socialmedian: LinkedIn warns social networkers about dangers of 'frolleagues' | Media

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LinkedIn warns social networkers about dangers of 'frolleagues' | Media | guardian.co.uk

Submitted by J Deragon

Aug 15, 2008

Summary

Business networking website LinkedIn has published a series of guidelines to help prevent users damaging their careers by mixing professional contacts and friends online.

LinkedIn claimed 47% of the UK's web users are mixing their social and professional lives by accepting networking invitations from "frolleagues" - colleagues who send friendship requests. Read the full article

Comments (9)

Jasongoldberg,

Aug 15, 2008

This sounds like a spin from LinkedIn vs. Facebook. They're using scare tactics to try to convince people to keep their professional vs. friend networks apart.

Pneum0nic,

Aug 15, 2008

Coming soon: LinkedIn Apps! I can't wait to zombie bite all of my colleagues.

Waynechattaway,

Aug 15, 2008

Agree with Jason. Sounds like LinkedIn is sweating Facebook. Admitedly, if I didn't get invitations to LinkIN I would have forgotten about it by now. Facebook is so much better.

Wasn't the internet created to connect the world not to silo it.

Torgardt,

Aug 15, 2008

A healthy dose of conflict: LinkedIn are right! I don't particularly want my business partners to see what I get up to in my personal time. Wayne is right though - LinkedIn is boring. It'll be interesting to see how the new generation of business networks such as mytradebook.com grows...

Vegetarian,

Aug 15, 2008

Can we "pownce upon" a LinkedIn "link" when s/he comes online (or sings in to LinkedIn)?

How about podcasting through our LinkedIn network, or twittering them?

What are you doing "right now"?

Or "DownThemAll" from the LinkedIn Group to Outlook or even Facebook bulk invitations...

How about LinkedIn bulk buying clubs for office equipment or technical needs. All could give LinkedIn more life, but I DO invite my professional buddies to both, while others I merely invite to Facebook, though it's much more fun.

Merely a year ago a social friend told me that LinkedIn was dangerous and insisted that I remove every possible link and communication between us and LinkedIn (because "the Internet is forever"), though he's been podcasting for years... Another friend invited him to LinkedIn, now he has a positive presence on BOTH LinkedIn and Facebook (as well as MySpace). Uh...

A workplace colleague told me I was violating individual privacy by inviting colleagues to LinkedIn (after all, isn't LinkedIn terms "a MySpace for adults"?).

As we say in the (cyber) field: "Go figure!"

Thomaspower,

Aug 16, 2008

It is nonsense that you can separate your personal and professional lives any longer they are one.

Paulclegg,

Sep 04, 2008

The point is that it is too late. If you are doing things in your personal life that you don't want your professional colleagues to know about ... don't do it. You reputation is what people say about you behind your back and what they read on Facebook!

Naidle,

Sep 09, 2008

I'm confused with the issue. Colleagues are inherently part of my network on LinkedIn so whether they are friends are not are irrelevant. Maybe I'm misreading the article but I don't know many who add just friends to LinkedIn like they would facebook. What's the benefit for anyone?

Stella Holman,

Sep 10, 2008

I'm not doing anything in my personal life that I'm ashamed of so for me mixing the two makes no difference.
LinkedIn has been great as a means to add connections to, but to locate potential business partners etc i've found people very unfriendly and not willing to co-operate.

I like Facebook as it allows me to connect with people from all walks of life