May 21, 2012 168 Comments

I Closed My LinkedIn Account

LinkedIn No More

I just closed my LinkedIn account. Why? Because at least a MONTH ago, I reported a fairly simple problem: I can’t seem to add people back when they request that we connect. Oh, that would be about the 2nd primary thing one does on the site. You make a profile and then you connect. That’s about it. The connecting part has been broken.

I’m done. I don’t care. Whatever.

Why post this? Because I’m forever asked by people why I don’t talk much about LinkedIn. Why? Because it hasn’t done much for me for business.

Lots of people do great by it. Lewis Howes is a LinkedIn hero. JD Gershbein is a LinkedIn hero. Maybe they know more.

Me? Maybe I’m using it wrong. Whatever. Wishing you well Mario and Reid and everyone else I know there. See you on Google+ or wherever else business gets done.

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  • http://www.grayuk.com/ Adam

    Wow, I guess from your tone that you just got to the end of your tether with it…yes, I would agree that elements of it are a bit annoying.

    The idea that you can’t (or shouldn’t) connect unless you know someone seems a bit outdated these days – like going to a networking event and refusing to shake hands with someone you don’t know.

    But would you feel that it has NO VALUE WHATSOEVER?Perhaps you’re being a bit harsh?

    • Diditdirect

      One less distraction to steal from your real life with the people that are really  the one’s you need to connect with. I think you and I have seen this insanity of relationship overload come full circle. Really, how did we survive before all of this social media took over over our lives. The question is do I spend the only time I will ever get on this planet trying to acquire another like or  just one more contact to find out I missed out the very thing that really matters… One on one intimate friendships and relationships with people that will stand by you in the real world with real meaning that you will look back at the end of this life and say I spent my time wisely. I personal have gotten plenty of fans and tons of contacts but I really can’t say that I have seen a true benefit for my digital endeavors. I have been involved with marketing for 3 decades and the truth is a well placed letter or phone call is the key that opens the best doors and I find that for research LinkedIn is a helpful tool but I am still not sold that it’s worth the time it takes away from true relationship building.

      • http://www.rocktheworldbook.com/ LoriRuff

        True relationship building…

        For me using LinkedIn the list of people I have developed relationships with includes: 

        Mike O’Neil – my business and life partner
        Steven Groves – our best friend and business partner
        Carol Smith – one of my best friends and business partner
        Andrew Cameron – our graphic artist and mentee
        Jan van der Hoop – a mentor and friendBruce Mubayiwa – a LinkedIn enthusiast in Africa and a friendPetra Fischer – a LinkedIn enthusiast in The Netherlands and a friend…and oh so many more that I could list here. I have literally recreated my life using LinkedIn since I joined in July 2005. 

        I’m going to go out on a limb and say that anyone who is not getting value or benefit from it either isn’t spending time there or not using it in such a way that brings them face to face with real people (even if you are on different sides of the computer screen).

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      Would you fish in a driveway?

      • http://www.rocktheworldbook.com/ LoriRuff

        funny analogy, but I’ve done that once. Of course, it was a little fish pool set up by a neighbor so we could teach the kids to fish in a safe place… just sayin :)

        I guess you’re right that you need to fish where your big fish are. So you know, there is a strong community of meeting planners (and people who book speakers) on LinkedIn. But if you need a referral, I’ll be happy to do that for you. Just let me know what contact info to send. – virtual hugs from your favorite Diva!

  • http://twitter.com/suntrader Eyal Beit-On

    Maybe this is the new social revolution. Disconnecting can become a trend. Might put the whole community nurturing thing in jeopardy, but there are always alternatives and new ones are sure to follow. Mazal Tov on the newly acquired freedom :) 

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      Funny to think of me a disconnected. 200,000 followers on Twitter. 100,000 on G+. 14,000 in my newsletter and another 200,000 a month on my blog. I’m fairly connected. :)

      • http://quickcatchlabs.com/ Rusty Williams

        Chris.  This is a really odd decision.  LinkedIn is a fantastic site for keeping track of your connections.  It’s especially useful for job networking, sales, and other times you need personal introductions.  You say you’re “connected” because you have 200,000 _followers_ on Twitter.  A follower is not a connection.  It’s someone in the audience listening to you.  You’ve evangelized more than anyone that social media is about companies and individuals entering a dialog rather than broadcasting.  These steps you’ve taken with LinkedIn and Twitter make you seem more like a broadcaster than a listener.  I do enjoy the fact that you provoke thought about the value of these services.  In this case, I just disagree. 

        • http://twitter.com/VincentWright Vincent Wright

          Rusty, 
          Not that Chris Brogan needs a defense from me but, I’ve learned to respect him and to appreciate his work in social media precisely because he’s proven that he’s NOT “like a broadcaster”.   I’ve gotten quicker and more engaging responses from Chris than I’ve gotten from “social media gurus” with  networks less than a quarter the size of Chris’.  In other words, I pay attention to Chris Brogan BECAUSE he’s responsive…just as he’s demonstrating within the context of the current blog post about Linkedin’s lack of responsiveness.

