How does LinkedIn work?

[teen persuasion]

I haven't ever used LinkedIn, so no idea how it works, but I recently got an email that someone wanted to add me to their professional network.  It was my aunt.  Creepy part - she died last year.

Is this some robo promotion by LinkedIn, and they don't know, or what?  At least when FB tries to find friends for you, you know it us FB contacting you.

A few weeks ago my boss got a similar request, supposedly from a niece, but she was suspicious at the time.  The name used in the request was not the name her niece would ever call her.

[Plain Old Petunia]

It will send invites to people you have emailed.  So, maybe someone recently accessed your late aunt's LinkedIn account? 

[shanendoah]

In your case, someone accessed your Aunt's LinkedIn account and sent you the invite.
I suspect that someone not familiar with LinkedIn (or social networking) accessed your Aunt's account to either close it or let her network know she had passed. Sometimes it pops up with a question asking if you want to send invites to people in your email address book, and the person accessing it might have thought they were actually sending out the notification of your Aunt's passing.
I would double check with your family, to find out if any of them did this. However, if none of them did, report the invitation to connect to LinkedIn, letting them know your Aunt has passed away and you are afraid her account has been hacked.

As for your boss, again, this is not understanding how LinkedIn works. When I send an invitation to connect, I do not get to choose the "name" it gets sent to. It gets sent to the name the person has on their account, even if I, as a family member, would never use that name. Sometimes I have the option to write a personal note with my requests to connect, and sometimes I don't- I click the connect button and LinkedIn tells me "request sent".
If your boss is really suspicious, she could contact the niece and ask if she sent the invite, and again, if the niece did not, it needs to be reported.

[Deleted]

It seems sort of odd that my (now graduated) students send me invitations on LinkedIn. Does it let them email me or something if they need a recommendation?  Is the size of your network important?

I'm just trying to figure out why they are including me. I don't mind, and I do accept. It isn't like Facebook where I actually post anything.

ETA:  Curses, spellchecker!

[teen persuasion]

My best guess is that my uncle, her DH, is not that tech savvy and he bumbled his way thru this.  I've never emailed my aunt, but recently connected with my uncle about her memorial service by email.  I just got an invitation from him today thru LinkedIn.  

It is odd how differently the two invites were worded.  From my aunt, it was like a personal note: Hi teen persuasion, I'd like to add you to my personal network on LinkedIn -<aunt's name>.  For my uncle, it was written in the third person: <full uncle's name> would like to connect on LinkedIn.  How would you like to respond?

Re: my boss.  She is not using LinkedIn, so she doesn't have an account for LinkedIn to pickup a name from, if you kwim?

[shanendoah]

teen persuasion - Both are actually default messages from LinkedIn.

LinkedIn also searches your email for people who aren't on LinkedIn to try and get you to send them an invitation so that they join. The suggestions it gives me include my mom's old work email (she retired a few years ago), with my Mom's name spelled wrong, as well as my deceased MIL and a deceased friend.

@southernsusana - It is actually pretty common for students to connect to their teachers (per my teacher friends). It is not only about having a number of people in your network, but having people in your network who can connect you to people in their network. There is the belief that professors will have a large professional network in their field.

[justme]

Unlike other social networks, my policy is to add everyone on LinkedIn with the thought that if the shit hits the fan and I'm without a job I want to reach as many people as I can through it to try and get a new one. 

[Deleted]

I had 8 connections when I got laid off and have beefed it up now to over 400, the only requirement I have for someone trying to connect is that I have met them. It is gold for someone looking for a job, I get contacted by a headhunter every couple of months.

[Peace Of Mind]

How does LinkedIn work?

People will send you a request to join and LinkedIn will annoy you with constant emails and requests to the point of wanting to throw your laptop into the pond until you unsubscribe to it. 

[Deleted]

I've enjoyed LinkedIn. I always like to see who's moving where and this is a good way to do it. I got only one recruiter call from that route and it wasn't a job I wanted, but I did indirectly get my last job through LinkedIn. I saw an update from someone I'd worked with before, realized he was local and working at a good company, and found that they had an opening there.

They do deluge you with e-mails, so use your spamcatcher address. Try LinkedIn premium ($40/month after the free trial ). Your cousin in Ohio who doesn't know diddly about your work has just endorsed you for Reinsurance. Here's an article you should read. Your contact Jane has been at Company X for 3 years. My favorite is the automatic e-mails it sends any time a contact changes jobs. Clearly it doesn't check context. I got one saying an old boss had a new job: "Unemployed" at "Seeking New Opportunities". There's a link to "say congrats" and if you click on it, it gets posted to all his contacts. And yes, some moron did post "Congrats!" (I sent him a private note conveying my sympathy.)

Still, even though I'm retired, I enjoy the news.

[Deleted]

"LinkedIn tries to seem important. In the 8 or more years I've been a member I have not once found it to be at all useful for anything"

I found my current job via LinkedIn. Well they found me. I wasn't looking at all. The recruiter for my current company contacted and asked if I knew anyone interested in mechanical engineer work. I usually ignore them but this time I answered and the rest is history.

[NancysSummerSip]

I'm on LinkedIn and looking for a new job. Planning on using whatever I can, from their job postings to connections, as much as I can. I like the idea that people are identified by name and profession (and usually their company) and that there are no anonymous job postings. I like to know what I am getting into and with whom I am connecting.

[Deleted]

You can hide your profile and look

[Deleted]

Jul 23, 2014 16:11:21 GMT -5 @wrongsideof30 said:

PSA: If you are a stalky stalkerson, do not look at somebody's profile while you are logged in. The most important thing to know about LinkedIn is that people can see who has been viewing their profile.

You can change your setting to "Anonymous" when viewing profiles, then changing it back again.  They get revenge on you- if you choose to remain anonymous when viewing profiles, you also can't see who was viewing yours. 

[Deleted]

If you are not REALLY careful, it harvests your email contacts. I am EXTREMELY wary and careful and even I was "had" by LinkedIn.

Personally, I LOATHE it (because of that). 

[Deleted]

It seems sort of odd that my (now graduated) students send me invitations on LinkedIn. Does it let them email me or something if they need a recommendation? Is the size of your network important?

SS, yes, it does (in theory) allow them to contact you. But it's possible that you have to "upgrade" your account (ie pay) in order to get those emails. (I'm not sure about this.)

The only reason I maintain my LI account is that I get students wanting to "friend" me on FB. I always ignore those requests. The smarter ones ask to connect w me on LI instead LOL. I accept students on LI because it is a professional network. FB is not. I keep FB ONLY for friends and family.

The size of your network is definitely important if you want to "move up" LOL. But if you're content where you are, it's not a big deal. 

We have a friend who was hell-bent on getting a better job via LI. He was a CFO, but he quit his job because wanted to be CEO. It took him several months (maybe 6?), but he finally did it. He linked to people who linked to people who linked to people and got his dream job as a CEO. 

Then a few months later his new co was bought out. He was last in, and first out. He's been UE for over a year now. Scary stuff. LI can be great for networking, but IMO there has to be some substance / RL contact behind it. 

[Nazgul Girl]

    I am just not important enough to bother with Linkd In, especially since I've retired.   I've been contacted by several people to join, but I don't even know some of them.   Not a good bet for me  .

[8 Bit WWBG]

I get loads of LinkedIn requests from folks I've never met.  I assume people just guess firstname.lastname combinations and hope for a hit.