LinkedIn lowers age of consent to 13

LinkedIn, generally regarded as the premier social network for grown ups with jobs, has decided 13 year olds are now welcome as members. The reason is a new creation called “University Pages” that LinkedIn feels “will be especially valuable for students making their first, big decision about where to attend college.” As of …

[graeme leggett]

lower limit?

Might be useful if you are a chimney sweep looking for an "apprentice"

[jonathanb]

Re: lower limit?

13 is a bit old for that. They will probably be too big to fit up the chimney by then. However it will be very useful for anyone looking for a career in delivering newspapers and adverts for takeaway pizzas.

[Shannon Jacobs]

Main beef with LinkedIn is the SPAM

The main reason I can't take LinkedIn seriously is the amount of spam in their name. Some of it is quite sophisticated phishing, while a lot of it is just abuse of their link shorteners. Some of the phishing is so good that the only way I'm sure is because it arrives at an email address that was never known to my LinkedIn account. The link shortening stuff could be cured by hijacking the links--but only IF LinkedIn actually cared about their reputation.

I think the endorsement thing is silly, but I don't rate it as a major negative. Just another reason to ignore LinkedIn. Perhaps it could be made credible if the reputation of the endorsers was verified outside of the network? In other works, hierarchical endorsements would be okay, but circular endorsements would be reduced in value...

[Elmer Phud]

Re: Main beef with LinkedIn is the SPAM

LinkedIn has a filter on my email as I got pissed off with the requests (and bogus requests) that keep coming.

It had become a sort of 'I'm a real grown-up, me. I've got a LinkedIn account' and they generally came from people who should never run a business.

[LazyLazyman]

Re: Main beef with LinkedIn is the SPAM

That seems to be allot of it. "Look at me being a real business person! I have a LinkedIn account!".

The company I work for is in education. We have allot to do with MBA and EMBA students. I have fuck all to do with the actual education side (I'm on the money side) but still have some dealings with these students. Yet still I get a fair number of LinkedIn requests emailed to me, even though I don't have a LinkedIn account.

[jonathanb]

Re: Main beef with LinkedIn is the SPAM

The website asks for your email password, and then spams everyone on the contacts list. If students have emailed you about couse fees for example, then you will get the spam.

[LazyLazyman]

Re: Main beef with LinkedIn is the SPAM

Well that explains it. Doesn't excuse them actively turning there PC in to a LinkedIn spam bot and also makes me worry about the future of upper management... actual on second thought... that kind of stupidity seems about right...

[Anomalous Cowshed]

next year

Toddlers now admitted on LinkedIn.

Get in early and make those vital connections you will need now AND later on in life. Connect with Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Teletubbies and many more key figures of the toddler world. Get endorsements for your skills, from walking to talking to bubble blowing, potty and computer / smartphone operation. Get a start in life. Get linked in!

[Number6]

Re: next year

Anyone want to endorse me for "Throwing teddy out of the pram"? That's a skill that seems to still be applicable in later life.

[Khaptain]

Puberty problems

At 13 years old the majority of teenagers have a lot more problems with puberty than with deciding upon their final career.

This sounds more like a requirement to boost numbers rather than provide any reasonable service.

[adnim]

Re: Puberty problems

"This sounds more like a requirement to boost numbers rather than provide any reasonable service."

Exactly my thoughts. Have an up.

This is about nurturing a bank balance, not nurturing youngsters in the pursuit of education.

I cannot see any university aspiring teenager getting any useful information from Linked In that could not be found elsewhere. Elsewhere places that don't request personal and private data in order to pass on that information.

[Chris G]

Re: Puberty problems

Let's face it; social networking at the business level is just another form of advertising, PR and self promotion.

Aiming LinkedIn at children and students is of questionable value to both the children and to LinkedIn, I think it devalues LinkedIn and relegates it to just another social networking site but opens up for them an expanded range of targeted ads to earn from.