  • Jacinta

    Hi Chris, totally get why you’re jacked off. I find it a very limited platform and one which falls outside of the context of true ‘social media’. It’s not a great deal more than an online rolodex. The lack of strategic flexibility & behavioural targeting coupled with a contrived opportunity for ‘networking’ positions it more as a traditional outbound/advertising platform + recruiter tool. Interesting now that someone of your cache has ditched – I will certainly be watching this space! Cheers, @Croaghie:twitter 

    • http://www.socialidentities.com Hugh Briss

       Jacked off? Apparently that term means something completely different in Australia than it does in the U.S.

  • Bill Murray

    I am not quite sure what you mean Chris.  Once you connect, you’re connected.  There isn’t any follow me, I follow you back.  I am no expert on LinkedIn, so I may be missing your point.  

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      I can’t accept connections. Technically. Can’t push the checkbox and then the accept button. Nothing happens.

  • http://twitter.com/MatthewAGilbert Matthew A. Gilbert

    I think the benefit of their being so many different social media platforms with which we can engage current and potential clients and colleagues is that if one doesn’t work — for whatever reason — there are others into which we can put our energy. 

    In my case, LinkedIn has resulted in one contract position, one significant interview and another very promising contract opportunity. Considering I’ve had my account since September 2004, perhaps that doesn’t sound like much, but I’ve really only been actively using it for the past three of those years. In that time my number of contacts has grown from 250+ to 650+ — mainly as a result of my including signing up for it in the curriculum for several social media marketing courses I teach.

    That being said, interaction has been one of LinkedIn’s main weaknesses, but part of that is due to it’s purpose (e.g. people only think to use it when they begin a job search). Recent upgrades have helped increase the potential for interaction and engagement (e.g. Groups, Companies and Answers), but I suppose there is no one magic answer.

    Conversely, my experience with Google+ is more similar to your experience with LinkedIn, though I still see the long term value in its use (and I also integrate it into the curriculum for my courses). Notably, I have yet to do so, but have long thought using “Hangouts” could be great for office hours and/or another form of class interaction (mainly for my online classes).

    Beyond that, what thoughts do you have as far as strategies for using Google+ in ways that LinkedIn is more limited?

    Thanks, Chris!

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      Google+ allows me to tell stories.

      • http://twitter.com/MatthewAGilbert Matthew A. Gilbert

        Hi Chris, that makes sense given the specifics of the medium. How would you compare that function vs. Facebook? Admittedly I haven’t used Google+ much  (though I do include your book as “recommended reading” in my syllabi), but one thing I really like about it is the ability to edit posts and more easily control the audience — though up to this point I’ve made all my posts public. Curious about your Google+ vs. Facebook thoughts. Thank you!

      • @Clickryan

        It’s important to look at who Chris is & his business model. It’s not one where linkedIN shines. Chris is more focused on sharing his knowledge & personal experiences (& thus storytelling) using SM with people. Chris isn’t touting his past (jobs / resume) nor looking for future jobs. These are the linkedIN target markets. He’s being in the now, connecting with 1 person / listeners / followers at a time.

  • Philipstrange60

    Chris, you’re not the only one having second thoughts. I’ve heard from several people that their ability to connect has been severely downgraded. Thta’s right, the one thing  you’re there for and they can’t do it.  Yours truly can no longer invite common group members without an email address, for example, which was a facility withdrawn without explanation by LinkedIn about 6 months ago.
    If Facebook or Google+ were able to separate my personal from my corporate identity I would chuck it too.

  • http://www.karenwrightcoaching.com/ Karen Wright

    I’m with Bill in that I don’t quite understand the issue around “adding people back” – if you accept the connection it’s done.  And I’ve never regarded LinkedIn as a social tool similar to Google+ or Twitter – rather I find it extremely useful for biz dev research and connections and for finding people with particular experience or talent but I’ve never expected it to be the foundation of real relationships – more of just a door-0pener.  LinkedIn is actually an incredibly powerful tool for me in my business.  Sorry to hear you’re frustrated.

    • http://twitter.com/MatthewAGilbert Matthew A. Gilbert

      Hi Karen: You bring up good points and your clarifications about LinkedIn’s purpose are sensible. In the classes I teach I refer to LinkedIn as a “socialble” media site, not so much a “social” media site (mainly for the reasons you described). By it’s nature I don’t think it will ever have the same type of engagement as Facebook, for example, but it offers its own unique experience. That being said, I have nowhere near the number of connections that Chris did, so maybe there is simply a bug in the system over a certain number of contacts?

      • http://www.karenwrightcoaching.com/ Karen Wright

        I like “sociable” as a differentiator – nice, Matthew.  I do know that Chris has always said he accepts connections from anyone, whether or not he knows them, and that may be an issue as LI modifies its functionality.  For example, if you try to link to someone that’s beyond a couple of connections away the system asks for their email, as it also does when you try to link to a distant connection as a friend, so maybe some of the controls are to try to ensure connections are legitimate. I have noticed quite an increase in “random” connection requests – requests from people I don’t know and don’t have any connections in common with – and I don’t accept those and wish they wouldn’t occur so frequently.  I know, at least distantly, every one of my 1,400 connections and because of that I have a strong sense of when and via whom I can source resources and make requests.  It might be that LI is fine-tuning its system to control for spam and unsavory marketers – which would be fine with me!

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      The technology wasn’t letting me accept the connection. I pushed the checkbox and nothing. Simple. The prime function.

