LinkedIn's "People You May Know" is creepy.

[Connemara]

Maybe it's just me, but every few weeks LinkedIn manages to add persons I've recently met to the "People You May Know" feature. I realize it's just an algorithm based on my connections but sometimes this **** seems creepy.

 

[Gus]

I am amazed how accurate it can be. I actually do know them!

 

[Biggskip]

I am not as impressed, but I work at a large corporate. It usually just finds people who work with the people I work with.

 

[dcg]

The entire internet is actually a pretty creepy place, on the average.

 

[Biggskip]

Originally Posted by dcg

The entire internet is actually a pretty creepy place, on the average.
I would not disagree with this statement.

 

[CouttsClient]

Originally Posted by dcg

The entire internet is actually a pretty creepy place, on the average.
Yes

 

[Mark from Plano]

I think that I've eventually been able to figure out how it does all of the connections in my "people you may know" section. It freaked me out when I first saw David Hober's name pop up but then I think it's searching my email and must have found my emails from when I bought some ties from him. That in and of itself is kinda creepy...that it's accessing my email inbox and mining information from it.

 

[ektaylor]

My childhood dentist -- who I thought was dead -- showed up one day. That was sort of weird. Of course, he is now part of my network.

 

[Connemara]

Originally Posted by Mark from Plano

I think that I've eventually been able to figure out how it does all of the connections in my "people you may know" section. It freaked me out when I first saw David Hober's name pop up but then I think it's searching my email and must have found my emails from when I bought some ties from him. That in and of itself is kinda creepy...that it's accessing my email inbox and mining information from it.
You have to authorize LinkedIn to do that. Which means you authorized its snooping of your e-mail.

 

[Joffrey]

Originally Posted by Connemara

Maybe it's just me, but every few weeks LinkedIn manages to add persons I've recently met to the "People You May Know" feature. I realize it's just an algorithm based on my connections but sometimes this **** seems creepy.

Doesn't it just pull people that are connected to people you are connected to?

 

[ektaylor]

Originally Posted by Jodum5

Doesn't it just pull people that are connected to people you are connected to?

It's much more sinister than that.

 

[tj100]

I suspect that it takes into account who has searched for you/viewed your profile. There are people (who I do know) in my "people you may know" who I have no LinkedIn association with whatsoever, nor have ever emailed, etc. The only way it could possibly have figured it out is if the other person had searched for me.

 

[Mr Herbert]

has anyone other than recruitment agents found any use in linkedin?

the most valuable aspect of it is being able to predict when people are going to leave your company because they become very active in updating their profiles

also seeing how much your co workers bullshit in their experience is quite amusing

 

[Joffrey]

No use for it at all. Didn't work while job hunting and it doesn't really work now. However, it's a little fun trolling the industry big timers I'm semi connected to.

 

[dcg]

Originally Posted by Mr Herbert

has anyone other than recruitment agents found any use in linkedin?

the most valuable aspect of it is being able to predict when people are going to leave your company because they become very active in updating their profiles

also seeing how much your co workers bullshit in their experience is quite amusing

In a roundabout way, I found my current job through LinkedIn. A consultant I used to work with saw a posting on her college LinkedIn group, thought it was something I'd be interested in, and forwarded the info along. Not having gone to that college, it's likely I wouldn't have ever come across the posting on my own.