A Peek-A-Boo On LinkedIn

Have you ever tried to message someone on LinkedIn out of expediency? I mean, we're here, right? What do you do when the message clearly goes through, and all you see is someone peek-a-booing your profile? No answer. Not even a wink. Hey, there's an idea for LI developers - winks - so you don't exactly feel slighted.

The last few days I've been sending a message here or there about a stunning new development. Yes, I really mean STUNNING, not like standard PR fluff. You'd think that 1st level contacts are 1st level contacts for a reason, now wouldn't you? Apparently, they forget you even if you did try to save their country's fearless leader. Opps! I am giving too much away here.

I guess the point is, if you are not a close associate of mine, get the heck off my list. I can take "no" for an answer. Heck, even "bugger off" is better than me catching a glimpse of your mug popping into the frame. As one of the first adopters (look it up) of this platform, excuse me if I still believe in reciprocity. "We," and I mean those of us that testest and gave feedback to the developers of this LinkedIn thingy, almost all of us were able to take a moment for colleagues.

Yeah, this is a rant. I hope it hits some people square between the eyeballs though. Listen here. Just for a second.

Since LinkedIn began back in 2003, I have written two books and somewhere in the neighborhood of 17,000 articles, stories, and blog posts about everything from the first iPhone to an Amazon Bestseller about how the world got Putin wrong. Since those early days, the system here on LI says I've accumulated 2,947 followers. And you know what? Anytime any of them messages me I respond. Then I go and write 5 or 10 articles, meet with a hotel owner, pick my son up from school, hold two Skype conferences, and woof down some food in between browser tabs and Tweets. Yeah, I am as busy as you, probably a lot busier.

To finish this off, if I send you a message about STUNNING breakthroughs that might change the course of life for a billion people, maybe you should just say WTF? Send it. Or, you might consider that a good old boy like me is thinking about your big win too. Maybe, just maybe. Yes, people like me do still exist.

And since I am of Irish descent, I'll tell you all another thing. I wrote this story for Huff Post once. It was about giving my last $50 buck to this broken-down old man digging food out of a dumpster back in America. His words resonated with me until this day, 40 years later. And you know what, few on LinkedIn would acknowledge such a figure here, not even if he were the second coming of Christ.

How about that to go with your Friday cognac my friends? Occasionally, GRIPPING technology is just that.