  • http://twitter.com/brucemubayiwa Bruce Mubayiwa

    LINKEDIN STRATEGY – Interesting Article Chris. You note that LinkedIn hasn’t done much for you for business. I am very curious about the specific LinkedIn strategy you have employed to get business.  A few questions come to mind here: Did you have the visibility in your industry? How often did you actually engage your connections? What did you on the site to distinguish yourself as a leader or expert in your field? 

    STRATEGY NEEDED WHEREVER YOU GO – I would imagine that even with Google+ or any other platform there will always be need for a focussed strategy that guides your activity or actions to deliver results that add value to your business.POSSIBILITIES FROM YOUR NETWORK – Looking at the size of your network (16,097 connections) and number of recommendations (143), it seems like you could have done quite a bit with your network.WHY NOT FOR YOU? – Did you ever explore why LinkedIn works well for others and  not for you in terms of your goals and objectives?  I have found the site to be most useful in terms of getting business and looking for service providers. All the best Chris!

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      Short answer is that my strategy is to cultivate relationships. Those tools don’t facilitate it.

      • http://www.edisonresearch.com Tom Webster

        Relationships, not connections. I see what you did there, Chris Brogan.

        • http://www.grayuk.com/ Adam

          Well spotted…clearly that’s where most connection junkies are going wrong. They connect to just about anyone but build relationships with NONE of them.

      • http://pose83.com/ Jo Darby

        You mean to tell me that you’re cultivating (and maintaining) over 16,000 meaningful relationships?

      • http://www.rocktheworldbook.com/ LoriRuff

        Here I respectfully disagree with you. On the face it may not seem that you can facilitate relationships, but I assure you it’s not only possible but a powerful tool for that very thing. Most social tools don’t make relationships easy to cultivate unless you use them to engage people as you would if you were standing face to face. 

        I wouldn’t be on the Forbes Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers with you if LinkedIn did not help facilitate relationships.  And, I’m not the only LinkedIn focused professional on the list. Mike O’Neil, Viveka von Rosen, Neal Shaffer, et al. We are likely just approaching it from different perspectives. 

        I get your frustration with the bugs and lack of responsiveness from LinkedIn. They (and other companies like Facebook) don’t get the idea of having to cater to multiple stakeholders. LinkedIn is selling large accounts to recruiters and enterprise and they don’t seem to care about individual users. They are especially hard on their biggest supporters and have been since the beginning. Yet, we stay and maintain a relationship because of its power. 

        We get most of our business from the site itself; and I have met some of my best friends and my life partner by engaging people on the site. It does work when a focused and appropriate effort is put into it. 

        I don’t argue with your decision to leave. In fact, I applaud your decision. LinkedIn and other platforms need to understand that the free user is what they have to sell… we are their product. Without us, they would hold no value. Perhaps they’ll take your actions to heart and learn from it.

        See you on G+… Rock on!

      • http://www.LinkedIncoach.co.za/ Bruce Mubayiwa

        Fair enough Chris. All the best.

  • http://twitter.com/Ben_Shute Ben Shute

    Like a few others here Chris, I’m confused by what you mean by being unable to add people back, as it’s a mutual request connection.

    That said though, what I’m intrigued by is more your last comment “See you on Google+ or wherever else business gets done” – given some of the recent data and reporting (most notably Fast Company’s assertion that it’s a ghost town), do you still believe it’s a place where business gets done?

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      Please note this and revisit in a year.

      And can’t accept connection requests. Can’t push the check box and say accept. Resets.

      • http://www.rocktheworldbook.com/ LoriRuff

        Agreed with you Chris. Guy Kawasaki also prefers Google+ over Facebook because you can edit your posts and it’s easier to find and engage people. I’m finding it quite fun and beneficial although it’s not my primary platform. Of course, being “The LinkedIn Diva”, a title first conferred by a fan, certainly would indicate to people that my primary focus is LinkedIn. Actually, my primary focus is B2B business development. I love LinkedIn as a tool, but never put all my (or my customer’s eggs) into one basket.

        • Danny Brown

          You know you can edit FB posts and wall comments, though? Use the little X button and edit away. Or, if you want more control, use a Chrome or FF extension/plugin.

          • http://www.rocktheworldbook.com/ LoriRuff

            I don’t see an X button on the timeline postings. The pencil allows me to add a location or change the date, but I’ve never heard of being able to edit an update. Would love to share screens with you :)

      • http://twitter.com/Ben_Shute Ben Shute

        Then at the risk of sounding like we’re down to semantics, maybe “add people back”  is the wrong phrasing as it seemed to have confused a number of people here.

        Does anyone here know if there is a maximum number of connections you can have? Did you top out?

        I think developments with G+ will be interesting. I was a big fan when it launched, and I’m sure it has an audience, but not so sure anymore.

  • http://twitter.com/fabiofilho Fabio Filho

    Linkedin is supposed to enable people and business to connect as well as to be  social platform to support not only engagement but also awareness from both sides . Like many other social platform,s it has features and tools that makes it EASY to connect but REALLY ANNOYING  to REAVALUATE your connections. When poorly used, it can become stressfull  and for sure  a pain to manage  by those who use it indeed for  its focus and main purpose .  I can definitively understand your reaction to that  but do think that such a decision is definitively related to your expected results from the platform as well as your own expectations towards it.

