Message to LinkedIN- Start Rolling Heads

Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! xtdphccikrxi

I emailed LinkedIn a while back suggesting photos and also the ability to allow us to post notes (that only the person who can writes them can see) on our connections' profiles. I like to use LinkedIn as an extended business card, and would like to note how I met the person and anything else I want to remember (what I promised to help that person with, for example). Unfortunately I never heard back.

The argument about photos not being appropriate on a business-related network is a red herring. In business most people before a meeting with a contact for the first time will look to that person's website for bio and photo. Besides, they could easily make the photo optional. It really is more of a "hot button" issue in the U.S. than elsewhere, and LinkedIn is an international site (or would like to be, I'm sure).

Incidentally, I couldn't find a users forum on LinkedIn. It is sad we have to resort to posts on our own blogs or sending emails out into the ether to try to get our message across.

Okay, other than that, I'm a huge fan of LinkedIn! Heh. :-)

Hi Chris,

Photos is one of our oft-repeated requests from users. We're evaluating the pros and cons, some of which have been raised in previous comments.

Stay tuned to our recently launched official blog (http://blog.linkedin.com/) for further updates.

BTW, I'm going to be at Supernova as well. Maybe we can meet. As for recognizing me at the event, check out my blog for my pictures: http://mariosundar.wordpress.com/ :)

I joined linkIN and was spammed a day later. Thus, I'm not a big fan.

Photos are really a double edged sword. When putting together the interviews for the book LinkedIn For Recruiting I talked to dozens of LinkedIn Power users and they overwhelmingly favored pictures (along with a ton of other ideas and goodies) but it is still an area that many feel does not belong on a business networking site such as LinkedIn. As many corporate users are turned off by somebody's picture as turned on because of the various discrimination laws and such. Many large organizations are automatically rejecting out of hand any resume they receive that has a video or picture because of this nonsense.

The largest user group for LinkedIn, My LinkedIn Power Forum (MLPF) on Yahoo poles its users regularly on requested features and graphics is one of the hot topics and the majority its 5,000+ users favors including a picture or logo.

The vision that LinkedIn has is different that the view the majority of it's power users, particularly recruiters such as myself, have and I'm in the more flexibility, including pictures, camp.

Chris,
I've often wondered in the past why LnkedIn hasn't done this. Offering photos seems a logical step and something that pretty much ALL the other social networks (including "business-focused" ones like Xing) make available. In fact, if I compare my experience on Xing (where I also have an account), the photos do exactly what you suggest - help remind you of who the people are and how you know them. Similarly, as Facebook has tried to go after more business/professional users, t, too, naturally supports photos.

I do understand the privacy/discrimination/dating issues raised by other commenters... but I have to think that eventually LinkedIn will have to add photos... or face increasing movement elsewhere. Although perhaps it will divide people into groups - those who want photos will be on one site, and those that don't will remain at LinkedIn. Will be interesting to see. Anyway, thanks for writing the post.
Dan

P.S. Great headline, by the way!

Chris

Great idea. It would help enormously those of us who remember visual things better than text.

And that was a great presentation at IgniteBoston. Congratulations on withstanding that trial by fire!

chris - i agree that social nets NEED photos for personalization. what do you use Facebook for?
and can we talk sometime - you have been showing up in my relatively few networks . I am working with Critt Jarvis whom youproably know - let\'s connect - could be stuff we can do together!

ah, the double-edged sword of LinkedIn! it's social, yet it's employment-related. Like one giant Chamber of Commerce meeting (and, believe me, some of *those* are meat markets too...of the worst kind!oh, the stories I could tell...)

If we think about it, if we are now supposed to get our jobs through "networking" (vs. sending out a resume, going for copious interviews with every level of middle-manager, etc), doesn't that mean we are already meeting one another f2f and know race, gender, approximate age, sense of humor, lack thereof, etc?

At this point, I'd prefer to have a "head shot" on LinkedIn, just so people would recognize me when I ask them to connect--as I've usually met them f2f already, but, given the nature of the executive food chain, I'm still a small fish in comparison to most of them. Just as long as the "head shot" doesn't have to be one of those cheezy "executive" photos that look kinda like something from a high school yearbook.

i like that it causes people to poke around a bit more, maybe follow a link and such.

I agree with Kristen,

I think LinkedIN left out the photos to keep the network more "professional" not only in the case of potential employment and interviews, but also not to become a dating site of sorts (Far Fetched? You'd be surprised how many people use travel sites to hook up)

There are other issues such as people who don't want to post their photos yet don't want to have a lackluster profile (as it may be interpreted if it's missing something) and of course all those people who use that spot for anything but a photo of themselves (Their pet, Company Logo, etc.)

Not having a photo keeps the site clean and focused, I agree a photo is great tool and it would be very convenient, but I 100% understand the motives for not having them and do not think "catching up" has anything to do with it.

There are just so many cons, they out weight the pros here.

Good point. I just added my photo to Meetup today for this very reason .

It's true that including things like photos and video can lead to discrimination, but I've also taken a different view of that.

If you're a racist, sexist, X-ist, I don't want to work for you. Filter me out, please.

Chris, I'm with you. Especially for business networking it would be GREAT if LinkedIn would add photos. At least this way I can know who to look for when I agree to meet someone at an event.

I was thinking of that the other day - but LinkedIn has the overall goal to connect people to people and potentially to careers. Your profile is mostly professional and educational data, a really well laid out resume. When it comes to hiring and looking for a job, physical appearance is one of the things that tends to lead to discrimination(even though it is illegal) - I would say LinkedIn possibly left it off for that reason?