Would YOU Endorse Me? A LinkedIn Controversy
No, I'm not asking you to.
You can, of course, if you wish and feel it's deserved, but that's not the point.
If you are on LinkedIn (you are, aren't you? It's your on-line professional resume. If you're not you'd better get there), you no doubt know about recommendations. You likely have some, and probably have shared a few as well.
- You can request that someone endorse you, perhaps with the hope they will reciprocate
- Or you can be proactive and recommend someone without them asking (how cool is that?)
According to LinkedIn, "A Recommendation is a comment written by a LinkedIn user to advocate a colleague, business partner, or provider of a professional service including service providers who are not LinkedIn."
Who doesn't like to get a recommendation that will be in the public eye?! We all like to be endorsed by others, don't we?
But what happens when you get a request, such as the one I got today... "Will you endorse me?" It was from someone I have connected with - I know the company, have seen this person on-line, but admittedly do not know them well enough to feel that I can truly endorse them. No offense, I just don't have the info to be specific and heart-felt.
There are plenty of folks I know who I could endorse but simply have not done so. My bad, since I don't have a good excuse. But they deserve it and I would recommend them without reservation.
Would you endorse someone who asks if you don't know them well, or perhaps not at all, other than the fact that you have connected on-line?
Do you make recommendations in order to, perhaps, get one in return?
Do you ask people to recommend you, even if you don't truly know them?
Is this age of the Internet and social media, where on-testimonials, likes, friending, and being connected are so highly prized, one has to wonder...are these attributions and connections becoming diluted?
Do people take them seriously or is it becoming part of the social media game?
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