I believe that everything has both an upside and a downside, and that one of the keys to success is to recognize the upside, and figure out how to benefit from it.

Regardless of how well I work to put that into practice on a daily basis, there’s something that I have yet to find any benefit from.

LinkedIn.

I’m sure the fault is entirely mine, but unlike other social media platforms, I’ve found no real upside to using LinkedIn.

If there are levers hidden in there to make it work for me, I haven’t found them.

If you have, I’m all ears.

What LinkedIn does have in abundance is absurdity:  Such as the “Endorsement” system, wherein your colleagues can “Endorse” you.

Unlike the older endorsements where people you’ve worked with can write thoughtful, insightful paragraphs about your skills and abilities, the near-random assignment of single words doesn’t really tell anyone interested in you anything useful about you as a professional.

Exhibit A is my own assortment of random words that people have “Endorsed” me for:

 

Really, what do any of those really tell you? That I can spell them all?

The Tumblr linked below highlights the worthlessness of single-word endorsements through applied pataphysics: the surreal inclusion of outré and far-out subjects mixed in with otherwise professional terms.

http://endorsementbombing.tumblr.com/

 

The whole blog is hilarious. Endorsement Bombing is the new Auto-correct.

If you really want to do your friends and colleagues a favor write them an actual recommendation that draws on your observations and experiences. Anyone reading someone else’s LinkedIn profile is going to give those far more weight than endorsements for marksmanship and sand racing.