Comments on: Pride and Prejudice – Should I Join “this” Group?

By: Amy Leyack

Amy Leyack — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:20:46 +0000

It’s true- this is definitely a touchy subject. But, I fall into the group of being very concerned about broadcasting political or religious affiliations directly on any business-related sites. Then again, if someone really wanted to find out your religious/political leanings, all they’d need to do is “Google” you! Susan had mentioned political donations. Have you noticed- political donations are one of the first things that pop up (usually provided by the Huffington Post.)

By: Daria Steigman

Daria Steigman — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:21:09 +0000

Hi Jason,

I come down on the side of not broadcasting your political or religious affiliations. LinkedIn is a professional networking site, so what you do and say there is directly reflective of your brand. I don’t want to alienate a potential business contact before he or she even has a chance to get to know me. There are plenty of other places to network and forge relationships based on common political or religious leanings (especially during campaign season!).

Best,
Daria

By: Susan Ireland

Susan Ireland — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:57:38 +0000

Recently I’ve struggled with the same issue, Jason. On the one hand, I want to speak out for my favorite presidential candidate, but I don’t want it to influence how people on the other side of the aisle view my professional advice. So I decided NOT to state my political views on my blog or on social networks. I figure there are other ways for me to be politically active, e.g., donate to my candidate’s campaign, talk to and email family and friends about him, or do the bumper sticker thing.

I’ve worked with resume clients who have volunteer experience for religious groups. The question comes up whether or not to put the religious affiliation on their resume. It’s a choice each job seeker makes based on how they feel about exposing their beliefs. Some want it know ahead of time that they are active in their church or temple. Others decide to keep it private, for the reasons you stated.

There’s no right answer on this, I’m afraid.

By: Charlie on PA Tpk

Charlie on PA Tpk — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:15:53 +0000

One has to be very weary of what you place on LI, which is one of the reasons I use a pseudonym in place of my actual LI name.

Joining political groups, as you noted, opens you up to potential problems, especially in such a close election; picking the ‘wrong’ candidate can bite you in the future if the other guy wins.

I have been a member of LI for 4 years, and I have seen it morph towards another ’social network’, and this worries me. Between the ‘photos’, the ‘what are you doing?’ status lines and the many LIONs who brag thousands of ‘contacts’, it is getting harder to discern LI from MySpace.

Certainly not what I had in mind when I joined!