LinkedIn is not Facebook, let's create opportunity.

For many professionals, LinkedIn is the first place we turn to on social media in our search for opportunity, professional value and building a solid professional network.

It may be the last destination for professional and educational content that's not polluted, however, it is starting to get and feel a bit less professional. I know this is not a new topic, but it keeps happening to me, and maybe to you as well? This is your chance to comment on the issue.

Since I became an active daily user of LinkedIn, I've experienced a lot on the platform and written over 630 articles, many of which receive dozens of comments. Recently, I've noticed the quality of comments have declined dramatically.

I'm very open to different points of view, but it hurts me to read my hard work reduced into an opinion that feels more appropriate or made for Facebook.

While I applaud the LinkedIn algorithm to emphasize real human dialogue and conversation, I expect that we as a community are able to keep things professional and civil.

To make matters worse, typically, it's clear the "offenders", (upwards of 20%) have not even read the article or clicked on any of the links I have so painstakingly created. They mostly comment on the title alone. So what's going on here?

I understand we are busy professionals and live in a mobile world, but what is the incentive to attempt to create value, if the comments lack even a basic level of respect and professionalism?

The Digital Dumb Down

Many of the comments clearly come from a level of digital intelligence that Facebook has conditioned in us. The algorithmic echo bubble creates trolls that have no interest in the truth or debate.

We are now living in a digital world where we have become creatures of impulse, without the patience to listen or learn about an opinion that might be different from our own.

• 2-5 second attention spans
• Emotional gut reactions (Facebook "reactions")
• Unprofessional statements full of personal or political bias
• Seeking entertainment over education
• Negative comments with no basis in fact or logical discourse

The LinkedIn Dating Zone

A huge majority of the daily active population on LinkedIn happens to be older men. The majority of these professionals, typically work in sales, marketing or as recruiters. There's been a lot of speculation recently about how LinkedIn is being used as a place to flirt and make connections of different kinds.

• As a woman, have you ever received inappropriate messages from your network or strangers?
• Are we creating an environment where healthy dialogue and professional networking can still take place?

Why I Prefer LinkedIn

I myself prefer LinkedIn over other social media sites like Facebook because of the business, educational, tech news and future content I expect to find, and write about.

However, the more I have to police "trolls" and spam on my comment section and unfollow inappropriate content in my feed, the more I start to wonder about LinkedIn's credibility as a professional site that attracts earnest and sincere professionals.

I want to converse with people from all over the world, as a person, but as a professional first and foremost.

To be Professional or to Mistake LinkedIn for Facebook - That is the Question

While I applaud LinkedIn's daily digest and tech and future news. I grow weary and disappointed with a lot of the human comments I receive. If trolls were responsible for the decline of Twitter, I do not want to see the same occur on LinkedIn.

While I can appreciate social media in all of its colors and varieties. I think many of us have also noticed, the times are changing and a new culture seems to have spawned on LinkedIn which includes:

• More spam in our LinkedIn messages
• Instagram like images on our feeds
• Female personal brands that leverage their appearance over their content or ideas
• Huge increase in updates of YouTube videos
• Increase in promotional spam in comments with bogus links or phishing
• Increase in political content that often creates an unpleasant feedback loop
• A decline of original in-house content, with an increase in second hand content (first published elsewhere)
• Viral content hacks that include click-bait titles, reverse psychology, vulnerability-hacks, and unprofessional imagery
• More updates that have zero professional relevance and a decline in quality articles.

Changing with the Times

While I enjoy genuine, authentic and personable content, a community is only made up of the character and habits of its average citizen. Have you noticed any of these trends too on LinkedIn?

Let's create content, make comments and communicate in a way that truly:

• Powers our career
• Adds value to other professionals
• Is preferably not offensive and rather mindful of the rights and opinions of others that is respectful of their work, time and effort.

Let's keep LinkedIn professional and report people and content that's not appropriate. Let's create dialogue on LinkedIn that's supportive, inclusive and that creates value for others.

I'm the 2nd ranked LinkedIn Top Voice in Marketing and Social, with a special interest in the intersection of LinkedIn content with our personal professional brand, follow me to stay in touch.

Please share this article if you also hope LinkedIn will keep true to its Professional roots. If I'm a daily active user here, I want to be with professionals and help make other professionals more productive, successful and up to date (minus the trolls).

Is LinkedIn becoming less professional and more like Facebook? How so?