Jason Alba wrote an interesting post on “I’m On LinkedIn – Now What???” regarding his approach to ‘friend’ request on LinkedIn. I am not sure how ethical his approach is although I can see where he is coming from and why.
There are many social sites around and from the moment you join you start to receive ‘friend’ requests. It is a little like a pyramid scheme. You join and add a couple of individuals to your ‘friends’ list. Some else joins and adds you to their list and while they are at it, add your firends as well. LinkedIn is no different.
Jason’s approach is quite simple and fairly obvious as well. If you want to be my friend, do so on the understanding that everyone on my ‘friends’ list will receive my monthly newsletter. Sounds a little like bribery, or blackmail. I don’t know how LinkedIn looks at this type of activity.
I think the point that is made to back up this requirement is very valid. If you have 100 or more ‘friends’, how often do you really interact with them. Many of these ‘friends’ add themselves and then you never hear from them again. With LinkedIn you can get away with a requirement like this so you know the people you do add will get some value from the ‘friendship’. You are interacting with them, even if it is by newsletter.
A larger benefit is that you wont get 100′s of friend requests. People will think twice before requesting to become a ‘friend’. Whilst I applaud the novelty of using this tactic to combat irrelevant friend requests, I hope it doesn’t become commonplace. I certainly don’t want to receive 100 newsletters each month, one from each of my ‘friends’ on LinkedIn.
Nick,
I appreciate your multi-sided debate about Jason’s post, but I side on defending it; there’s no question of the ethicality of his practice of signing up those who request to connect with him to his newsletter as long as he’s upfront about it. LinkedIn is a business tool and a supposed relationship-builder. A tasteful, informative newsletter builds credibility and exposure which is paramount to relationship.
Thanks for the post; you’re now on my reader.