Good Idea that Needs (a lot of) Polish
LinkedIn is a great concept that is at constant risk of crumbling under its own weight. It's a wide-open network without clear swim lanes for top-level tasks (job seeking, sales, networking, etc.), so it has become a mash-up of everything. I think Microsoft has helped it, a bit (the job seeker / job posting functions seem to have improved), but still, LinkedIn could use an overhaul.
Opportunity promises that overhaul, but falls short of delivery.
The top-level buckets make sense: Sales, Job Seeking, Job Posting, Networking, and even Dating. I applaud the last category because it acknowledges that even in the era of swipe-enabled dating-and-hookup focused apps, most of us spend most of our time working, and finding someone who a) shares your professional interests and b) is clearly open to a potentially romantic relationship is a great thing, by any measure. Plus, the category completely neutralizes the creep factor that so often sneaks in to LinkedIn requests for "networking."
Unfortunately, Opportunity is, at this point, simply overwhelming. The algorithms driving the connections and notifications are not very well tuned, and the filters in the interface leave a lot to be desired. The result is -- for me, anyway -- that Opportunity simply gets drowned out in the noise of daily life. I never had a reasonable opportunity to really see if there was any Opportunity for me (sorry, couldn't resist).
Plus, there is a not-insignificant spam factor to the whole Opportunity ecosystem. The service does little to filter out scammers, spammers, deluded souls, and others that are full of BS and a waste of time.
Hopefully, Opportunity can get its act together. LinkedIn / Microsoft could use some healthy competition. In the meantime, use it, but go in with eyes open and expectations set low.
22. december 2018
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