Long before endorsements were a twinkle in LinkedIn’s eye on the future, members chased Expert status in Answers.
Perhaps it was an incentive to get members to visit the Question and Answer forum; however, a recent discussion in that platform points towards a downside.
Is it time for LinkedIn to dump the Expert status?
Answer Me This
In case you’re not a LinkedIn aficionado, the following is a run-down on Answers.
- Answers is LinkedIn’s forum where members ask questions in various categories
- Any member can respond to the questions asked
- The person asking the question can rate responses as Best and Good
- Best designations earn points of expertise – the more points earned – the higher the responder’s placement on the list of Experts
You access Answers at the top of the LinkedIn Home page at the dropdown menu under More.
If you scroll down the Answers Home page, you’ll see the latest list of Experts.
Expert or Klout?
Early reviews of Klout criticized that the categories of expertise were downright comical. For example, I was christened with an expertise in Food because I use analogies to the Food Network in my posts.
No system is perfect, but the following describes shortcomings of Expert rankings.
- Opinions Count – Depending on the question, your answer can receive a Best designation simply by expressing your opinion, as evidenced by my Best Answer in Web Development – trust me, an expert in that category, I’m not
- Bad Behavior – Like any measurement of social relevance, Expert status spawns bad behavior – what one member in the discussion referred to as shotgun responses – spraying nonsense all over the Q&A forum to gather points
- Arbitrary Rankings – Some members who ask the questions feel compelled to rate the responses, even if a rating is meaningless – as noted in those that express opinions – what makes my opinion superior to yours?
You Be the Judge
I have a problem with platforms that attempt to tell us who the experts are.
- Networking allows you to decide who you think is an expert
- We don’t need designated experts or to be told who to follow or what to read
My vote would be LinkedIn dump the Expert status, make the canned LinkedIn Today optional, and let us get about our own business of networking.
What’s your opinion on LinkedIn Experts?
Sorry, we won’t be publicly rating your response.
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You got me on this one Cathy.
I probably haven’t used LinkedIn for months thanks for explaining how this feature works or I would have been lost.
I guess I need to use it more I just don’t “get” LinkedIn it’s kind of like how I see Facebook these days. What’s the point?
I think these reputation systems like KLOUT, etc. will always eventually get exploited by people who haven’t done anything just so they can appear to be an expert.
I think a system like Angie’s place is much better. But then you have to make sure people aren’t writing reviews for themselves.
Hi Darnell: LinkedIn (like any platform) isn’t a good fit for every business, in my humble opinion. For my business, it is a great resource. As a reader of a blogging tribe I belong to expressed it, Expert is an overused word..
Amen. Thanks for stopping by, Darnell.
You have just explained why I don’t answer those questions!
Now, I can refer to this post when folks ask my why- as I am ON LinkedIn- that I don’t participate in those fora, instead sticking to my groups.
Hi Roy: I can understand that approach, but I have found value in putting questions out there that are outside my niche Groups and I’ve found the responses very helpful. I’ve also found a couple of niche questions that I was able to help on.
Like anything, I suppose, there is both good and bad. I just think eliminating the silly Expert designation would get rid of some of the annoying and the bad. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your view, Roy.
Cathy, I haven’t yet spent much time exploring the various LinkedIn groups, although I’ve joined several.
Overall, I haven’t been very happy with the changes at LinkedIn over the last few months, especially the Endorsements, which feels like a Facebook Like to me.
Hi John: This is not int the Groups forum, but in a separate Q&A area, known as Answers. Groups to me are as good as the owner managing them. Answers is run by LinkedIn, but frankly, they pretty much ignore it.
I’m with you, John, that I have not been too thrilled with LI’s changes, which is why I wrote the post about them losing their identity. I hate when all the platforms resemble one another – kind of like Reality TV. If a formula works, reproduce it over and over again.
Great post, Cathy! You are so right about one of the problems about the Expert status. Another problem is the democratization of the label Experts. It seems like a problem that we have in too many avenues these days where expertise has nothing to do with how much you know, or the kind of things you have done to develop real expertise, but getting people to agree that you are one, much like Stephen Colbert’s prank to expose the problem of Wikipedia where he got people to say that the African elephant population has tripled in the last decade.
Hi Steve: Thanks for the kind words. I love the Steve Colbert example – too prefect. 😀
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
Not that familiar with Experts, but it doesn’t sound like much of an idea. I’d rather hear from people who have experienced what I’m asking about — not necessarily someone spewing regurgitated information.
It’s another Klout moment, as far as I’m concerned, Lori. Carries about the same weight with me.
Thanks for dropping by, Lori.