LinkedIn Endorsements - Love Em Or Hate Em?
In the last year or so, LinkedIn has added endorsements, tags for skills / expertise that members can apply to other members. They are sometimes referred to as 'lite' recommendations since they can be applied in seconds without much thought (LinkedIn displays a selection of possible tags and the endorser just clicks on the ones they want).
In general, it seems to do a good job showing what a person knows (eg., my top three are CCTV, IP Cameras and Video over IP). If you do not know anything about a person, it can give you a quick gauge of what they have experience in.
On the other hand, it's hard to know how good a person is at a certain area plus those with more connections will almost certainly have more total endorsements.
Plus, it can sometimes be gamed, as one IPVM member strangely showed:
The biggest issue I have with endorsements is that they make the LinkedIn news feed worthless as 70%+ of the activities are now endorsements updates. It's demotivated me from even going to LinkedIn's website anymore.
Btw, the LinkedIn tool I like the best is still the job changer notifier.
That has to be Marty's skills page.. I think the skills section is a bit useless (see my skills list for reference on what I think about them), but I do actually like the full recommendations.
03/16/13 08:55pm
That is indeed my page. I was making a point to showcase the complete worthlessness of endorsements.
While anyone can assume that I am good at breathing, I only have 2 endorsements for that. Hula hoop, on the other hand takes at least some practice, and nobody since 1972 has seen me do it - yet I have 10 endorsements for hula hoop. (I counted on that, since it is funnier than breathing is) :)
The categories are so broad and undefined as to be silly.... CCTV? What does that even mean? A trunkslammer and an IP camera manufacturer's CEO can list the same 'skill'. It means next to nothing. Endorsements are the Farmville and Mafia Wars of LinkedIn....
If LinkedIn was actually interested in adding value to their subscribers profiles (at least for those viewing them), then there would be a choice to rebuke someone's listed skills as well... instead, it's a fluffy, feel-good lovefest of patting everyone you know on the back expecting a reciprocal action.
I really wish 'endorsements' rhymed with 'ham' so I could do a good Dr. Suess parody in response to the love em or hate em question, but nothing rhymes with endorsements.
I do not like them in a box, I do not like them with a fox....
I like Marty's idea of "Denouncements". Let's bring some 'yang' to the 'yin'.
I think they are useless and I really wish there was an option to "opt" out completely. I have people endorsing me that don't know me personally or how I work. Just because I have something on paper doesn't mean I actually did it... which means that any endorsements on someone's linkedin would not get used in making a decision on that particular person. It is, imho, the worst thing LindedIn could have added.
I think there just for boasting and not relevant. I'm a rebel, won't even update or add my true experiences as I don't have a lot of confidence in the stats.
If I really wanted to make a statement I would really do it up for those impressions. A lot of personnel information you have to leave out, need to for security reasons. The other problem is anyone can review it and takes a lot to set up for privacy.
limited background info and actually if you know the right paths you can find out anything about anyone with in reason. Actually if your skilled in reading between the lines you can build great profiles of the personnel. Im used to that approach.
That's nothing. I have people endorsing me for "expertise" that is outside of my skillset.
I guess I'd better brush up on some of those categories before I'm accused of being unqualified.
<Aside> Where do I get a Lion Tamer's outfit?????
Well when they start using your info and building a personnel profile in another country, that s when we really have to worry , Then who knows who, you really are or where you really are located.
I have a presentation program that allow me to create action movies, characters, clips for presentation formats. They just keep adding new modules to the programs and upgrades.
How about it folks. Won't someone please endorse me for lion taming? A sarcasm endorsement would be nice, too.
03/18/13 11:51pm
I've broken my long-standing position of never endorsing anyone for anything on LinkedIn...
Now I can say that I've only felt the need to use it once. And that it was to endorse a casino surveillance expert for lion-taming. That is a much funnier story.
~~thanks Carl! ;)
Thanks Marty. Now I can go buy a hat that has "Lion Tamer" in lights so I can tame them in the dark...
IPVMU Certified | 03/20/13 03:45pm
I think they're ok but what I really don't like is when LinkedIn suggests endorsing someone for something that they themselves did not list as knowing or having experiance in. Several people have endorsed me for "IPS", which I think is some sort of military IP security endorsement, which I did not list myself as knowing but LinkedIn suggested to my connections. So I "prune" out those that are not relevant.
I endorse my connections from time to time, but only if I know or are reasonbly sure that they probably know something at least about it.
Yeah, maybe it's cheesy or whatever, but when you're looking for a job or trying to make an impression on a potential client things can be a little different, I guess.
And I also agree Recommendations are much more meaningful.
I am so glad this discussion section was moved off Linkedin (it was right......??). Whats "endorsement". Same as "like" (Facebook - What the....???)
By the way, nice jobs and kudos to you John for this discussion format which seems to filter out the sellers that seemed to be sneaking in somehow.
03/23/13 12:18am
IPVMU Certified | 03/23/13 01:04pm
Negative wave, Moriarty, negative waves.
Btw, just got this mega LinkedIn endorsement from a connection:
Marty's jealous!
| 11/18/13 07:07pm
I'm impressed!
This dude showcases the pointlessness of endorsements by crop-dusting you with 43 at the same time... :)
I have endorsed people for 'bogus endorsements', but somehow that one never shows up in their profiles.
I'm somewhat disappointed to have received so few endorsements for "Lion Taming" and "Sarcasm". The rest of the categories don't matter that much to me. ;-(
They're kind of like Facebook comments, you can read them all but ain't nobody got time for that.
| 11/18/13 07:29pm
We have talked a lot about how Arecont needs a reset button...
How long have we been asking for a Like button on IPVM? Reason I ask is because the video posted above makes me yearn to click a like button.
Nice come back!
If it makes you feel any better, I just endorsed you for basketball on LinkedIn.
As for the like button on comments, it's tabled for now. We'll do it eventually but right now we are focused on getting Camera Finder 2.0 out.
He wasn't kidding just so everybody is aware.
I'll take the endorsement, I know more about basketball than I'd say 95% of people out there so this might be the most valid endorsement I have received to date!
My only question is why did it take you 10 minutes to think of it?
All the self-loathing and passive aggressive types would demand an 'undisclosed Like'.
Worthless, I find if people like you as a person they will just shamelessly throw you endoresements. I got endorsed for alarm systems not too long ago and I have done little to no research on alarm systems in my life and have just as little practical experience with them.
BUT HEY IT BOOSTS MY E-STATS!
Well... aparently LinkedIn decided to be a party pooper by not allowing to endorse someone with areas of expertise or skills that are not pre-filled :/
Tiago,
You can create your own category. Then someone can endorse you for it. That's how I managed to get "Lion Taming" on my list of endorsements, although "Sarcasm" was already an option ;-)
11/20/13 09:54pm
I am now going to Linkedin to see if I have any interesting endorsements.
***Update***
Mankind has failed me. No endorsements of note....
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