Has LinkedIn Gone Too Far With Advertisements?

Adverts Everywhere on LinkedIn.

The path LinkedIn are taking to monetize the platform simply boggles my mind. In an age after Facebook realized that having too many low quality and low value sponsored adverts was folly and driving their users away, LinkedIn would appear to be foolish. They never cease to disappoint.

Here are three recent examples.

1. Adverts for other posts after I've posted one of my own. Clearly this is testing out this concept for sponsored ad.

Testing out a platform for showing you ads after you've posted.

2. An advert in my InMail. An advert which is telling me I'm going to get lots more adverts in my InMail - and that these will lurk like goblins in the darkness waiting for me to log on. Clearly, we are all just prospects and targets to LinkedIn.

An advert in the InMail advertising adverts in the InMail on LinkedIn.

3. A trick in my InMail. This one, to me, verges on the unethical. This is click-bait. I'm fooled into thinking I'm going to open something in my newsfeed, but it actually takes me to another webpage. It is a disguised link. Well I don't like to be fooled, LinkedIn. Fool me once. There is no fool me twice.

Click Bait on LinkedIn.

I think that LinkedIn is setting some really bad examples to it's Users here.

Indeed, if LinkedIn were a User it certainly would be in breach of it's own Terms of Service under the clauses about acting in professional manner.