  • http://www.davidmcohen.com/ David Cohen

    Understand your frustration. I don’t think I’ll be sharing this post on LinkedIn. 

    • http://twitter.com/MatthewAGilbert Matthew A. Gilbert

      Humorously, I already have. ;-)

  • Risto Päärni

    I closed my Business Account 6 mo ago with the same remarks. LinkedIn does work for me for the first contacts from there on there is more efficient tools to use.

  • http://josephratliff.com/blog JosephRatliff

    While I’m not having the same issue as you with LinkedIn (I can accept connections just fine)… I can see from your post and a couple comments that Google+ is a more appropriate tool out of the two for your business and your focus.

    Media reported data aside, you get out of any tool what you put into it in terms of focus, planning, and resources IMO.    

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      You win the prize! THIS is the sentiment.

      • http://josephratliff.com/blog JosephRatliff

         LOL, what did I win? (kidding)

        I had a pretty good virtual teacher ;)

    • http://www.rocktheworldbook.com/ LoriRuff

      Agreed Joseph. Every comment here from people who are getting nothing out of it seem to be from people who are spending no time there or who don’t understand the environment. It’s a professional networking site. Inappropriate content can be reported. Yes, people do promote their wares, but again, people are out there to make business happen.  

      On LinkedIn as on any platform, just shouting to sell your stuff turns people off. But when you engage thoughtfully and share value, people won’t mind when you share how you can help them. Business people on all platforms should follow this basic tenant.

      • http://josephratliff.com/blog JosephRatliff

         ”On LinkedIn as on any platform, just shouting to sell your stuff turns people off.” — I especially agree with you here Lori.

        I’ve written about this very idea before, and asked an important question…

        “If you saw two complete strangers talking to each other on the street… would you just walk up to them and immediately start selling?  No, you would build a relationship with them first.”

        IMO, just because you can connect with people quickly doesn’t speed up the process of building the relationship required to sell anything to anyone or start a lasting business relationship of any kind.

  • http://raulcolon.net Raul Colon

    Does this mean I don’t get my recommendation… buahahha… 

    On a more serious note I hardly ever go into linkedin and the platform is a bit dated. 

    The part that I think linkein lost was the cozy enviroment where you could only connect with people that you had a relationship with and not allow everyone to link up (especially in the case of spammers). 

    I am a fan of Open Networks but for some reason I enjoyed LinkedIn more when they would control connections for you a lot better. 

  • Barbara Giamanco

    Sorry to hear that you became frustrated enough that you decided to ditch the platform, Chris. Personally, I love LinkedIn. It is an awesome sales tool, and I’ve closed quite a bit of business using it. Being able to share content like slide presentations and video has also increased my ability to convert connections to business, as well as the pre-sales call research that you can leverage to secure introductions. Granted, it isn’t quite as “social” as other platforms, but I do engage in quite a few conversations with the people I am connected to.

    I also target various people I want to know better and weave that into my phone meeting strategy each week. In other words, I take the LinkedIn connection to a personal conversation.

    Re not being able to add more people…I do know that LinkedIn caps the number. I don’t know why, but that’s clearly what has happened.

    I’m sorry to see you go, but in the end, we all must decide what technology best suits what we want to accomplish. If it doesn’t work us…well, moving on seems to make sense.

    @035ed64a78c1edb659173efe55b28777:disqus : Just an FYI, you can invite group members to connect with you, but you cannot do it in bulk. For example, if we share a common group, I can click to view your profile and from your profile I then click on the “connection” button. Group is among the choices for how you know someone. I don’t need your email.  I just did this 5 seconds ago to be sure, so I know it is an available option.

    • Philipstrange60

      @4bb4e47a8e0a8f634c685eddcd99939d:disqus hi Barbara, thanks for reaching out. I used to do that and LinkedIn now prevent it. That ‘s my gripe.

    • http://www.rocktheworldbook.com/ LoriRuff

      Great comment Barbara… there is a lot of value to be had if you know how to engage in the community.  Re max connections is 30,000. The maximum number of invitations before you can request more is 3,000. But Chris said he couldn’t connect when people invited him; that likely means it’s not working when he hits “Accept” on an invitation. They’ve recently changed the way invitations are processed so it’s likely a bug. I can’t imagine someone as adept as Chris at social platforms would have a user error there.

      To Chris’ point, LinkedIn has been really buggy lately as they are adding 2 new users every second and incorporating other enhancements that don’t always play nice in the existing environment. 

  • http://www.cffatboy.com/ Jesse Petersen

    I’m pretty much in the same boat (except for it not working for me to connect). I have yet to get a single dime from having an account or connect with a single prospective client that I didn’t already have because they were connected to someone who might possibly want to use my services.

  • http://www.kellyagarrett.com Kelly Garrett

    I have to agree with the sentiment…gotta do what works for your own business. Interestingly, I don’t see as much of a presence on Facebook for you, either – even though I see people posting about you all the time there. For what it’s worth, you could add some Open Graph tags to your page head and have a prettier display when ppl. do post. See screen shot – just a thought, but maybe it doesn’t do much for your biz – whatever floats your boat.

