Why Is This On Linkedin?

Lately in my Linkedin newsfeed, I have run across an increasing number of posts that seem (at least, for some) to be inappropriate for a professional, business-oriented website.  Some of them are painfully unrelated to the Linkedin basics, which are:

Connect. Find. Be found. Build your professional identity online and stay in touch with colleagues and classmates.

Power your career. Discover professional opportunities, business deals, and new ventures.

Learn and share. Get the latest news, inspiration, and insights you need to be great at what you do.

Case and point, those stupid math problems. One could weakly argue for their inclusion under “Learn and Share,” but unless Linkedin has suddenly become a hub for 4th-grader networking, they should probably be reserved for the Facebook crowd. (PS: Order of operations, left to right, multiplication and division first, now let’s move on…).

 While many of these posts are, IMHO, "on the fence," some of my fellow and sister Linkedin members think otherwise and make their feelings known in no uncertain terms:

• “Why is this on Linkedin?”
• “This belongs on Facebook”
• “Maybe you should open an Instagram account, more appropriate for this content”
• “STOP PUTTING THIS CRAP ON LINKEDIN!”

Okay, there bud…simmer down, now. It’s not personal…shhhh [strokes virtual cheek].

I have a few friends who are very passionate about what does and doesn’t belong on Linkedin. They have even (gently) confronted me for my seemingly “approving” comments on posts that they had concluded were inappropriate for a business and networking audience. I think I was able to effectively argue why some of them – at least, from my perspective – do belong here. Often there is ambiguity based on how we perceive content, which can vary widely due to our unique narratives. But it did get me to thinking a bit more. Has Linkedin truly become the new Facebook for our extended business social network?

I do agree that there is some content that really doesn’t belong on Linkedin.  At all. Ever. For these, we really should just not engage. No likes, no shares, no comments. These are the “No-Brainers,” if you will (and I will). Here are some examples of what Moi thinks that one should never post on Linkedin:

•  “Type “[some arbitrary number or word]” in the comments and hit enter, see what happens!” These should be banned from everywhere, other than maybe sites dedicated to the gullible.
• The aforementioned Math problems.
• Photos of your cat (conversely, videos of your dog are absolutely appropriate ANYWHERE, especially if the dogs are humanized. I love that one with the dog smoking a cigarette out behind the fence while his owner calls for him…)
• Recipes (except the proverbial “Recipe for Success” or a really good lasagna).
• Pictures of your lunch unless it’s supporting an article on the Art of The Lunch Meeting or The Hierarchy of Office Candy. Please, no food just for the sake of food.
• Memes, including Boromir, Willy Wonka, the Dos Equis guy, running toddler, etc. Unless they are super-funny and related to a timely business topic.
• Movie or TV trailers (but please send anything Game of Thrones to my private inbox).

I’m sure you all can come up with more “No-Brainers.” This list is by no means all-inclusive.

But outside of these obvious offenders, many posts and articles fall more into that “on the fence, depends on your perspective” category. So where DO we draw the line? And who gets to make that call? The following are specific posts (or types of posts) where some people commented that the content was inappropriate for Linkedin…while others embraced it (sometimes resulting in some really juicy comment wars):

•  Inspirational sayings – but what if the promoter is a life coach? What if it is his/her job to inspire? WHAT IF I JUST HATE MONDAYS AND I NEED SOMETHING TO KEEP ME GOING???
• Promotion of new swimwear line – in this case, the poster was the CEO of a swimwear company. How is that different than a recruiter posting a job position? Both are promoting their “wares” – one just happens to be a product, the other a service. Is a scantily clad woman wrong if she’s wearing the widget?
• Photos of recently deceased Linkedin members – wouldn’t you want to know? People have networks that stretch beyond their workplace and family/friends.
• Racism? Gender bias? LGBT discrimination? They are all alive and well in business, my friends. I recently read comments for a Forbes.com article “Why Being A Woman Can Cost You $400,000” and there were a few people claiming inappropriateness. My favorite was “enough with this crap on a professional business platform” (because using “crap” in a comment on a professional business platform is soooo “professional”). Why is wage gap not relevant to business? It absolutely is…for some of us.
• Funny, office-related stuff. I wrote an article comparing job candidates to BLT’s. Tongue-in-Cheek but still “about” business. Are we not allowed to laugh in the professional world?
• What about political stuff? Recently an article on the GOP appeared in my newsfeed under “Leadership and Management.” A lot of commenters both left and right didn’t like the political tone. Much like the POTUS campaigns, it got a little ugly. For some of us, political views ARE relevant because businesses could absolutely be affected one way or the other if those candidates are elected. For example, I follow Planned Parenthood on Linkedin – PP is an actual company, and they have been at the center of many political debates and decisions…decisions which affect them, as a business. So why shouldn’t that be okay? Just because I – an IT manager – don’t find it relevant to my business narrative, it doesn’t mean it isn’t legitimate and important to someone else in the professional world.
• How about quotes by famous people on Linkedin – Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, Gloria Steinem? Is it okay if the famous person has a business like a clothing line or other company? Is Personal Branding included here, the business being oneself?
• What about personal status updates? I have been known to throw out a few goofy, funny (at least in my own head) one-liners on occasion, some of which are only loosely based on my job. How serious do we have to take ourselves to be “professionals?”

I think for many of us, we get caught up in our own small, professional world and forget that not everyone is an IT manager or Project Manager or Life Coach or CEO of a swimwear company. Is there a line that can be crossed? Yes. But that line might be different for everyone. So here is my untrained and unsolicited advice for those who are easily annoyed by Linkedin content:

1.  Understand the context. Is it really inappropriate…or just inappropriate to you? You are not the professional business network God, so err on the side of caution.
2. Don’t be a troll. Far worse than frivolous posts are offensive commenters. Your anger is not attractive. The idea here is to INCREASE your network, not piss people off.
3. Ignore stupid posts whatever they may be. There will always be Boromir memes and feline photos. The most professional – and most effective – thing we can do is ignore them.
4. If the content of the post is really, truly offensive (like, no room for error), then report it. Or, if you know the person and feel comfortable, send a private message.

But please. No more math problems. Math is hard. :-P