Most of would agree that Linkedin is a highly useful website for people interested in social media marketing in the business world. Most of us also would agree that ‘spam’ is bad. However, many users of Linkedin find themselves caught up in the website’s controversial policy to limit spammy posts in Linkedin groups.
Here is the problem:
As Linkedin operates today, any time any person flags one of your posts in a Linkedin group, ALL of your posts in ALL of your Linkedin groups now must be approved by the moderator before appearing in the group. There is no way to know who flagged you, why, or to appeal the requirement for post moderation. Now your post must be approved before it appears in the group. And if your group’s moderator only checks in once a week? Tough luck, pal.
Does anyone see a small problem with this? We sure do. The policy means that anyone can send your posts into moderation for any reason at all. Perhaps a competitor wants to limit your marketing. Or maybe a post ‘offended’ a sensitive soul. If either of those things happens, you may find all of your Linkedin group posts being sent to moderation at least temporarily.
Another problem with this policy – often legitimate, leading thinkers in the industry who often post interesting discussions can find themselves victim of this system as well. Meanwhile, many legitimately spammy posts are left untouched, including unrelated posts about earning income online, or how to make money answering surveys.
Appeals to Linkedin from many users have gone unheeded to this point. The only option a moderation-limited user has today is to appeal personally to the group moderator to lift the restriction.
While we understand the desire to reduce spam and to limit discussions in Linkedin groups to related topics only, it seems that Linkedin has taken a sledgehammer to a problem that requires a scalpel. We think that Linkedin should look at updating this policy, as it recently updated profile options for premium subscribers.
What’s your view? Let us know!