  • Cindy

    I have a similar problem with LinkedIn- seems basic, but no solution. 
    I have attempted  to change an email address that receives group updates for over a year- and have tried everything suggested, but I still receive all group updates to an email address that I want to close.  After multiple emails and chats with LinkedIn- they CANNOT find a solution.  One of the responses I received from LinkedIn is that the groups are a “free” service (
    even though I pay $20.00 every month to LinkedIn) and I should not
    complain.  (WHAT!?!??)  I have also been told that the situation is more complicated
    and they do not know when or if they can correct this issue.
    I have done everything except close my account and reopen it with a new email address. 
    LinkedIn’s  customer service sucks.  Period.
    I find value in LinkedIn for business- and do not want to close my account… but LinkedIn needs to get more customer-focused -or they will lose them.
    Maybe I will see some movement because when Chris Brogan speaks… :)

    • http://profiles.google.com/noadiart Sheryl Westleigh

      I don’t get the group emails so I’m not sure what the email address for it is but if it’s different from the one they use for other notifications you could set up a filter to automatically trash them. Not the best solution but one that doesn’t require dealing with LinkedIn support, only your email client.

      • http://www.ImpactBusinessCoaches.com/ Cindy

         Thanks, Sheryl.  I appreciate it… but I have tried this to no avail.
        I am planning to cancel all group updates.  The group updates should be useful and automated, but neither is true now.  I hope they jump on this and find solutions.

    • http://www.rocktheworldbook.com/ LoriRuff

      Cindy, shoot me a message and let’s see if I can help you troubleshoot. I’m easy to find on any platform @LoriRuff:twitter I typically find that the issue is in the settings of each group, but you can also manage them in bulk in your settings. I’ll be happy to walk you through the steps.

  • laineyd7

    Chris, I rarely use LinkedIn, but would not be so bold as to close my account – I certainly understand why you would, though. Thank you for giving me the courage to close my “Tagged” account – I have no recollection of having opened it and have never used it. I have been in “unsubscribe” mode of late….it’s very freeing…..

  • http://twitter.com/wadesmom Carolyn Stephens

    LinkedIn doesn’t work for everyone. It doesn’t work for me. They have a “my way or the highway” attitude that doesn’t sit well with me.

    • http://www.metabrown.com/ Meta Brown

       Carolyn,

      Could you please explain what you mean by “my way or the highway”?

  • http://www.slice-works.com krabil57

    Will miss you on LinkedIn, but there are so many other ways to connect.  As Joseph Ratliff said, and you confirmed, each of us needs to figure out which platform(s) fit our business relationship model.  There is a certain freedom in deciding not to go with the herd for the sake of following the herd.

    As you are so relationship-oriented, and Google Hangouts are a great way to connect, it’s easy to understand your preference for G+.  Are there any hangouts you participate in regularly?

    Looking forward to connecting with you at the MM&C Conference in Washington on Thursday!  Safe travels.

  • http://twitter.com/VincentWright Vincent Wright

    I remember what that feels like, Chris… Keep STRONG!

    • http://www.rocktheworldbook.com/ LoriRuff

      Vincent!  How are you old friend?  Hadn’t heard from you in a while… Keep Strong and connect. I miss you! I’m on Twitter @LoriRuff … and Chris – sorry about that but thanks for making it possible for me to reconnect. :)

      • http://twitter.com/VincentWright Vincent Wright

        Lori!  I’m doing well!  (And being “old” ain’t MY fault! lol)  By the way: I’m definitely paying attention to the good work you and Mike are doing… Keep STRONG, Lori!

  • Rondrescher

    I do wonder about LinkedIn. I think the groups are either over moderated or spam infected. I find the user interface is chaotic. I’m not really sure that LinkedIn has a “there” there. On the other hand I’m seeing many many professionals flocking to put up their profile and I believe that with the right strategy and a high level of energy LinkedIn can be a very useful tool.

  • http://ShesConfident.com Jeannie Spiro

    Definitely a bold move. I’ve got to agree that it’s not that user friendly but I do find that it’s worked for my marketing and business but that’s mostly because my market is still in corporate. 

    It’s just too bad that they don’t make it easier.

    • http://rickmanelius.com Rick Manelius

      I think we all have to be a little more bold in blocking out and shutting down the lines of communication that no longer serve us. 

      Looking back at my LinkedIn experience, I’d have to say that I’ve also found it extremely frustrating to navigate. I don’t think I’ll go so far as shutting it down, but I certainly won’t be investing much mental energy into it!

      • http://twitter.com/jenniferpbrown Jennifer P. Brown

        Rick, your line says it all, “… we all have to be a little more bold in blocking out and shutting down the lines of communication that no longer serve us.” LinkedIn has been good for me and a great way to stay connected with former colleagues, and I can see how that might not be the case for everyone. 

        I’m currently assessing my use of G+ and a slew of other platforms that are quite simply not offering me value. Much as we might want to, the more places we ‘are,’ the less time we can spend in the places (and with the people) that matter most.

        • http://www.rocktheworldbook.com/ LoriRuff

          Keep in  mind that many platforms take time to build a following of listeners. I encourage you to make a calendar to ensure you regularly visit the secondary platforms for at least 6-12 months before you give up.

    • http://www.rocktheworldbook.com/ LoriRuff

      Jeannie, I have some help for you to make it more user-friendly. I’ll send a note via your site.

  • http://twitter.com/BourneMedia David Bourne

    Boy, they sure lost an opportunity losing you, Chris. Would you go back if they promised to try harder?

