VERY IMPORTANT

LinkedIn was really awful about spamming people and I'm pretty sure they were sued about it.

They would suggest you upload your entire contact list. Then, what they didn't make so clear, they would pester everyone who was on it. It was something like, "let us help you connect with your colleagues by sharing your Rolodex with us." Some guy said his friends and peers were super pissed that their email addresses which were supposed to be private were being inundated with junk mail. I'm generalising, but I seem to recall he sued LinkedIn because of lost income and diminished reputation or something.

It's a really scummy website that sounds good on paper but is actually pretty much just another Facebook now days.

It's a great big glorified vanity and friend counter list that is monetizing people's personal information. Creeps me out big time.

As well, there is malicious software for Apple computers, though not nearly as many as there are for Windows.

This is true, the Mac OS X operating system is not safe from harm like it used to (mostly) be some years ago. Also, Macs can pass harmful content over to Windows computers, so if Mac users care about the general computing environment of everyone, it’s a great idea to use malware and virus protection.

LinkedIn was really awful about spamming people and I'm pretty sure they were sued about it.
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It's a great big glorified vanity and friend counter list that is monetizing people's personal information. Creeps me out big time.

I agree that joining any website like this has its privacy implications. However, many people have been able to find a job or do some useful networking through LinkedIn, so I suppose it’s a matter of assessing if the possible risks are worth it. It’s definitely tough to stay on top of all the threats that are out there in the cyber world these days.

I completely agree with bakerbarber about LinkedIn's devious practice which he outlined and can tell you from personal experience that they charge outrageous fees to those of us that have to use their services.

Having said that, folks in my line of work have no choice but to use it. It is much more than a glorified Facebook. It is hands down the most powerful social media tool in the business to business world.

Yeah.

I totally understand it's necessary in many lines of work.

Like a knife or anything. Tools can be used for their intended purpose and also untoward purposes.

Don't get me wrong, you hit the nail on the head in many ways. I'm a one man shop and run my business on web based software. I have software that is much more powerful, and cost much more to develop, for its size, than LinkedIn. The packages are all about $150 per year. LinkedIn is $650 per year, which is highway robbery in my view.

I'm a technology broker, meaning that much of my time is spent finding new customers. LinkedIn has become a tool that you have to have in order to do this.

That doesn't change the fact that their behavior really bothers me. I try not to spend money with companies that behave in this way, yet I have no choice here.

Don't get me wrong, you hit the nail on the head in many ways.  I'm a one man shop and  run my business on web based software.  I have software that is much more powerful, and cost much more to develop, for its size, than LinkedIn.  The packages are all about $150 per year.  LinkedIn is $650 per year, which is highway robbery in my view.

I'm a technology broker, meaning that much of my time is spent finding new customers.  LinkedIn has become a tool that you have to have in order to do this.  

That doesn't change the fact that their behavior really bothers me.  I try not to spend money with companies that behave in this way, yet I have no choice here.

You know, I see and understand what you are saying. In what you do it is important to use the services of those entities which compliment your business. I have been with two of the largest big-eight accounting and consulting firms (they were called that then) and a vice president with a major airline. It is necessary enlist those who compliment you business. I am not negative about Linked in actually, I really do not know much about their business model. I am not a a social media user. This blog and one other are the closest I come to being a social media user. I did not start the thread to alert people about Linked in's practices. On the contrary, the first thing that came to my mind was that the email I received was sent by a person or persons that wanted to do harm, such ash a worm which would pirate my personal data or dump malware on my computer. I did it to alert everyone that maybe the email was malicious and the those who received it should proceed with caution.

LinkdIn is legitimate as far as business networking sites go...

True, but you don't know if the button links to LinkedIn. Also, the URL could be to "lindedin.com" or some variation thereof. If the button is an image, right-click, copy image address, and then paste the address into a text editor. Then you can tell if it is legit. Also, the sender's email name might be legit, but the sender's actual email address might not match the name. So for example somebody with the email address smartass@joker.com could send an email that shows the sender's name as Stan Hickman.

This kind of discussion has been the root of many an argument for me with my mother-in-law.

I've tried everything to educate her. Sent her articles and photos with flow charts outlining when to open things or to discuss personal information over the phone. Nothing has changed.

After she forwarded an attachment to me that she "couldn't open" and I called her to ask if she was expecting it, knew who sent it, or recognized the other recipients that were cc'ed, I told her to change all of her passwords everywhere. "Enjoy having your identity stolen." I am at my wit's end.

She called my wife, who was in the room and had heard the conversation, in tears. She said she just wanted help opening the attachment and I made fun of her without actually helping her open the attachment... The next day her employer announced that they or their insurance company had been breached and everyone was going to be enrolled in identity protection for 2 years...

She's gotten calls from the "IRS" demanding payment over the phone to avoid being "arrested" and my wife now gets very bizarre phishing calls on her cellphone asking for her by her maiden name. I'm sure the stuff I know about is only the tip of the iceberg. She's called us and said that she's gotten calls from people claiming there has been an accident involving a relative and that she needs to confirm social security numbers for the morgue. The poor woman.

I worry about what personal information my mother-in-law has given out willingly and unwillingly as well. I'm sure her pride prevents us from ever really knowing. I love her and realize that her inherent kindness and trust make her the prime target for this kind of thing. It's not like I can rip her beloved iPad out of her hands. It's a difficult situation to have to tell someone that their best qualities make them especially vulnerable.

It's frustrating and unfortunate.

I think there are people who are making a big thing out of this with explanations that mean nothing to me. It was my intention to bring this to the attention of the members. I guess the next time I see this type of email sent to me I will keep it to myself.

I think there are people who are making a big thing out of this with explanations that mean nothing to me.  It was my intention to bring this to the attention of the members.  I guess the next time I see this type of email sent to me I will keep it to myself.

I don;t think it is really a "big deal" to us as much as it is an interesting topic of conversation that miraculously does not revolve around shaving or the current state of world affairs. It's something different and we have all had experiences that are very similar to one degree or another...

At least it generated some thought and some conversation...