5 Things to Stop Doing on LinkedIn, Now

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In many cases, we need to hear something several times for it to take hold. That's probably true for how some of us tend to use LinkedIn. I thought it was time to give one of my most popular posts an update for 2020.

It's often surprising to see how people use personal social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to overshare about their lives, promote divisive political views and post pictures that make you question their judgment. However, people often forget that LinkedIn is primarily a professional/business network in which you are also representing your company.

LinkedIn, in their words, aims to be the world’s largest professional network. Most people leverage the platform to further their careers or represent their organizations in a professional manner. However, I see so many people continue to use the platform in ways that are offensive, spammy or even risky for their career.

Here are five things you should stop doing on LinkedIn today:

1. Posting Inflammatory Comments

If there is anywhere you should take your mom's advice of "if you have nothing nice to say, don't say it at all," it's on LinkedIn. I can't think of a worse place to be a troll or where you might face bigger consequences for your career.

If you disagree with something someone has written in a post or comment and it's not attacking you, your company or a cause you really care about, it's better to respond respectfully or not at all.

I am constantly amazed by the commenters I see who seem to need to let some anger or resentment out. It is equally confusing when people bring their own agenda to a discussion that was really about something else. 

I have had many strangers criticize me personally and make unfounded assumptions based on an article that shared a perspective or experience. This type of thoughtless commenting doesn’t reflect well on the person who is doing it, especially since their company is associated with their profile. LinkedIn is also a global platform and posts are seen by people with very different cultural norms. What might be normal to say in one culture could be interpreted as very offensive by another (ie, "This is total rubbish!"). 

It’s easy to forget that what we post on LinkedIn can be permanent and may be seen by your boss or colleagues. Users should remember that anything you do on the platform can become part of your professional record, and may also be a reflection on your employer, as your company name is tied to everything you post. There are better uses of your energy than starting a fight online with someone you don't know about something you don't really care about. I personally would never hire anyone whose profile says they are looking for a job and whose comment activity shows they are picking fights all day.

2. Connect & Sell

Everybody who’s been on this platform has probably gotten a cold sales pitch via LinkedIn messenger —a person whom you’ve either recently connected with, or who is requesting to connect with you, sends a canned or automated marketing pitch about their business. A common tactic these days is the bait and switch, where someone makes a note in the invitation about noticing your profile and wanting to be connected, then makes a sales pitch through messenger as soon as the invitation is accepted. You may think you are being creative, but this tactic is so overused that most people automatically tune out or ignore these requests.

This is an immediate way to lose credibility with potential leads and is the professional equivalent of asking someone for their phone number at a bar before starting a conversation; I make a point of removing every person who does this from my connections list. 

Instead, focus first on establishing a relationship or authentic rapport. Trying to sell to people who don’t even know you may work in some instances, but more often it rubs people the wrong way and can make them distrustful of your entire organization. People can also see right through the AI bots that are commonly used today to try to get the other person to engage; they don’t feel genuine or personal.

3. Tagging Unrelated People in Your Posts for Exposure

Every time I see this, I feel like my sixteen-year-old daughter wanting to tell someone what isn't cool.

Writing articles about influential people or posting a question for someone you know in a comment or post is a smart strategy for building awareness and dialogue. But some on LinkedIn try to gain visibility for their posts by tagging unrelated people who have big followings, often tagging 10-20 people at a time. This is similar to putting tons of hashtags at the end of your post and looks spammy.

Tagging people is not necessarily a bad idea, but make sure those people are clearly related to your content. If you’re tagging lots of people who have nothing to do with what you’re sharing, it might devalue your content and affect your credibility with other readers. You might also annoy that person, who can untag themselves (which is seen by others) and may even remove you as a connection.

4. Talking Politics

There’s a time and place for political opinions—but unless politics is your career, it isn’t a great idea for LinkedIn. And this isn’t just the case for inflammatory political opinions either—it’s impossible to know what political comments may be distasteful to others or rub them the wrong way.

If your organization is listed on your LinkedIn profile—as is the case for many—it’s vital to remember that you represent that organization on the site. LinkedIn is not a smart forum for political discourse, especially when you are representing your employer. You might never know if something you posted could cost you your job, with or without you knowing.

5. Flirting

This sounds absurd, but it happens more often than you'd think.

I have heard from many people that they are being hit on via LinkedIn more than ever before. I am also seeing some really poor judgment with image choices that are not professional. The world has plenty of dating sites, where both parties have a clear intent for being there. Flirting with people unsolicited on LinkedIn is a great way to land yourself in hot water; the risks far outweigh the rewards. Just don't do it.

LinkedIn is a great platform for business, but it’s far more effective when you use it correctly and don’t try to force things in an unnatural way. Remember, anything you do on Linkedin is fair game and easily seen by supervisors, peers, subordinates and future employers, especially when you post with your company title.

Stopping these five things will make you a better networker and help you build more positive professional relationships.

Let me know in the comments what others you would add to this list!

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Robert Glazer is the founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners, an award-winning performance marketing agency ranked #4 on Glassdoor’s best places to work. Robert was also named twice to Glassdoor’s list of Top CEO of Small and Medium Companies in the US, ranking #2 and was recently named one of Conscious Company’s top 22 conscious business leaders. He is also a member of Marshall Goldsmith's 100 Coaches initiative.