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      Not really. It’s a tools issue.

  • http://profiles.google.com/noadiart Sheryl Westleigh

    I don’t plan to close my LinkedIn account, but as it is I rarely look at it. I go in every month or so and update anything that needs it and then promptly forget about it again for a while. I think it just isn’t that useful for anyone in a creative field, you can’t use it to show off what people really want to see.

    • http://www.rocktheworldbook.com/ LoriRuff

      You might want to add the Behance App to your profile. It let’s creatives show off their visual work. Neil McKenzie out of Denver is using it well. I’d also recommend you use one of your website links to point to your online portfolio. Use the “Other” Tag and customize the name. I can help if you need, shoot me a note via twitter: @LoriRuff:twitter 

  • http://www.ryanhanley.com/ Ryan Hanley

    Chris… 

    I’ve always appreciated your contempt for LinkedIn.

    Personally I think you’re a little “Global” for the platform and that is not a knock on you or the platform I just have never seen how your business model works with LinkedIn.

    I think it’s awesome how you’ve been able to zero in on the Platforms that work and forget about the rest.

    It’s the Maturation of Social Media (Now there’s a post title for yay!) and I think its nature and necessary.

    Thanks,

    Ryan H.

  • http://www.joemanna.com/blog/ Joseph Manna

    For me, LinkedIn doesn’t work. I could rail on why it doesn’t work for me, but it’s just me. I check it about once every other month because I usually see irrelevant updates, self-promotion and it provides me little value. 

    Thanks for sharing this decision – hopefully others don’t take it as a personal attack when I say, “I don’t use LinkedIn.” 

    Google Plus … that’s another story. ;) 

    • http://www.rocktheworldbook.com/ LoriRuff

      Its sad you don’t believe it works for you because it can be so powerful. If you’d like to chat about a few ideas to find relevant business conversations, let me know. I’d love to help you find value for the time you invest.

  • http://liferapture.com Benjamin Spall

    I dislike the site with a passion. I’m sure it’s great for the people who enjoy it, but for me it just feel like a hangout for corporate back-slapping on the Internet.

    I deleted my account last month.

  • http://pattygolsteijn.nl Patty Golsteijn

    I deleted my account a few days ago. It has no added value for me anymore. Just a list of things I have done, and then needing to update it continuously. Groups are crappy (I’ve never seen a good group before… #1 thing people do there is spam their own stuff.) as well as LinkedIn closing up more and more features. 
    I’m not missing it one bit.

    • http://empoprise-bi.blogspot.com/ John E. Bredehoft (Empoprises)

      Patty, I’ve had better success than you with groups…well, with a couple of groups…

  • http://www.linkedstrategies.com/ Nathan Kievman

    Chris… seriously? man… you have been either tutored by the wrong people or just hadn’t figured it out man! 

    I have generated $9million dollars for my clients through LinkedIn exclusively now in the past two years. 

    The features on LinkedIn, yeah they are always breaking and getting fixed, but that is because the platform is still on a single social graph.

    The real power of the platform is in lead generation and appointments with highly targeted people… I would love to have a serious talk about this and see if I can’t convince you to reopen your account with a new and what I would describe as an “Enlightened” perspective!

    You can’t email me on LinkedIn now… (we were connected), so let me know if you would like to connect by email or phone. 

    All the best Chris… sorry you made this enormous mistake prematurely.

    Let me know when you are ready for an intervention! :) 

    Nate

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      I’m not a widget seller. It doesn’t work for me because I’m a relationship-central type of seller and because my product is really muddy. :)

      • http://www.metabrown.com/ Meta Brown

         Lots of “relationship-central” salespeople have been successful using LinkedIn. It has certainly been helpful to me. I can point to far more business opportunity opened through LinkedIn than some professional organizations that I’ve tried.

      • http://www.linkedstrategies.com/ Nathan Kievman

        Sorry Chris, it’s been a while for me to reply because I was dealing with “Relationship Selling” appointments (80) all generated through LinkedIn with my exact market.

        Tell you what we can do… let’s try something. You make me a deal that If in 30 Days I can get you significant business opportunities through LinkedIn, you will reopen your account and we can put together a real case study on the impact of LinkedIn when used right. We can still slam their customer support and management approach challenges they are dealing with, but this will make a significant impact on your business.

        you have my email, let me know what you would like to do. I will run a LinkedIn Business Accelerator program for you. You will likely result in more than 50 to 100 appointments from your exact target market that is very interested and can use right now your services. What’s that worth to you? This is the power of LinkedIn Chris. Let’s talk. 

        $9 Million for clients in the past two years says something…

        The irony of this all, is you are the exact market I work with the most… consultant and business owner. 

        Everyone reading that agrees with this choice clearly has no idea about the true power of this platform. You just need the right information applied strategically… LINKEDIN IS NOT TWITTER OR FACEBOOK, social is not the norm for the memebers, you have to approach, act and think differently. I suspect this is part of the challenge you have faced Chris which is why you have left.

        No worries, we all make mistakes. My challenge to you stands. Email or Call me anytime.

        Nate

      • http://www.facebook.com/nathankievman Nathan Kievman

        Nor am I or 99%of my clients. Complicated, relationship-centered, high ticket end offers are the best opportunity to sell on LinkedIn. Chris, you speak on stages a lot, that’s probably a good source of business. Doing LinkedIn the way we do it create’s you a virtual stage and inbound leads interested in talking to you about your “muddy” services/products.

