There has been a lot of talk on Linkedin about appropriate sharing of content, with some users pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable on a professional business site. I like a good joke and I like an amusing post, but sometimes other Linkedin users are regularly pushing those boundaries simply because they can, not because they actually have anything insightful to say.
Last week I was scrolling through my Linkedin feed and came across the post below. (This hadn't actually been posted by any of my connections, but one of my connections had left a comment which is why it appeared on my feed).
Lazy and Attention Grabbing
To me, this is just plain lazy marketing, posted to simply gain attention and create any type of engagement. Simply putting it, this user is looking for their five minutes of fame. The post was originally created by a female Recruitment Account Manager, posting an image like this one, is unprofessional and when it's difficult enough for all of us, both women and men to overcome stereotypes in the workplace, not very clever. My view, this is totally unacceptable. But after scrolling through the comments, it was a clear 50/50 split between liking and disliking this content.
Comments
After reviewing the Comments I can see a selection of Linkedin users as I would expect, find this post offensive and inappropriate and others think it's ok. What I find interesting is the response from the women who posted the content, she has taken a very defensive almost aggressive approach. This situtation could quickly and easily turn into a PR nightmare for the company she represents.
You need to purchase a lamp and lighten up
If you don't like it, don't comment. Bore off of my page. 😄
The LinkedIn Police need to get a sense of humour. If they don't like it, I don't get why they'd take time out of their (obviously extremely professional) lives to even comment? 😅
You all need to chill out. Stress isn't good for the soul. ✌
Social Media Guidelines
Most companies will have a set of Social Media and PR guidelines, and it makes me wonder if this recruitment agency take PR seriously, or as an organisation this level of content acceptable. And if it is acceptable, is this the culture throughout the business?
"Before you like this type of content, ask yourself, are you breaking your own orgnisations Social Media Guidelines while at the same time damaging your professional reputation by association?"
I didn't comment on the Post, because if I did, it would then be shared with my 1st Level connections, and I certainly don't want them to think by association I had some level of involvement. That's why I wrote this blog post.
Whatever your view on this type of content marketing, I'm sure you can agree, the women who posted this has received a great deal of engagement, but I think the more important question is, would you want this Recruitment Agency representing you?
Update - This post has now been removed from the Recruiters Linkedin Feed, whether this was by her own actions or reported to Linkedin, that is unclear.
