LinkedIn Groups Becoming Un-Social
Three days ago I received an email from LinkedIn that stated this: "We've been inspired by members like you to make Groups the best place for like-minded professionals to meet and converse. As a valued moderator, we wanted to ensure you knew about the following upcoming exciting changes first.
Simpler privacy settings. Now, there are just two types of groups. Standard Groups are findable in search and members can request to join or be invited by any existing member. Unlisted Groups are not discoverable and membership requires an invite from a manager. In both types, only group members can see the conversations.
A new mobile app. Being part of group conversations is easier than ever with a new LinkedIn Groups app for iOS. Android app coming soon.
Images and mentions. Post your images and mention other group members with just a tap.
Less email. We'll digest the best content from all of your groups into one weekly or daily email.
Easy invites and less work. Any member of any Standard Group can invite their connections, making it easier for great groups to grow faster." The email then states that my group "will become an Unlisted Group where you can enjoy these new features. We'll never show a unlisted group or its conversations to anybody who doesn't belong until an owner or manager invites them. Groups like yours will be able to become Standard Groups by using the Group Settings menu." New features? I don't want these "new features." Being an Unlisted Group is contrary to the mission of the group I manage.
I've been in Group Settings to try to preempt this change. How to do this remains a mystery. I've requested to join the Unlisted Group "Group Moderator Community" to try to get answers, but this is frustrating and is just one example of why I don't want our group Unlisted. I'm working on a solution now, as my time allows, not someone else's time. This is poor customer service and providing a poor customer experience, and here it is Customer Experience Week 2015!
When I tried to use the LinkedIn Help section, this is what I could find on the topic. It's not helpful.
I need the particular group I manage to be discoverable. Being found and sharing is part of the beauty of social media! Also of concern is that next to last line under "In Standard Groups: The group owner has the option to make the group unlisted only when the group is created." I also think that the group managers should be able to toggle the setting between Standard and Unlisted. It shouldn't be a permanent setting. What if the goals of the group change/evolve? A new group shouldn't have to be set up every time that setting needs to be changed. The email says there is a new iOS app with an Android app coming soon. Working in social media, the first thing I did was go to the app store to download this necessary tool. It's not there. All they could say was coming soon. Why not say that in the initial email then? "Both an app for iOS and Android will be available for LinkedIn Groups soon." LinkedIn seems to be sending out this information before the necessary ground work has been completed to handle the un-social changes, assist it's users, and provide a good experience. Shame.
Do you think these changes are going to be beneficial or detrimental to the social aspect of LinkedIn? Are they going to affect you? Do you think it's no big deal? I'd like to hear your feedback and comments.
