For some time now I’ve been trying to combat sexism and harassment on LinkedIn. Truthfully, it’s an uphill battle. I am not convinced I am getting anywhere at all. So I thought I really have to come at this problem from a different angle. To quote Einstein “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over…

I work mainly with people who are on LinkedIn but who don’t / won’t engage. The two main reasons given are the unrelenting self-promotion of some members, and the inappropriate behaviour towards women. Increasingly I am hearing a third answer. LinkedIn polls. Plague of LinkedIn polls My own observation is that they are on the…

The phrase “water cooler moments” is used as a short-cut, catch-all phrase to represent the casual camaraderie we look for in our workplaces. These are characterised by serendipitous  feel-good banter, and more personal types of casual discussions around daily news, Size matters Usually a water cooler group would be limited to small number of colleagues…

Toxic talk is prevalent but has now reached LinkedIn For some years Academics have becoming increasingly concerned about the potential fallout from “uncivil discourse.”  So called “toxic talk” can end up polarizing opinion “when individuals rather than issues are attacked” (Stryker, Conway, & Danielson, 2014). The concerns over incivility extend to the online information environment, where “nasty comments can…

Social media is now becoming an unforeseen danger zone for HR Managers. Career coaches are constantly exhorting candidates to take care of their cyber foot print, especially at entry-level. All recruiters and head hunters usually check out applicants online before meeting them. Line managers have been warned to pay attention when liking and sharing inappropriate content…

Will me being LinkedOff with LinkedIn make a difference? I have just cancelled my premium membership to LinkedIn. You could say I’m LinkedOff with LinkedIn and have LinkedOut. Reduced professionalism Social media is awash with blogs and posts about the decline of the traditional channels. To cut to the chase, one over arching comment is this. With all the…

If one summer poolside conversation is anything to go by, there seems to be growing evidence of companies trying to ring-fence their organisations against the social media activity of their employees. It’s no longer simply just the odd high-profile, headline cases or instances of individuals being disciplined for posting sensitive content about their bosses, jobs or…

Definition of flame wars Urban Dictionary : A flame war is a heated argument between two individuals, that results in those involved posting personal attacks on each other during or instead of debating the topic at hand. Flame mail Technology has transformed the nature of communication. Gone are the days when a letter had to…