” or a challenging question like “What is the actual employee engagement number and is it historically high or low?” they could choose an “incognito mode?” When they choose “incognito,” a quick set of options of how the “unlike” or “comment” could be documented would be presented such as the following:
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This information would be intelligently extracted from and verified against the commenter’s LinkedIn employment history, but once the comment is posted, the verification data deleted (or whatever the security guys thinks is possible to guarantee anonymity). In a way, this is an extension to what Amazon already does for my books … it marks comments with “verified purchase.” Why not provide on LinkedIn “anonymous but verified” feedback from current and former IBM employees?
Now, when a chief executive posts an article or comment, the LinkedIn community starts to see reality in the feedback: a thousand likes and applauds from current employees “by name”—so, they get their social-media brownie points, and another thousand dislikes, thumbs downs, body slams, and comments from anonymous but verified sources: current and former employees—so the community sees the bigger picture. If that happens, isn’t it time for the chief executives to eat humble pie? Shouldn’t a credible social media platform seek to “out the truth in as verifiable a way as possible?”
Now, when a chief executive posts an article or comment, the LinkedIn community starts to see reality in the feedback: a thousand likes and applauds from current employees “by name”—so, they get their social-media brownie points, and another thousand dislikes, thumbs downs, body slams, and comments from anonymous but verified sources: current and former employees—so the community sees the bigger picture. If that happens, isn’t it time for the chief executives to eat humble pie? Shouldn’t a credible social media platform seek to “out the truth in as verifiable a way as possible?”
This Would Build a New Type of Social Media Platform: Anonymous but Verified
By the way, this would apply to this or my articles too! But I don’t think I would have as hard a time eating humble pie as some chief executives. I was served “pie” for years as I wrote my Seeking Alpha articles. I adapted. Too many chief executives are leading sheltered lives on social media—because of “muted” free speech. My question would be, “If an executive can’t handle social media, can he or she handle a company of 300+ thousand employees?
It is time for LinkedIn to implement feedback processes that will shed light on those organizations that have great, good, poor, and terrible human resource practices. We, the citizens of LinkedIn, should be able to distinguish between such organizations through feedback from our peers! In this way, by separating propaganda from truth, this social media platform could ensure that bad businesses fail faster, and great businesses grow quicker. What a great long-term goal!
By the way, I am a better person for having been served Seeking Alpha humble pie. I think some of our current executive leadership might be better if they were served up a nice slice of LinkedIn humble pie … at least every once in a while!
It is time for LinkedIn to implement feedback processes that will shed light on those organizations that have great, good, poor, and terrible human resource practices. We, the citizens of LinkedIn, should be able to distinguish between such organizations through feedback from our peers! In this way, by separating propaganda from truth, this social media platform could ensure that bad businesses fail faster, and great businesses grow quicker. What a great long-term goal!
By the way, I am a better person for having been served Seeking Alpha humble pie. I think some of our current executive leadership might be better if they were served up a nice slice of LinkedIn humble pie … at least every once in a while!
Postscript: Of course, the real problem is if anyone would trust LinkedIn to protect their anonymity?