Let preface this with I’ve been a member of LinkedIn since the very early days…maybe 2003?

The original purpose was to help your friends meet your other friends for networking, jobs, etc. You needed someone’s email address to add them as a connection.

All sites (especially socials) evolve over time, as the needs and wants of the users change.

I’ve been paying for the “Sales Navigator” function since 2019. And I get 50% or more of my new business from there. Very much a good ROI.

But LinkedIn has undergone a dramatic…ummm….shift? I posted a poll last week asking what people see the most of, leaving out the option of traditional LinkedIn content.

Pretty sure everyone knew that last option meant “AI Slop.” LinkedIn allows this for some reason, and it sucks. And a lot of it is wrong. Straight up crash the server, burn the cycles wrong.

The point is I am going to try something to see if there is interest in a Slack type Community (hosted on the same platform as this newsletter - beehiiv).

Real conversations among real people. All tech, not just database. Old geezers like me, freshers, career-changers, etc. No hiring, recruiting, or selling. I may slap an ad in it to help pay the fees. I will ban anyone being rude or sleazy, even in the DMs.

Join here if you are interested: https://www.practicedtech.com/community

This only works if you participate. For this test, I need people that will participate. Say hello in the Welcome channel to get started. If you are a career lurker on socials, that’s fine. Join in later once we get rolling :)

As with ALL internet activities, don’t share any thing that will get you in trouble at work or home. Guard your PII, and test the suggestions.

See you there. Or on LinkedIn. Either works. Or both?

Kevin