[PLUG-TALK] Linked-In and sock puppets

Keith Lofstrom keithl at gate.kl-ic.com
Mon Nov 24 19:49:11 UTC 2014


I use LinkedIn, though I know it is used primarily to harvest names
and information for executive recruiters.  Internet Free Service
Rule #1 - if you aren't paying for it, you aren't the customer.

I am fastidious about who I connect to - if I haven't met you, and
can't vouch for your work abilities, I won't link to you.  There have
been many corner cases, including PLUG members, whose work abilities
I don't know about and silently rejected - others who I reluctantly
accepted, good people whom I have observed often enough to presume
that they will not be a disappointment to my hard-working friends.

I'm not being selective to be arrogant - I've done startups, which
are very fragile.  One less-than-superb performer can sink a
fledgling enterprise, helping neither the founders nor the employee
unable to accomplish miracles.  Please, if I don't know your work
habits, don't ask me to link.

I have LinkedIn connections to two bright young students at a branch
of the Indian Institute of Technology in Andra Pradesh.  I met them
in person in 2013.  Very smart and accomplished, big web presence,
few LinkedIn links, and busy as hell; Indian universities are very
demanding.  I have not worked at a job with them, but I have seen
their brilliant work, and hope to include them in a future startup.

I also have many LinkedIn connections to capable people who will
link to anyone - sometimes uncharitably called "link whores", more
charitably "generous social networkers".  Increasingly, through
them I get link requests from total strangers of dubious provenance.

Today, a request from Ms. "Ahmed", a supposed Senegalese student at
Mumbai University, via a "generous" LinkedIn friend.  Many red flags;
Indian universities are expensive (sell your house to arrange the
tutoring necessary to send your son), very hard to get into ( < 1%
matriculation rate), somewhat segregated (muslim and darker-skinned
and female Indian students underrepresented, especially in northern
regions like Mumbai).  The picture associated with Ms. Ahmed shows
an attractive African woman, with earrings instead of hajib.  The
page shows lots of connections but no accomplishments, no mention
of academic track or interests.  The 500+ connections are quite
unlikely for someone grinding through the books and prepping for
job interviews as most senior year students at an Indian university
are overwhelmed by.

So, I declined, and my generous friend canceled his link, too. 
I fear being unfair, but not as much as I fear unleashing a sock-
puppet spammer amongst my entrepreneurial friends, risking future
jobs and economic productivity by connecting to someone who is 
probably a male Senegalese spammer/fraudster.  Just because someone
is attempting to start a business does not make them superpowered
or invulnerable, but the future of our society depends on many of
them succeeding.

I write now because it would be an interesting research project to
link to Ms. Ahmed through a sock-puppet account, connect to "her"
connections and build a history of "her" activity.  She might be
for real - which would be an inspiring story - or "she" might be
a crook, leading to an interesting business story.  Either of
those would be useful results for a young investigative journalist
building a reputation.  Would anyone here like to try?

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com



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