alt Hacker NewsOn a related note: I've run businesses for close to 20 years, most of those spent selling to other businesses, and I still fail to understand what the entirety of LinkedIn is for and if there is any of it that wouldn't fall under the author's definition of "Vanity activities".
If anyone has a clue, please enlighten me.
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I use it as a write only medium. I post about what I am doing and leave. It keeps my audience and people in my industry aware of what I am working on, and that makes my work more impactful. I have met many people that way, including my current partner.
It’s part of my strategy of working in public. It’s good for business and for my morale.
Definitely all the posting and activity on there seems very strange and is not something I’m remotely interested in participating in. But recruiters have often found me through LinkedIn and connected me with jobs, so it’s still useful overall and I keep my profile up to date.
>what the entirety of LinkedIn is for
Signalling allegiance.
I have a friend who calls LinkedIn "a rolodex that other people keep up to date".
There is some value in posting on LinkedIn, but the real value is that you can go back and find people who are weak connections when you are looking to hire, purchase services, or ask favors.
I think everyone should join LinkedIn and connect to every one of their colleagues that they would work with again. Then, once in a while, keep that connection alive by sending a message or commenting on a post.
It's a long game, but will pay dividends should you ever need to chat with them.