My love / hate relationship with LinkedIn!

I am feeling older than I want to admit. Okay, maybe way older than I want to admit! Saying you have been in any industry for almost 25 years starts to age you. And recently, while on-site with a client, I found my first grey hair, which was fitting as I was there to teach the “history” of the contact center space!

But I am not just talking about feeling old in my body (which thanks to yoga is doing pretty darn good!). I am talking about feeling old in today’s technology driven world. I’ve found myself recently and repeatedly just overwhelmed with the number of in-boxes I have to manage, the number of applications I’m “expected” to be logged into with a profile, not to mention the amount of networking tasks associated with each application,  and just the overwhelming quantity of time I spend with my cell phone in my hand and my face.

I have been on LinkedIn for a couple years, and I use Facebook for advertising for my yoga business, but I have up to this point completely refused to “Tweet”, because I feel that if I have to do one more thing on my cell phone I think I’m going to lose my mind. I understand where we are and where the world is moving, and I realize that these opinions and thoughts may be in stark contrast to the Millennials around me, but I have always wanted to believe I could just use LinkedIn for business networking. That honestly protrays skills, expereince and assets without 15 other social media tools needed.

But I have come to realize that LinkedIn is not really about TRUE relationships, backgrounds, endorsements or anything of true, accurate and deep meaning.

Everyone wants to help me update my LinkedIn status. I can pay them to “be me” and drive up my “connections” and “status” in my field by having them make friends, posts and do what the other “LinkedIn Leaders” in my space are doing to get to the TOP of the LinkedIn list.

I am sorry.

I don’t want fake links to have more links then my peers.

I don’t want you to login and “be me” and make posts and be my voice.

It is always a race to the top. Race to the end.  And exageration and misrepresentation seems to run rampant!

I understand building content to help your social media campaign. I understand branding and building a company profile but these LinkedIn “consultants” that can make up to $350 + an hour to help YOU look like you have contacts,  experience and even endorsments then you really do just turned me off.

People are not reaching out for real relationships or to learn about ones background. I get 100 to 1 inquires in LinkedIn now that are pure cold prospecting messages just like my email inbox.

I think I am getting old.

So the question is:  What are we really trying to achieve with all this social media? Is it just another task or numbers game to be the top ranking someone or something in our field? Or are we really trying to connect and build relationship?

If it’s the latter, then we may have gone slightly off track.

Please also check out my business partner, Allen Kruse’s counter thought on this subject:  “My social media epiphany – and it started with LinkedIn“!

Christa Heibel is a serial entrepreneur involved in dozens of startups, product launches and turnarounds where the ability to GROW and generate new revenue was critical to success. She is available for honest, tough assessment, strategy and support if you want REAL success!