“Endorsements” are the most controversial of Linked in’s many ways of commenting on a person. Unlike “recommendations” which take a bit of writing (and receiving), endorsements arrive from people you’ve never met let alone worked with. They arrive for talents you do not have or certainly want to publicise and they build a picture of you which may not be how you want to be seen.
They are the closest thing many of us will get to celebrity status and if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be total out of control of how others see you, take a look at your endorsement page.
I’m a big fan of big data, I am a serial endorser and as many readers who have been endorsed by me, I am careless in the love I distribute. In fact I am a linked in tart.
Some say I am devaluing what should be an exact science and my reliance on the algorithm that generates contacts and skills demonstrates the cyber-vandal in me.
I say “get yourself a cyber-life” ; submittting yourself to linked-in endorsements has its risks and one of them is that you are losing control of your cyber-existence;- if you want control of you profile, follow the instructions at the end of this article or get rid of linkedin and live your life off-line.
I say my behaviour is amplifying the noise, not distorting it.
In practice, your linked in profile, as it is presented to recruiters and potential employers depends on big data kicking in . Until you have 500+ connections and a couple of hundred endorsements you are just “on” linked in. Linked in is not saying much about you , it’s you that’s doing the talking and your presence there can best be called “exploratory”.
Big Data starts kicking in when the love spread around its 250m + users reverberates into your profile. The more you involve yourself in endorsements , the more you “use” linkedin.
The blogasphere is full of articles about how Linkedin can use you and how your endorsements are part of a big-data driven conspiracy. I don’t buy this, I’m backing myself to be bigger than my linkedin data and so should you. Sticks and stones… and besides…
Linked in don’t have a diss list, you can’t abuse or accuse, you can only be positive. The moment Linked in starts getting judgemental, I’m out of there.
Eventually benign big data will start to build a positive view of you that incorporates the wisdom of your crowd. I am beginning to see myself through the weight of my endorsements and what I’m discovers delights and puzzles in equal measure.
“Do they mean me?” Once the data is big – they surely do!
If you don’t like the idea of this mega 360 peer review, I suggest you do something about it and opt-out, which as with everything else on linked in, is easy to do. For those who have read this article and thought “not me”, here are simple instructions to turn off or limit linked in’s intrusiveness.
How to Turn Off Endorsements
You can’t stop someone from endorsing you, but you can opt out of having your endorsements show on your profile. If you don’t think that endorsements add value to your profile, you can hide them from showing on your profile. Here’s how:
- Click on Profile
- Click on Edit Profile
- Scroll down to Skills & Expertise
- Click on the pencil icon
- Click on Display your endorsements and select Yes, show my endorsements or No, don’t show my endorsements.
How to Turn Off Endorsement Notifications
If you don’t want your email cluttered with notifications about the endorsements you’re getting, you can turn off the email messages that tell you that you have been endorsed:
- Click on Settings (under your name on the top right side of the page)
- Click on Email Preferences
- Click on Set the frequency of emails (under Emails)
- Scroll down to Endorsements
- Select No Email (you can also opt for a Daily Digest, which is a once a day email message with all the endorsements you have received listed)
This blog first appeared at https://www.pensionplaypen.com/top-thinking/show/112/do-linked-in-endorsements-do-your-head-in.html
