October 13, 2015
LinkedIn is making major changes to LinkedIn Groups. The notice arrived a few days ago.
These changes mean different things to different people. In this post, I will detail how these changes affect regular Group members and current Open & Member’s Only Group administrators.
If you are a typical Group Member, the changes to Groups will affect you in a number of ways:
As the admin of formerly Open Group, your Group discussions could be seen on the web and shared on other social networking platforms. You had quite a bit of control over who joined and what posts got published. Here’s what you can expect with the new changes:
As the admin of a Member’s Only Group, group discussions were private and people could find your group within Group Search but you had control over who you let in. Here’s how the changes will affect your group:
As an admin of a Member’s Only Group– I will admit, I am NOT looking forward to these changes. I want my Group to turn up in search results BUT I want control over who may join. I think it’s great that Standard Groups allow members to invite their first degree connections to join the Group. However, I don’t like that any member can approve membership. I also am absolutely fearful over the immediate posting of discussions. Does this mean I am going to constantly be on the look out for inappropriate conversations? Yes, members can take down discussions but will they take on a true administrative function like removing off topic posts? I doubt it.
There has been an issue with Groups for quite some time. Spam was rampant and discussions seemed more self serving than engaging. These changes are aimed at fixing these issues but will it produce other issues?  Only time will tell.
This article was originally posted on LinkedIn’s Publishing Platform
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Thank you for posting this. I think the changes are terrible. I kept my groups private to avoid having them be nothing but forums for people who want to promote. I don’t think I will open my groups to all … though looks like Linkedin gives you no other choice.
Lousy move. No wonder the company is flailing.
I DO NOT LIKE the new LinkedIn. Much good functionality has disappeared (once again). And the Group I facilitate/manage has had no new requests to join since the changes on October 13. The list usually has 2 or 3 requests per day. And promotions get thrown into discussions. Plain stupid design.
My first impression is that this takes away almost all of the control of the owner (me) and let’s LInkedIn decide what is important for group members to see, how they are accepted into the group, etc. Whatever happened to market driven control? If members don’t like the group and the owner/manager(s) don’t do their job, the group disappears….problem solved.
It’s almost a given that you will see a requirement to “buy” discussions on groups if you want anyone to ever see them, in the near future.
I feel that it’s LinkedIn’s way of stripping salespeople of the functionality they used to bypass LinkedIn premium subscription. Many salespeople started Groups as a way to find prospects. It was important for them to have a level of control to keep competition out… and these changes remove that control. I am still keeping an open mind about it.
Why could I find an unlisted group on a google search? Thanks!
Could it be that it’s not really unlisted? Otherwise, no clue. I’d message LinkedIn Tech Support on that one.
I am the owner (I would say self-appointed trustee) of a group of current AND past employees of a company. I have a strong dislike for these changes, I wonder what Linkedin staff have in mind. I find totally unacceptable that the existence of the group is now hidden. I also cannot accept a totally open group with no control whatsoever over membership. I am starting to think the group, now with over 1,200 members, must move somewhere else.
Hi Donna, I was a moderator for the above group on linkedin and build the membership to dovetail with our database of rugby alums, then on 10/30 it vanished. The other mod nor owner knows what happened and tech support has not helped. Then another site appeared (similar name) with only 30 members showed up and the members I connected on it don’t remember being invited. Any idea what happened or how to find out?
Many people and companies are becoming each time more disappointed with Linkedin moves. It doesn´t make sense at all and regarding Groups, as a member I want to decide myself which conversations are relevant for me and as an administrator of a Group I want to have the control. Networking means people in touch because personal or professional common interests and this relationship has to be decided by individuals and not by Linkedin. I truly believe that Linkedin is losing its point and while there are more fora and social and professional networks they should take more care of the changes they do.
I am disappointed that my State Bar of Michigan Paralegal Section Membership can no longer be viewed on my LinkedIn page. I am not interested in advertising or inviting others to join a group that I do not own. It is quite disappointing, because this designation is shown on the pages of other LinkedIn members, but my hard work goes unnoticed. I was granted membership to the SBM by the State Bar which delegated me, rightfully, to the Paralegal Section. I do not understand how a LinkedIn group promoting itself as the SBM Paralegal Section can decide that my membership in this section should be hidden. Please explain how a group that did not grant my membership can prevent this designation from showing on my professional page?
Donna –
This is a great overview of the changes and functions of the LinkedIn groups.
I have been away from LinkedIn for a while and found your overview very helpful.
My question:
Since group conversations and comments are visible to group members only, how can I judge the value of a group. I joined one group, only to find that there not been any new posts for a year.
TY
Steven
^^ – Steven again – from previous question – ^^
Plus, for the groups that I have not joined yet, I can only see the members that I have l ready connected with. Thais also makes the decision process to join a group difficult one.
Donna,
As an extensive LinkedIn user and Group Admin, this was extremely informative, so thank you!
And I agree with the others, that these changes are going to be a pain to get new members to join. Especially because, for the past 10+ years, I have run a recruiting firm placing individuals who are most likely employed, and I’ve used LinkedIn to allow my clients and candidates to get a better understanding of who I am and what I do, so they feel comfortable discussing their career changes with me. And when I created my group, my focus was to give the people I spoke with another avenue to keep in touch, and remain confidential so they were not at risk of losing their current job.
But now that these changes have occurred, I have a question for you: Because my group has been around for 5 years, I don’t know every member in the group, and because our only option for adding members is to personally invite people, I’d like to know if you know of a quick and easy way to invite my connections? And make sure I am not inviting someone that is already a member?