Productivity

There’s a War Raging on LinkedIn: Personal Versus Professional Posts

Do personal posts piss you off too?

A large segment of LinkedIn has their undies in a knot.

They’re pissed at the number of personal posts on LinkedIn. They say crazy things like:

*Turns on parking inspector voice*

  • “This isn’t Facebook (no sh*t).”
  • “You’re unprofessional, sir.”

This crowd has been labeled “the LinkedIn police” by users like me for years. But suddenly it’s got out of control. It’s become war.

The New York Times agrees and did a highly popular story on it.

Let’s dissect so you don’t ruin your career on LinkedIn and fall for one of the biggest lies in history.

What’s missed about this massive LinkedIn debate

The Karens want personal posts to be banned.

I get upset with them because they miss that business is life, and life is business. There’s no separation. Especially now when we live in a world where so many people work from home.

People share personal stories on LinkedIn because it drives what they do at work and helps them make sense of the world.

There’s another reason though… Facebook is dying.

The older crowd who want to post their personal life events there are slowly migrating to other platforms because Facebook is showing one ad for every two pieces of content.

One of the platforms these Facebook users are migrating to is LinkedIn. Why? Because LinkedIn is our digital resume. Most of us who work are already on there, so it’s an easy transition.

I know what you’re thinking: will all the politics and nonsense from Facebook migrate? Nope.

LinkedIn has a strict moderation policy. If you post stuff about politics or social justice enough times you’ll get banned.

So LinkedIn is still a playground with high fences and mall cops. I don’t do or say crazy stuff so I’m fine with it. So are 90% of other people. Nice.

What the world would look like if it were all business

Let’s take a glimpse at a world the LinkedIn police want us to live in.

They say we should have nothing but professional posts on LinkedIn. That means the same crap we get at a normal job.

  • Boring Gantt charts
  • Corporations pretending to be human
  • Startups changing their logo to a flag to look cool
  • Fake leaders say “thoughts and prayers…” and then do nothing about the cause they say they care so deeply about.

C’mon, seriously?

A world of nothing but professional posts is what most workplaces have right now. That’s why we have trends like quiet quitting and The Great Resignation. We’re sick of all the rainbows, unicorns, pizza and beer, and fake mission statements followed by company values nobody works by.

Personal posts are a reflection that the world of work is changing. Work and personal life have blended. We’re never going back. Soz.

The problem with banning personal posts

First off, you can’t. It’s too hard to police.

Second, labels and boundaries are painful. Social media should bring out our creative side and help us think. Placing constraints on creativity for the sake of meaningless rules is the definition of insanity.

Third, people gotta stop telling people what to do. It’s a pain in the freaking ass. If people want to post baby photos then let them.

You don’t have to consume the content a social media newsfeed algorithm serves you. I don’t get many of these personal posts in my LinkedIn feed because I follow people I’m interested in.

Instead of complaining, the LinkedIn police should get off their lazy asses and curate their feed. Follow new people. Mute anyone who got married or had a baby.

Or how about this: maybe get some bloody help.

If you’re so bitter and freaking twisted that you want puppy photos and shots of people hugging banned from LinkedIn, maybe that says something about where you’re at in your life and career.

Maybe go hug a dog. Or go see your family. Or take a chill pill.

I suspect this LinkedIn police who want to ban personal posts have too much time on their hands. Maybe it’s time to, you know, get back to work Mr and Miss “Professional.”

Seriously, this whole argument is ridiculous.

Bringing it all together

We need personal AND business posts on LinkedIn.

Social media is how we talk about this strange time in human history. The world of work is rapidly changing. It’s affecting how we work, love, date, have kids, raise kids, think about college, and earn a living.

No one should dare try and place a muzzle on these important conversations. And if you do try and stop personal posts, good luck. LinkedIn’s stance is clear: personal posts are allowed.

One final tip if you want to post your stories on LinkedIn. Just tie back the personal event to a business or career topic. That way you’ll be more native to the platform and avoid this stupid war that’s raging.

Getting married = taking a day off work

Having a baby = hiring your first tiny employee

Hugging your dog = time off work to have a family holiday

Now you know how to beat that crazy LinkedIn police at their own game. Share your stories on LinkedIn because they have enormous value.