Is LinkedIn Living Up to Its Spot In the Big Three of Social Media?

by Lily Bradic

Right now, LinkedIn is the third-biggest social network in the world, but whether it deserves this coveted position is debatable. With the likes of Google+ and Pinterest nipping at its heels, LinkedIn is at great risk of losing its spot — and here’s why.

It “doesn’t count” to most people

LinkedIn isn’t really social, it’s professional — and most of us are wary about mixing the two (and for good reason). Besides, for a lot of people, social media isn’t social media unless you can share cat pictures.

But then, you could also argue that Google+ doesn’t really count either, considering most people only have an account because it was an automatic part of their Gmail and YouTube sign-ups. That’s cheating, if you ask us.

Endorsements are meaningless

The “endorse all 4” button is pretty much to blame for this. When you log in, you’re greeted with four friends and the opportunity to endorse them all. Users endorse at random, and many expect the same in return. People you don’t know can endorse you for things you can’t do, so the whole system is pointless.

It’s hard to connect with people

Despite only letting you connect with people you know, LinkedIn is actually pretty good for stalkers.

On some levels, it makes sense that you can only connect with people you know, but on others, it seems highly counterintuitive. Perhaps if you could connect with your connections’ connections without explaining how you know them, LinkedIn would be a bit more useful.

Not many people know how to use it

We’re talking about the “share an update” box and what to put there in particular, but this also applies to the site in general. When used properly, LinkedIn can be useful. It just takes a little time to learn the ropes.

If you’re not sure how to use LinkedIn to your professional advantage, don’t worry — we’ll be covering this in a couple of weeks! And if you really can't wait, reach out to us and we'll get you on track sooner.