Like many of you, I try to multi-task. While talking to someone I sometimes will scan emails to see if there is something I need to deal with...especially if I am on a call.
But I learned my lesson in the past with LinkedIn -- as their company name attests, they live and breath creating links between people. Sometimes without asking. Or against our wishes.
In Facebook I am somewhat selective with friend requests (both issuing and accepting), but somehow still have over 1000 "friends," with many of whom I have very superficial connection.
In LinkedIn, on the hand, I accept almost every request -- putting aside that are clearly spam or with a negative agenda. And sometimes issue LinkedIn requests (or as they put it, invitation to be LinkedIn). But I usually only do that with folks that I think I will have some reason to reach out to, and easier than creating new contacts.
In one of my gmail accounts, I have some default setting on that creates a contact for anyone I have been in "email connection" -- either sending or receiving email from. That's a lot of people, even for an address I rarely use.
Today while mutli-tasking an email came in with an invitation from someone I like, and relevant to my work (he is a marketing manager at a major tech company). I automatically clicked yes...and then the LinkedIn hacking started -- asking me if I wanted to enter that email into my list of associated email addresses -- I thought, why not...and clicked yes. Then was asked if I wanted to "share" to all my contacts a LinkedIn invitation. I clicked "skip this step." Then I was asked again -- and again I clicked "click this step." Finally I was asked a third time, and again clicked "skip this step."
Within seconds my phone started to buzz constantly, I looked down and saw endless push notifications from LinkedIn telling so-and-so has just "accepted my invitation."
But this was an invitation I never intended to send, because I hate spam, and had no idea who was in the default list of contacts for that email address.
How did this happen? Well, once I had agreed to associate this particular gmail address with my LinkedIn profile, LinkedIn proceeded to suck out my contacts AGAINST my choice and spam all my "contacts" with LinkedIn invitation.
Q: Any real harm done?
In this case, not really, apart from folks asking me who I am...and there those who say any publicity is good publicity.
But that is not the point. This easily could have led to sharing of information that I did not want to share, or giving access to people I did not intend.
Often the term "Growth Hacking" is used to describe tactics to quickly generate users and that infamous "traction" that all are seeking.
In the end of the day, however, growth is growth and hacking is hacking. If you need to hack -- it means you are not playing by the rules, which often are in place for good reason!
I am a big fan of real growth -- and at times I am a hacker. But I don't believe the two belong together, certainly not from multi-billion public companies like LinkedIn. Let them find real ways to grow, and leave my random assortment of gmail contacts alone.
Oh, and results of the LinkedIn spam -- I am now connected to an additional 250 people (at the time of writing this, few hours after the "incident.").Am I now worth more?