As far as the Skills Endorsement thing goes I have been endorsed for some skills that I have never heard of, so my proficiency in them must be an act of god.

[Bert 1]

Ruin your career in advance

So LinkedIn is supposed to be the "grown up" networking site, where you advance your career (although I have never had a job offer through it).

Based on the ill-advised nature of the posts on Facebook by most youngsters, won't this just result in them ruining their career prospects before they've even started?

[Mystic Megabyte]

typo?

"The reason is a new creatin called “University Pages"

Shirley you mean "cretin"?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: typo?

Please leave my name out of this; I dont want ANY associations with social networks.

Besides, I am not THAT stupid.

[MainframeBob]

I could understand a kind of 'kindergarden'-subsite

I fail to see that young persons trying to find a campus have much in common with the main target audience on LinkedIn.

A dedicated subsite, yes, but not merged seamlessly into LinkedIn.

[William 3]

OMG!!! LinkedIn FTW!!!One11!!

I'm 14 n im well sighnin up, init

my m8s well gonna giv me dat dorsement for pwning all dem nooobs on COD!!XBONE WIN!!

Im sinin up rite now so i can get FIRST!!!

Woot!

[Blane Bramble]

Re: OMG!!! LinkedIn FTW!!!One11!!

LOL! I iz in ure bizness site, indorsing ure skillzzzz!!!1!!1!oneoneone

[JB]

Re: OMG!!! LinkedIn FTW!!!One11!!

That's the funniest post I've seen all week!

[Snapper]

Re: OMG!!! LinkedIn FTW!!!One11!!

Actually, that's not too dissimilar to the boxing glove attitude to using a keyboard that most arrogant pricks in middle management are adopting nowadays!

How will we tell?

[Benjol]

Smells of desperation to me. Like the regular 'please come back and visit our site' mails I get, though I'm pretty sure I unchecked every single 'spam me' option in the preferences.

[Anonymous Coward]

Freestyle Llama Wrestler ....

.... that's so going on my next lot of business cards :-)

Whilst I'd love to endorse this burgeoning discipline, I don't use LinkedIn - my life is largely slavetrader-spam free and I'd like to keep it that way.

[Potemkine]

Could LinkedIn lower it to 6?

It could be useful to find new workers to push coal wagons, or build IT stuff in some sweathshops.

[DPWDC]

Perfect sense!

Now Apple and Samsung's manufacturing teams can network!

[JustinClift]

GitHub could do with lowering it's entry age... but LinkedIn?

GitHub's "must be 13 years old to use this service" thing is annoying, as plenty of kids these days are doing programming stuff at various levels of competency (some quite good).

But LinkedIn...? Can't really see a benefit from this for anyone other than LinkedIn themselves. (padding their membership numbers, as mentioned by another commenter above)

Maybe time will prove me wrong (doubt it though). :)

[jai]

"Hey, kids: can Facebook get you a JOB?"

I would like to challenge the implication that LinkedIn is able to get you a job either. Any company wiht an HR department that is relying on LinkedIn profiles for its hiring policy is not a company i'd like to work for.

[Number6]

The main use for LinkedIn when it comes to recruitment is surely to see if you have any friends in common, so you can get an unofficial verbal reference down the pub one evening. It might also be useful to check whether claimed experience on LinkedIn matches that on the CV.

I've certainly seen hits on my profile from companies to which I've applied in the past, so it's part of the process.

[Daniel Fiander]

Transferrable skills

Remember to look at skills that are transferrable from existing skills you have- I must find you out and endorse you for Amateur Alpaca Wrestling

[Anonymous Coward]

So now little Joey can get endorsed for his newspaper route and lemonade stand and little Susie for her babysitting skills.

[wayward4now]

I just closed my account

...and THAT took some doing. Plus, I was tired of idiots I know wanting me to endorce their non-existant skill sets via tons of emails. Joe Lunchbucket has a new skill! Rocket Science. Scruum.