Some of you be regular users of LinkedIn. I joined last August in order to facilitate my job search after my then-impending layoff was announced. Fast forward to today and I am still using it on a daily basis to network and search for jobs.
So today get a connection request from someone named "Aliyah." (last name redacted). I've been responding to a lot of postings in the feed and getting likes and connection requests frequently, so I didn't think anything about it. Unless I have a reason to deny a connection, I usually accept.
Right after I accepted the connection, I started getting messages that were . . . odd. Here is a transcript of the exchanges:
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NEW CONNECTION 1:43 PM: Hello
Hope you having a great day ?
rhino 1:47 PM: I am, thank you! The same to you.
NEW CONNECTION 1:49 PM: Thanks
What you doing today if you don’t mind me asking ?
rhino 1:52 PM: I just had a phone interview and I was working on an application for another job. And checking LinkedIn!
NEW CONNECTION 1:52 PM: Congratulations!
Are you single if you don’t mind me asking you ?
rhino 1:52 PM: Thank you
rhino 1:54 PM: Actually, I'm not interested in discussing personal information like that with people I don't know, especially on a site that I use for employment matters only.
NEW CONNECTION 1:54 PM: I understand
Well If you don’t mind I will like to be a friend
rhino 1:56 PM: I'm not sure what that entails, but I hope you understand that I'm not on LinkedIn for social interaction.
NEW CONNECTION 1:57 PM: Definitely
So can we be friend ?
rhino 2:00 PM: Thank you for your interest. If you mean friend in the sense of cordial interactions in business and career postings in the LinkedIn feed, where people can like and comment on messages and articles, sure. Anything beyond that I am unable to offer.
NEW CONNECTION 2:15 PM: Thanks
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After that, I removed the connection. Before that happened, a message to congratulate her on her new position as "Chief Executive Officer at Opening Doors for Working Woman (CEO)" appeared in my feed. Is "working woman" a thinly veiled reference to "I'm a hooker looking for opportunities on LinkedIn"?
Very weird and uncomfortable!
So today get a connection request from someone named "Aliyah." (last name redacted). I've been responding to a lot of postings in the feed and getting likes and connection requests frequently, so I didn't think anything about it. Unless I have a reason to deny a connection, I usually accept.
Right after I accepted the connection, I started getting messages that were . . . odd. Here is a transcript of the exchanges:
---------------------------------
NEW CONNECTION 1:43 PM: Hello
Hope you having a great day ?
rhino 1:47 PM: I am, thank you! The same to you.
NEW CONNECTION 1:49 PM: Thanks
What you doing today if you don’t mind me asking ?
rhino 1:52 PM: I just had a phone interview and I was working on an application for another job. And checking LinkedIn!
NEW CONNECTION 1:52 PM: Congratulations!
Are you single if you don’t mind me asking you ?
rhino 1:52 PM: Thank you
rhino 1:54 PM: Actually, I'm not interested in discussing personal information like that with people I don't know, especially on a site that I use for employment matters only.
NEW CONNECTION 1:54 PM: I understand
Well If you don’t mind I will like to be a friend
rhino 1:56 PM: I'm not sure what that entails, but I hope you understand that I'm not on LinkedIn for social interaction.
NEW CONNECTION 1:57 PM: Definitely
So can we be friend ?
rhino 2:00 PM: Thank you for your interest. If you mean friend in the sense of cordial interactions in business and career postings in the LinkedIn feed, where people can like and comment on messages and articles, sure. Anything beyond that I am unable to offer.
NEW CONNECTION 2:15 PM: Thanks
------------------------------------
After that, I removed the connection. Before that happened, a message to congratulate her on her new position as "Chief Executive Officer at Opening Doors for Working Woman (CEO)" appeared in my feed. Is "working woman" a thinly veiled reference to "I'm a hooker looking for opportunities on LinkedIn"?
Very weird and uncomfortable!