LinkedIn is a great place to meet other professionals in your industry, get employed in a top company, and find people who will help you grow your business. That being said, there are people lurking around in the platform that you should not associate with. Blocking people on LinkedIn is not entirely new, and there are occasions that actually call for it. For example, if the person on your connection list falls into one of the categories below, then you should cut ties with them.
The Spammers
Are you receiving lots of marketing messages lately? Chances are, these are sent by spammers. While most of these emails are harmless, others come with malware that could end up risking your private information on LinkedIn. So do away with these spam messages by cutting off its source. Check who sent you the spam and block them from your list immediately. You can even report their profile on LinkedIn to make sure they don’t mess around with anyone ever again. Then proceed with installing good anti-spam software to get rid of the spammy content they sent.
The Hopeless Romantics
LinkedIn is a social network for professionals, employers, and entrepreneurs, not a dating site to find your life partner. So in case you find one of your connections trying to get it on with you (and you don’t like them back), proceed with blocking them from LinkedIn immediately. Again, you can report them to the network’s admin if necessary. In turn, you should avoid looking for dates using the platform. Try other social media networks instead, like Tinder, Bumble, and OKCupid.
The Plain Rude Ones
Social media has helped us connect with more people. Unfortunately, it also enabled many to act rudely as well. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of one of their tirades on LinkedIn, then don’t react in kind. Instead, take a deep breath and walk away by blocking them. Aside from these, you might also want to consider cutting ties with users who tend to cuss a lot in their posts, as well as those who seem to like trolling everyone else.
The Social Justice Warrior
Recent years have seen the rise of social justice warriors (SJWs) on the internet. But despite promoting socially progressive views, most of them are in it to gain personal validation rather than act on a deep-seated conviction. What’s worse, some of them are simply there for the kick of it, using disingenuous arguments just to troll everyone. Unfortunately, LinkedIn has its own share of SJWs, and it’s your job to root them out from your connections list. Of course, that doesn’t mean blocking everyone who posts something socially prograssive. If a user you personally know makes one of these posts, then assess the situation first.
The Fake Representative
Scammers have other ways to phish for information aside from sending spam messages. One of these is by pretending to be a close friend or representative of yours, then contacting people in your connections list. Should you ever experience this problem, then report that fake representative to LinkedIn’s admins immediately. Then proceed to contact your friends and tell them that that representative is not affiliated with you in any way. Afterward, you can change the settings of your connection list to private to prevent future scammers from reaching them out.
The Phony LinkedIn User
Finally, you should do away with fake LinkedIn users. These phony people have become increasingly braver in recent years, causing an epidemic in LinkedIn and other social media platforms. To keep your profile pristine and safe, you need to make sure that none of these lowlifes are included in your connections list. Thankfully, there are easy ways to spot them. For example, if their profile photo seems suspicious, look it up through Google search by image to check if it’s being used elsewhere. Also, you can check their personal info. If what they put there doesn’t add up, then that’s a clear sign you’re dealing with a fake user.
How to Block Someone on LinkedIn
Blocking someone on LinkedIn is a pretty simple and straightforward affair. Just follow the steps below and you’re good to go.
- Visit LinkedIn by either clicking on the app on your mobile device or accessing the website through your computer.
- Click on the profile of the user you want to block, and look for the More button below their profile picture.
- Select the Report/Block option that will appear upon clicking the button.
- Choose “Block [member name]” after the “What do you want to do?” pop-up menu appears.
- Click on Block to proceed, or Go Back to review all your other options.
(Note: You can also send a report first before blocking them).
Block Toxic People From LinkedIn
Encountering toxic people is one of the challenges you’ll constantly face while using LinkedIn (or any other social media network for that matter). So know the type of people you’re dealing with before adding them in your connection list. And cut off the ones who fall under one of the categories above.
