LinkedIn Spam

OK – this is getting ridiculous.  I am a LION (LinkedIn Open Networker) wich means that I will not IDK (I Don’t Know) individuals that want to connect with me.  So over the last few weeks I’ve noticed a significant increase in connection requests and naturally being a LION I have said “yes”.

The odd thing is that most of the request are from “internet marketers” and today I found out that most of these “internet marketers” are actually SPAMMERS.

I was spammed by three people from LinkedIn.

I reported all three to LinkedIn.  I also reported them to their hosting provider, and all three had their accounts terminated.

Was I being a jerk?  Probably as I normally just ignore them.  But what pissed me off was the fact that when I accepted the connection with these individuals, it was done so that we could connect professionally – it was NOT to give them the OK to spam me.

There must be some internet marketing guru out there urging people to SPAM their LinkedIn connections.  What the guru didn’t think about was the fact that most people on LinkedIn DON’T take kindly to SPAM and will report those that do.

LinkedIn is a great resource for professionals and those making their way up the ladder.  It’s just a shame that the IM crowd thinks that simply accepting a connection is the same as giving the OK to SPAM.  It’s not, and I seriously hope that LinkedIn will take a hard look at this.

They are going IPO and the last thing you want is to be a safe haven for spammers.