Linkedin Groups

[jamesray50]

When I joined Linkedin I saw it as an opportunity to network with other people all over the country in my industry and to learn from them. I joined several groups, probably too many. There are a few that I really enjoy and participate in quite frequently. But, there are some others that irritate me to no end.

Some of the ones that irritate me are the ones on networking and social media. I thought they would have discussions on how to network or to use social media. But most of the discussions (not all) are blogs with links to something trying to sell something.

Today there was a blog I thought would be interesting reading. Should you sell yourself in your blog? I thought the answer was yes and wanted to read what the author had written. He started off by saying that most people would say no, then went on to say it was yes. Then he had a link to a product he was selling, a blog template for $47.

I couldn't help it, I commented back on Linkedin that I agreed with his blog, that we should sell ourself, but that I wouldn't pay $47 for a template to write a blog.

[KristineS]

Unfortunately, you will find people on any social media site that are just there to sell themselves. Everything is a pitch. The only thing you can do is try and avoid them, or block or unfriend them if that's an option.

There are spammers on social media sites, just as there are spam e-mails and spam faxes. Unfortunately, it's a part of online life. Once a platform is developed where people congregate, there will be someone there trying to figure out how to exploit it.

[Business Attorney]

Ann, Kristine is right. There will always be spammers where ever there is a chance to pitch someone. However, I would not bait the spammers, either. If what they are proposing is a deal you don't think is worthwhile, just move on and ignore it. Otherwise, you will be spending a lot of time responding to spam.

[monkeyposter]

There are plenty of places out there to get great information and have conversations without being pitched some item. No need to sort through the trash on a site that is full of spam.

[tylerhutchinson]

I am also on linkden and am part of around 60 or so groups. Most I am active in. There are a few that I recently left for the reasons you stated.