1186 Putting the Link in LinkedIn
Ordinarily this wouldn’t be a bother. But these days, who knows?
No doubt you are familiar with the “networking” site LinkedIn. It’s supposed to help you keep in touch with people from your industry.
They’re kind of a Facebook for job seekers or that rare bird, someone who is hiring.
Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and company are giving LinkedIn a run for its money and LinkedIn is retaliating by stepping up its obnoxion factor, sending more emails, promoting more widely, establishing groups of the forlorn jobless and telling you the data it has on you.
A new feature tells you how many people have viewed your profile in the past 90 days. A still newer feature tells you who they are. A common tell: Art Glotz from Ding Dong Broadcasting viewed your profile. Or: Stately Plump Buck Mulligan from Ulysses Ltd viewed your profile.
Okay, nothing wrong with that. But here’s one that scares: “Someone from The Government viewed your profile.” Uh oh. Someone? The Government? Who? And why? The NSA? Dick Cheney making random visits to fill his boring final days? The IRS?
Is this real? Is it a joke?
A lot of people think that the government is reading their emails and tracking what they view on the internet. And Google says (a) not so and (b) we’re seeking permission to tell you what info we do provide.
Google’s chief legal officer, David Drummond says that on his blog.
Facebook says on its Facebook page that it does not “cooperate with the (National Security Agency.)”
But what about LinkedIn?
Wessays™ has switched out of the Verizon system as a precaution, opting for a one-off service that probably is as forthcoming as anyone else in the phone data dump business.
Comcast declined comment on whether it supplies internet connection data to anyone. But does it track your TV viewing habits?
EZ Pass knows everything about you from where you drive to the brand and size of your underwear. But do they share it?
Put all this cloak and dagger stuff in a pot and stir in the latest Supreme Court decision allowing the cops to take your DNA and your only privacy is in the bathroom. And we’ll see how long that lasts.
Shrapnel:
--What goes on during practice and rehearsal for those singing contest reality shows? They start with a bunch of singers each different from all the others. And by the finale, they all sound alike.
--Since much of today’s “music” has no melody and incomprehensible lyrics, it’s only natural for “singers” to “interpret” their songs. Okay, in most cases. But the National Anthem needs no interpretation and shouldn’t be subjected to vocal contortions from the stars of pop, country and soul.
--Commercials for pet medicines are starting to sound like commercials for people medicines. Pictures of a happy, healthy dog or cat bookend a long and frightening list of possible side effects. You can cure Fido’s heartworms and wreck his liver all with one small, easy-to-swallow pill.
I’m Wes Richards. My opinions are my own but you’re welcome to them. ®
Please address comments to wesrichards@gmail.com
© WJR 2013
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