Do you have good LinkedIn manners?
Have you ever had someone post a comment on your LinkedIn post that includes a link to an article of theirs on the same topic? Pretty shameless self promotion that happens quite a bit on LinkedIn.
Or has someone responded to all of the comments you’ve gotten on one of your LinkedIn posts with thoughts of their own to make themselves relevant?
Maybe someone saw your post, commented on it and then hours later, created a post that was incredibly similar. It couldn’t be a coincidence….
All of these have happened to me and they have given me pause, and reasons to create what I call a LinkedIn List of Manners. LinkedIn is supposed to be an inclusive community, and I am the first to promote and support others but this isn’t playing nice on LinkedIn.
You shouldn’t use someone else’s platform to build your own brand. Period.
Instead, use your platform to build your own brand with helpful, authentic content and lift up others and promote their content on yours. Of course you should welcome comments on your posts but only when they add to the conversation. Not when they are clearly trying to steal your thunder.
In fact, trying to steal the spotlight from someone else will backfire on you.
I’ve removed several connections who did this to me. When I called out one connection privately about why she did it and I told her I removed the link to her article, she said she was trying to add to the conversation and I could join the long list of people who hated her. It was an odd comment that made me think she did have some self awareness that what she was doing was questionable.
Behavior like this is not supportive or helpful. And it won’t win you any friends. I’ve built my platform and connections over many years by sharing content that speaks to my brand – it’s never a good idea to try and use someone else’s hard-earned social media platform for your own benefit.
In addition, don’t criticize others or comment negatively on someone’s posts. This has also happened to me. It turns people off. Keep all comments positive and never be insulting.
Remember if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
And have the confidence to build your own brand and create your own content rather than piggybacking off of someone else’s platform. Doing this can be a quick fix and easy way to boost your visibility but in the long run, it can hurt your professional brand.