The results are in, and the numbers don’t lie – why do you tag connections on LinkedIn?

Over the past couple of weeks, I posted two articles regarding tagging connections on LinkedIn to determine if the practice has merit.

What prompted the articles was a debate between several people I respect who had opposing positions on whether to tag or not.

Those against the practice gave several reasons for their reluctance to tag, including the belief that the LinkedIn platform's algorithms would penalize you by limiting how many of your connections could see the post. There was also concern that your connections would view you as a spammer.

On the other side of the debate, those who regularly tag connections indicated that it stimulates greater engagement in the form of comments and responses (likes etc.). Regarding spamming concerns, tag advocates believe that if your connections do not want you to reach out to them, they shouldn't be connected. After all, they reason LinkedIn is a social community that should stimulate meaningful discussions and sharing of ideas and expertise.

One common belief shared by both for and against groups is that a post should NEVER be a "self-serving infomercial." In other words, you should only share meaningful and relevant information that benefits the reader.

Wh@t The Numbers Say

While a debate is always worthwhile, with both sides offering great insights, what do the numbers actually say?

Is tagging a worthwhile effort or an unwelcome intrusion?

Here are the stats from one of the test posts last week:

Non-tagging 2,540 views, 40 likes, 3 comments, three shares

Tagging 2,321 views, 16 likes, 24 comments, 0 shares

Regarding views, over the same period, the number of views was pretty much the same – with a slight advantage given to the non-tagging advocates.

There was also a notable difference in Likes – 40 to 16 and shares, 3 to 0.

However, with non-tagging, the number of comments was a paltry 3, while with tagging, the number grew to 24.

While I will reserve sharing my personal take on the results, I want to turn to you with today's poll to find out which you value more – getting likes or generating comments. Please respond with your answer in the comment section.

Poll Question: Why do you or would you tag connections on a LinkedIn post?

Poll Answers:

Improve engagement with my community (comments)

Increase my social footprint and brand (likes and shares)

Other (please specify)