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  • http://www.marcensign.com/blog Marc Ensign

    Their stock is down about 10-15% over the past week leading up to this news!  I had no idea you had such power! 

  • http://twitter.com/JudyHelfand JudyHelfand

    Chris,
    I really love this post. The only thing you didn’t include was a link to all the times over the years you have written about LinkedIn. Yes, I said years. Because according to my research you started writing about LinkedIn on February 21, 2006. I would say that 6+ years would give you enough experience to talk about this subject and how you have come to know and use the software.  Of course, on that first post back in February 2006 only two or three people commented!
    I have a LinkedIn profile. Almost everyday I receive an email telling me that there is a great job waiting for me. You see many headhunters read about my experience and think I am proficient in an area of IT that really is not my area. Here is the lead I received today:
    Senior Oracle Business Analyst
    Cedarburg, WI
    Full-time/Direct Hire
    The annual Salary is $90K-105K
    Starts June 4th 2012

    You see I was a Senior Business Systems Analyst at one time, but I know I don’t have the technical skills to do this job, but it was one heck of a job title for 8+ years!
    One other thing about LinkedIn – I take offense when some people want to connect and then ask me to recommend them. Meanwhile, these are the same people that never acknowledged my efforts to keep them gainfully employed when I did work with them.
    Anyway, LinkedIn has some issues. It really isn’t free. And I would caution people not to have their casual tweets update to their LinkedIn feed.

    My thoughts for the day…take care of yourself.
    Judy

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      How is that germane? I wrote about it. Now I’ve stopped using it. I also no longer drive a Saturn.

      • http://twitter.com/JudyHelfand JudyHelfand

        Hmmm, I thought it relevant because the fact is you have been using LinkedIn for a number of years. Some of your commenters question your decision. I don’t question it.  I thought maybe your naysayers would be interested to be able to put your decision in context – “experienced user closes account.”
        And yes, I know you no longer drive a Saturn. But even when you wrote about buying your Camaro SS…you mentioned the Saturn.
        Didn’t intend to offend you.  

      • http://dannybrown.me/ Danny Brown

        You know Judy was supporting your decision here, yes?

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  • JD Gershbein

    CB, thank you for the mention.  I’m honored.

    You have always defined your rules of engagement on social throughout the years and, certainly, this is a defining moment.  I consider you one of the seminal figures in this work and you have taught me much about LinkedIn’s virtues and, yes, its limitations.  

    As someone who is in the business of instructing others on LinkedIn best practices and how to use it as a relationship driver and revenue-generating instrument, I respect your decision, but I’m sad that there is one less visionary in my LinkedIn network.

      

     

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      I’m a fan of your teachings. Keep educating the gang. :)

    • http://www.owlishcommunications.com/ JD Gershbein

      Thank you, Chris.  I’ll do my very best.

  • http://twitter.com/raingal7 Laura M. B. Ashley

    A good way to think about this is that Chris has basically been doing “stress testing” or “load testing” of LinkedIn.  And for his needs, it failed.  
    Thankfully, he has been willing to share the experience with the rest of us.  Much appreciated, Chris!

  • http://www.boydjane.ca/ Jane Boyd

    The truth is that I have never really liked LinkedIn and have actually had issues with it as well.  Most of all though, it just seemed like one more place to go and update.  My social relationship building has never been easily facilitated through it – at all.  It just doesn’t work for what I am trying to do it seems. So…thanks….this reinforces my decision to let it go.

    • http://empoprise-bi.blogspot.com/ John E. Bredehoft (Empoprises)

      Jane, perhaps one way to approach the list of “places to go to update” is to decide how to use each place. In my personal case, there are certain people that I can contact via LinkedIn that I cannot contact via other services. Obviously that was not the case for Chris, and apparently isn’t the case for you.  Good luck!

  • http://chrispahor.com/ Chris Pahor

    Good move, Chris. It goes to show that you don’t need to be across ALL social networks, just those that work for you. 

    LinkedIn works for others, but it wasn’t working for you. Better off ditching it and moving to somewhere you’re more comfortable interacting.

  • AmyMccTobin

    With all due respect, I think this is bad advice for anyone not on your level.  There is no other platform that duplicates what LinkedIn does for professionals…and my clients don’t even know what G+ is in most cases.

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      I didn’t offer advice. I explained my choice.

      • AmyMccTobin

        I know that, but you are a role model to many thousands of Social Media folks so I thought my comment appropriate – some people don’t think for themselves….

        • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

          I’ll endeavor to never associate with those who can’t think for themselves. : ) 

        • http://sevensages.com Brian Shea

          Amy, I would think those that see Chris as a role model would also know about G+.  If they don’t, then they aren’t really knowledgeable in Social Media.  :)

  • Catecolgan

    There goes the neighborhood! :) At least the unconnected one !

  • http://thesocialjoint.com/ Lucretia M Pruitt

    I wasn’t sure at first why you’d bother to delete the account, just because it doesn’t fit into your primary way of doing business… but if people are trying to connect with you and it’s just not letting you accept? That’s damaging when you’re in a position such as yours. When you don’t seem to be accepting someone’s invitation to connect, there’s a likelihood a few of them will take it as some sort of personal affront.

