The Case Against Bots on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a networking platform that was made to build real connections between human beings across over 200 countries and territories. It’s not about buying followers, spamming pages, or stealing information. Millions of successful business relationships have been created and sustained through this platform, but they were created the right way. 

Hacking your way to a large connection base of fraudulent profiles won’t do you or your company any good in the long run. There are no shortcuts here. In order to successfully network, market, and sell through any platform, it’s important to put in the work and watch the growth occur organically. 

Aside from cheating yourself out of experiencing a process lined with interesting connections and valuable learning experiences, using bots on LinkedIn is also strictly prohibited by their User Agreement. This violation could lead to your account being shut down or restricted. 

In creating this policy, LinkedIn is working to protect all of the data they receive and keep their members’ information safe. This is becoming an increasingly daunting task for many platforms as technology continues to grow at such a rapid pace. 

LinkedIn has acknowledged the difficulty of preventing and stopping bots on their platform, and while they’re doing what they can, they’ve also asked users to proceed with caution. To avoid the inadvertent sharing of personal data and limit the risk of exposure to issues like identity theft, users have been shown various ways to spot and avoid bots. This will lead to a more careful and mindful platform of users that won’t be fooled into making careless connections. 

Platforms like Facebook and Craigslist have faced similar problems, and even sued data miners to protect the personal information of their users. But they are not the only companies that disagree with these practices. 

In an article released last year, a writer for Forbes described data mining as “statistics, but for cheaters.” The article also pointed out that bypassing technical details can give you data patterns and information that won’t be useful in real-world applications. 

Millions of people use this platform to network, search for jobs, meet people in their industry, share professional opinions, market their products or services, and help fill the needs of others. When used correctly, it can be an incredibly valuable resource. 

By creating and maintaining a LinkedIn profile for the Marketing and Sales teams within your company, you can accomplish much more than a bot ever will. 

You can share and explore job openings, increase your SEO ranking, highlight important aspects of your business, and quickly and easily share content with your target audience. Be sure to post frequently, seek out and update connections, and network consistently in order to make the most of your profile. 

If you’re interested in reading more about the ways human connection drives businesses and expands your reach, you can do so here. 

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Kim has attracted an audience of over 235,000 professionals from around the globe on LinkedIn and is the CEO of Linkability, Inc. She is a dynamic Entrepreneur, Global Business Communications authority, and three-time business founder. Linkability is a strategy and consulting firm that provides world-class Intrepreneurs, Entrepreneurs, and organizations with consulting, services, and products that helps to grow robust networks and drive tangible results in sales, marketing, and thought leadership positioning.

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