LinkedIn | Does LinkedIn Even Care?

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LinkedIn not only a Bully but Incompetent too!

Over a week ago I spent nearly 2 hours leaving 86 LinkedIn groups after they sent me an email stating that they were limiting the groups I could be a member of to 50. See my blog post LinkedIn Just the Neighborhood Bully.

A couple of days ago I went in to manage the groups I had created and much to my chagrin all 86 groups that I had painstakingly chosen to leave were back. I was back to the 136 LinkedIn groups that I had spent my time choosing to join. These 136 groups included the 86 I had been forced to leave and spent nearly 2 hours of my time doing so.

In the email I sent to linkedIn and shared with you via my earlier post LinkedIn Just the Neighborhood Bully I had asked for check boxes to be able to select multiple groups to leave. Did they deliver such a tool? No way they gave me a “Leave Group” link.

leave group screenshot

This fancy “Leave Group” link speeded up my leaving time by maybe 10%. At least this time I had a pretty good idea which groups I was going to leave. So I blew over an hour of my time once again to leave 86 LinkedIn groups. I had spent over 3 hours of my time to appease the LinkedIn gods. That isn’t even the end of LinkedIn’s incompetency. Two days after I had left the 86 groups the second time they sent me the following email.

Dear Gary,

This is a follow-up to the email we sent on 8/4/08 regarding upcoming changes to LinkedIn Groups. Please note that your action is required by 9/12/08.

We regret to inform you that you have exceeded the limit of the number of groups you are allowed to be a member of. The limit, which applies to all users, is fifty (50) groups per user. We apologize that these limits were not in place earlier, but with upcoming enhancements to Groups, we are forced to put in these limits without exception. We’re confident that these improvements to Groups, intended to spur communication and collaboration, will make the product more useful to you on a day-to-day basis.

We need to ask you to please get below the limit of 50 by leaving some of your groups. We have added a quick “Leave Group” link to the My Groups page for each of your groups ( http://www.linkedin.com/home?myGroups=&trk=grplimit2 ). If you need assistance because you are significantly above 50 groups, customer support may be able to help streamline the process. Please email groups@linkedin.com for more information. Since this is a timely issue, we will prioritize any email with “Help Removing Groups” in the title until the deadline of 9/12/08.

If you do not take the required action by the deadline, we will automatically limit your membership to the first 50 groups you joined. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes you, but unfortunately we are unable able to maintain the current level of groups.

Regards,
The LinkedIn Team

Have you checked out Konnects? This site is looking better and better to me all the time.
If you haven’t checked Konnects out yet I would suggest you do.

late,
Gary Pool

Go Green | Sustainable Publishing Products

Filed Under Green, Marketing, Software, Sustainability | Leave a Comment

Going Green - Can Print Marketing Really be Green?

Green Labeling I was reading the June issue of Graphic Arts Monthly and I came across an article “Green Print“ by Bill Essler.

Living in Portland, Oregon going green is at the forefront of just about everything that is done here, business or otherwise. A good friend of mine Mark Lopez is even starting up a Sustainable Catering Association. The Pacific Northwest is known for its GREEN attitude. We have comprehensive recycling programs and are the forerunners in increased consumer lifestyle and sustainablility. Portland even considers itself the actual definition of ecology.

“How Green is Your Process?
Some buyers think sustainable print means adding certification logos. But it’s really about the process.
By Bill Esler, Editor in Chief — Graphic Arts Online, 6/1/2008

One of the nation’s largest and most respected printers told me that designers and buyers are quick to ask for sustainable print production, but balk at the up charge for chain-of-custody certified papers (10% or more), wind power (20% premium) and low-VOC chemistries. While the steps to being certified to apply those little logos (FSC, SFI, PERC) can be modest, maintaining facilities and records requires methodical tracking and improved processes.

…SFI Printers
Chain-of-custody certified print firms under criteria established by the Sustainable Forestry Inititative as of May 26, 2008: www.sfiprogram.org.”

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) has a comprehensive labeling program that includes percent content labels for those who choose to use Chain of Custody (CoC). Certified retailers, printers, publishers, merchants and others are eligible for on-product label use and CoC certification.

Paper is critical to going green in print. Natural Source Printing has a FiberStone Paper that is very interesting. Tree-free, it has a white glistening surface, say printers who’ve used it. And no rocks are injured in production; it’s 80% limestone quarry waste.

One Ton of:	Trees	Waste	Water	Bleach	Stone	Additive	BTU’s
Virgin Pulp	20	Zero	16,000 g	Yes	20-30%	0 %	36,000
Recycled Pulp	4	2 tons	9,000 g	Yes	20-30%	0%	22,000
FiberStone™	Zero	Zero	Zero	Zero	80%	20%	18,000

The chart shows ingredients and resources used to make one ton of virgin or recycled paper and FiberStone Paper.

If you really want to go green with your business you will have to be willing to go that extra mile not only for your business’s definition of sustainable development and definition of ecology, but also with your pocketbook. Even your marketing materials will have to consist of sustainable publishing products. It’s not just a matter of showing your, recycle sign, recycle symbol, or recycle logo. Going green is a state of mind and an attitude of commitment.

late,
Gary Pool

Lunch Ideas | Friends Networking Sharing | Fun Games

Filed Under Networking, Social Networking | 2 Comments

Portland Lunch 2.0 at Cube Space courtesy of Silicon Florist

I had a great time at lunch today. It was called Lunch 2.0. We played networking games like meet someone you don’t know. I met some new friends and networked with some old ones. We shared some job related war stories and tall tales.

The lunch was a great idea. The Portland Lunch 2.0 was a celebration of the 1st anniversary of Rick Turoczy’s metamorphosis into the Silicon Florist.

Lunch 2.0 originated in the valley and now Portland has adopted it. We are actually attending monthly.

I met and shared stories with a few people that are affiliated with stealth startups. I met many new people one was Dave Kresta from davekresta.com. Dave is a marketing expert.

RecycleWorks Award I also talked with an old friend, Mark from Crave Catering Portland, Oregon. Mark has just earned a “RecycleWorks” Award from the City of Portland, Oregon Office of Sustainable Development. Mark is establishing a Sustainable Catering Association.