    Makes complete sense that in that instance you’d delete the account. Best move if they can’t/won’t fix the issue.

    I’m just wondering if all of the people you endorsed got to keep their endorsements or if those went with your account?

    Life is complicated in this world of multiple platforms… we only have so much time to devote to any of them and there’s new ones every minute. But better to close your account than to let it have a negative effect.

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      That’s a big part of the reason why I deleted the account. I’d hate to think that people felt I was being snobbish or the like.

      No idea on the recommendations. I hope so. I wrote quite a few. 

      • http://doughaslam.com doughaslam

        Your generous recommendation you wrote for me 5 years ago is still there. 

        • http://www.rocktheworldbook.com/ LoriRuff

          The recommendations etc will stay. They are primarily connected to the recipient, but even if a recipient deletes their account, it would show “This user recommends…”. I would say that’s one thing LinkedIn did very well.

  • http://www.michaelcarrasquillo.com/ mjcarrasquillo

    I gotta admit…I’ve been thinking about it also. As good as Linked In
    is, as an idea, I have YET to have gotten solid & useful results or
    hired through it. Seems to be another place where I am that doesn’t
    convert.

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      It requires a lot of work, but lots of people swear by it. 

    • http://www.rocktheworldbook.com/ LoriRuff

      If you’d like, I can review your LinkedIn profile for you…my treat. If you’re looking for work, I can provide you a specific punch list that will increase your results. – shoot me an email – I’m easy to find online. Google me.

  • iancleary

    LinkedIn is the same as other social media tools such a Facebook and Twitter.  If you invest the time in them and similar businesses are doing well out of them they you will.  As you are involved in B2B LinkedIn is a great tool for promoting your business.  Before you closed your account you should have run some experiments.  But, you’re not interested.  If you’re not interested in LinkedIn then you did the right thing.  

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      Yeah, in the end, it was just the realization that I’m getting business from other platforms. 

  • http://propertyagents.co/real-estate-lead-generation-course Muhammad Ayaz

    Well, Its really amazed me reading this post, I am wondering reading this particular post because one of top blogger has been closed his account I think its the same tool as other social media tools but at the end its choice of yours.

    Good Luck.

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      It’s not a big deal. Just did it. 

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  • http://twitter.com/Jenniferlb Jenniferlb

    Hi Chris,
    This has certainly generated much discussion. Four questions:
     1. What was LinkedIn’s response after questioning why you couldn’t connect?
    2. How long did you wait after you reported the problem until you closed your account?
    3. In the 6 years you were on LinkedIn, Did you never generate a contact who became either a client/ strategic relationship?/ or became part of your digital community following?
    4. Did you ever measure the contact to lead to customer/enquiry conversion via LinkedIn?

    I have a client who measures LinkedIn lead generation and conversion (and cost per acquisition) versus F/B, Twitter, ppc advertising and blog conversion.

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      1.) They said they’d work on the problem. No further reply.
      2.) A few weeks. 
      3.) Never once.
      4.) If zero is a measurement, yes. 

      However, I also didn’t work especially hard at it. Why would I? My blog, Twitter, and Google+ have given me leads with zero work besides doing what I do naturally. 

      • http://www.rocktheworldbook.com/ LoriRuff

        That’s a key point Chris.  As much as I love the work I get through LinkedIn, I have to evaluate my use of every platform on its value. As you said, if you can change nothing but get work, your ROI is incredibly high. If you get nothing from it, I usually advise people to maintain an account and check on it twice a year. 

        But I applaud your choice here because it should send a message to LinkedIn to start attending to their product: their users. These companies each have their darling stakeholder and they tend to discount the value of the others. For Facebook, they love users and tick off their advertisers. Companies need to understand like everyone else how important it is to maintain balance.

        Kudos my friend! You ROCK!

  • Sebastian Gehart

    I have seen a few posts of these sort recently (hell, I even did one of my own quitting LinkedIn, though I obviously never had a fraction of the connections of CB).

    Questions remains why the one Social Network so dedicated to business(!) above all (in contrast to other) is giving people such a hard time to do it.

    On a positive note, LinkedIN at least seems to make it easy now for people to quit. It’s had quite a nasty reputation a few years ago from people who were virtually unable to get out of LinkedIn once you were in. 

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      Oh, if they had made it hard to quit, I’d have gone to war. 

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  • http://twitter.com/JenMitch jenmitch

    I don’t think every platform serves every person or every company. I also don’t think a lack of presence on one network (LinkedIn in this case) equates to a sub-par social media presence. You’ve never generated a contact that converted into business, they limited your ability to connect. Seems like a waste of time in your case. 

    I know many people love LinkedIn, but it has never felt like a natural place for me to engage. Recently I’ve spent some time in there and have noticed that a majority of the groups are filled with “read my blog” or “buy my product” spam. One of the things I appreciate about you is that you sell- but you do so incredibly transparently. I don’t see that happening on LinkedIn. 

    I know I am preaching to the choir here, but I validate the decision. (Like you need my validation. Uh. no. Ha.) Every social network isn’t for every person. 

    • http://chrisbrogan.com/ Chris Brogan

      The service works great for lots of people. : ) 

    • http://www.facebook.com/meloniedodaro Melonie Dodaro

      Bang on…not every network will suit everybody and their goals.

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