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I'm a mid-level software engineer/SRE. I get tons of recruiters messaging me on LinkedIn, and it's how I landed my last 2 jobs ultimately. So while I'm not a hu

I'm a mid-level software engineer/SRE. I get tons of recruiters messaging me on LinkedIn, and it's how I landed my last 2 jobs ultimately. So while I'm not a huge plan of using the platform, I can't say it's not worth having a profile on.

pram 6y ago
Yep, this and sorting jobs with the “easy apply” thing enabled. Makes casual job hunting that much less of a hassle.
tempsy 6y ago
The main point of the post is not that LinkedIn isn’t useful, it’s that it is useful but takes advantage of your professional need to be on the service whether you want to or not that is akin to a hostage-like situation. The hostage dynamic allows it to get away with really annoying and awful features that you put up with anyway because you have little choice.
- st1x7 6y ago
  How is it a hostage situation if I don't have to read all the nonsense, didn't know that most of their features are a thing, can restrict my notifications and only need to really use the site for a few weeks every couple of years?
  - tempsy 6y ago
    You’re still creating a profile on a site where you admit is full of nonsense. You’re just saying you ignore it as best you can. That is still a situation where you’re using something even though you realize there’s a lot of nonsense because there’s value to you. LinkedIn still takes advantage of this dynamic whether you choose to ignore it or not. I liken it to the fact that porn sites can get away with extremely intrusive ads because people demand their service and have little alternative. Whether you try to block or ignore the ads as much as possible isn’t really the point.
    - chishaku 6y ago
      You’re describing not just porn sites but basically the whole internet as most people experience it.
      - tempsy 6y ago
        If a site doesn't add enough value for you you aren't going to put up with it. There are certain news sites like Forbes that are so annoying that I don't deal with it. The point is LinkedIn is in a category where you "need" it but don't necessarily want it, and that dynamic allows them to do very annoying things. Sure a lot of websites can try to hold you hostage but, again, the question is whether they even offer something you need enough to deal with it.
        chishaku 6y ago
        I agree with you. I was just adding that most of the internet is this way, not just porn sites. We can say that most websites are on a spectrum of ad-driven BS and Linkedin (and porn sites) are further to one end. So for me, the problem is less about Linkedin and more about the difficulty of building alternative business models that are sustainable. What offering will eventually replace Linkedin and will we have to endure more or less BS?
    - st1x7 6y ago
      > Whether you try to block or ignore the ads as much as possible isn’t really the point. I think that it is. If you're blocking them, you're getting whatever you want from the website without the downside of the ads. If you're putting up with the ads, that's a bit closer to a hostage situation. Same with LinkedIn - as long as you're using it in a way that's okay with you, I don't see a problem.

pram 6y ago

Yep, this and sorting jobs with the “easy apply” thing enabled. Makes casual job hunting that much less of a hassle.

tempsy 6y ago

The main point of the post is not that LinkedIn isn’t useful, it’s that it is useful but takes advantage of your professional need to be on the service whether you want to or not that is akin to a hostage-like situation. The hostage dynamic allows it to get away with really annoying and awful features that you put up with anyway because you have little choice.

st1x7 6y ago
How is it a hostage situation if I don't have to read all the nonsense, didn't know that most of their features are a thing, can restrict my notifications and only need to really use the site for a few weeks every couple of years?
- tempsy 6y ago
  You’re still creating a profile on a site where you admit is full of nonsense. You’re just saying you ignore it as best you can. That is still a situation where you’re using something even though you realize there’s a lot of nonsense because there’s value to you. LinkedIn still takes advantage of this dynamic whether you choose to ignore it or not. I liken it to the fact that porn sites can get away with extremely intrusive ads because people demand their service and have little alternative. Whether you try to block or ignore the ads as much as possible isn’t really the point.
  - chishaku 6y ago
    You’re describing not just porn sites but basically the whole internet as most people experience it.
    - tempsy 6y ago
      If a site doesn't add enough value for you you aren't going to put up with it. There are certain news sites like Forbes that are so annoying that I don't deal with it. The point is LinkedIn is in a category where you "need" it but don't necessarily want it, and that dynamic allows them to do very annoying things. Sure a lot of websites can try to hold you hostage but, again, the question is whether they even offer something you need enough to deal with it.
      - chishaku 6y ago
        I agree with you. I was just adding that most of the internet is this way, not just porn sites. We can say that most websites are on a spectrum of ad-driven BS and Linkedin (and porn sites) are further to one end. So for me, the problem is less about Linkedin and more about the difficulty of building alternative business models that are sustainable. What offering will eventually replace Linkedin and will we have to endure more or less BS?
  - st1x7 6y ago
    > Whether you try to block or ignore the ads as much as possible isn’t really the point. I think that it is. If you're blocking them, you're getting whatever you want from the website without the downside of the ads. If you're putting up with the ads, that's a bit closer to a hostage situation. Same with LinkedIn - as long as you're using it in a way that's okay with you, I don't see a problem.