There might be but take time to think before you....

LinkedIn is a highly successful and impactful enterprise that has connected individuals and corporations from similar and differing industries for years. A significant factor behind LinkedIn’s success (and that of other social networking sites) is its inclusive principles and rejection of elitist behaviour.  

The site highlights an area of life most people find themselves immersed in – business or ‘work’ in general – and uses the widespread participation in such matters to constantly expand their base of users. However, again similar to other social networking sites, the all-inclusive policies produce those select individuals desiring a denigration of the site’s power. Having been a consistent user of LinkedIn for a while now, I’ve experienced (first-hand and otherwise) the levels some are content to relegate themselves to in order to express their opinions on articles. Disagreement is an essential force behind the improvement of businesses and their continued efficiency but many attempts to initiate these arguments fail to grasp the pertinent core of LinkedIn’s purpose.  

Pause for a moment and consider what the term ‘business’ means to you. No matter what your mind musters up, you can’t be incorrect since the value of individualised interpretation shouldn’t be undermined. Your idea of business is most likely moulded by your past experience – the longevity of your career thus far, the form and variety of the industries you’ve worked within, your personal leanings and intuition not mentioning the role played by your family and acquaintances. Since I’ve allowed you the liberty of expressing yourself according to how you naturally interpret business, why can’t you offer the same generosity to the next man? It is important, while retaining a sense of individualisation, to accept other ideas – just as you strive to avoid discrimination in other walks of life, you must adhere to the same principles in business, even when there’s no emotional gratification attached. As mentioned earlier in this article, it’s inevitable that you won’t agree with every LinkedIn user and you shouldn’t if you’re staying true to your beliefs. All I ask for is a moment of consideration before you post a comment questioning the relevance of a certain post. Why is it relevant? Well, the poster is a member of LinkedIn. Their post likely reveals their mode of thinking, whether it be a quote tinged with inspiration or an article directly linked to the mechanics of business. Now let’s remember the purpose of LinkedIn – to network. Be grateful for the opportunity to gaze into another’s perception and appreciative for sites such as LinkedIn before typing a crude comment to no one’s benefit, most certainly not yours.  

There will be other articles that pass your test of relevance, only to fall short when their content is analysed. Every poster is a news anchor, a commentator, an analyst and above all a human – in other words, they are expressing their emotional complex based from their personal findings and experiences. LinkedIn, as a platform of business, is driven by ideas. Sure, you can correct a fellow LinkedIn user on a factual comment if you honestly feel as though your contribution will improve their understanding. After all, facts are elements of reality. For instance, if one were to name Sydney as the capital of Australia they would be mistaken – correct. However, if one were to state that Sydney is a better city than Canberra you cannot, in simple terms, deny them their opinion. Question it; provide your own opinion without aggrandising yourself, start a conversation, network.  

Your LinkedIn experience will be incomparably more beneficial if you follow the lessons prescribed by years of political and economic co-operation. Two minds are better than one, no matter the void of knowledge within one of the pair. Why? You are improved by exposure to other opinions, no matter their perceived oddities. Imagine sculpting your own beliefs from birth and never being challenged for the rest of your life. How would you satisfy yourself intellectually, morally or business-wise? Relativity is an essential component of understanding, an ingredient that cannot be forgotten. Embrace other’s opinions as you embrace your own – critically, remembering that just like yours, their thoughts form part of the wider concept we have labelled ‘opinion’.