Image by Jerry Luk
I’ve recently received a few emails from people who want to connect via LinkedIn. These aren’t emails to my existing LinkedIn account – they are sent to one of my other email addresses. The email invites me to join LinkedIn as a new user.
I can forgive LinkedIn for not knowing that I have other email addresses, especially as I don’t want to add them all to my account (I have more than 50 addresses).
However, the invitation email has a couple of things I’m not happy with.
- There is no way to opt out from the email. So whether or not I already use LinkedIn, I have no way of clicking a link to remove my email from future communications. I can only confirm that I know the person – there’s no way to ignore the request.
- Ignoring the email doesn’t make it go away. For every invitation, I get at least two messages. Firstly, I receive the original invitation; secondly, I receive a reminder if I ignore the first email. There’s no way to opt out from either of the emails, so all I can do is ignore them.
As these invitations were sent through LinkedIn by people who know me, I think it would be wrong to accuse LinkedIn of spamming. However, I think the “reminder” email is one step too far. Especially when you consider that neither of the two emails has a link to opt out, or any information on what to do if you don’t want to join LinkedIn – or if you already have an account.
There are ways to contact LinkedIn via the email address shown on their privacy policy. I’m sure I can ask to be removed via this mailbox, but it’s hardly the most user friendly approach.
What do you think? Have you had any of these emails? Do you think this is a violation of the CAN-SPAM Act?
About Ben
Glad I’m not the only one who feels like this! If they only spammed me the once, I could probably forgive and ignore the fact there is no opt out, but the fact they will repeatedly ‘remind’ you, or as I call it what it is, repeatedly spam you I have no interest in joining such a network that has such unprofessional standards when it comes to soliciting new members.
To me this just makes linked.in look like a spamming list gathering service where people are more interested in raw numbers than making useful contacts and I will not have a good word to say about them until this practice stops!
Hi Rupert,
Thanks for the comment – good to see a comment on this post.
It’s easy enough to opt-out of emails as a member, which I am, but it’s the non-member emails that I find so frustrating. It’s a request from someone who knows me and has my email address, but they probably invited their entire address book, so it’s not as personal as it sounds. I wish I could just block future messages from LinkedIn on one of my email addresses…
I am not a member of LinkedIn, and probably never will be. I am just friggin’ tired of getting invite emails. And it is not just one or two, they keep coming once someone invites you. Each of those emails should come with an opt out link, and the choice of permanently opting out an address.
Hi Solar – thanks for the comment.
I agree that there should be an opt-out link that allows you to remove an email address from ever being invited in the future. That is exactly what is needed here.
I hate these emails. They just won’t stop. LinkedIn also ignores you if you email them about it. They just never stop! I have received 10 about the same person in the last week or so. LinkedIn should grow a brain and stop spamming everyone.
Hi Matt – thanks for the comment.
Interesting to hear that they don’t reply to emails about this. Maybe we have to tell the people sending the requests to stop? Although that wouldn’t help with other people who may do the same in the future.
“Maybe we have to tell the people sending the requests to stop?”
Well that’s all well and good, but I only ever get requests from people who I don’t know. I don’t use LinkedIn and do not intend to. I do have a popular blog and it’s probably from there that people get my email address and invite me to LinkedIn. LinkedIn need an opt-out of all communication list because I’m in effect just getting spammed by them.
Hi Chris – thanks for the comment.
That’s a fair point. Opt-out is definitely needed.
I dont know much about LinkedIn but someone sent an invite to our generic work email at work that I recieve in my inbox. I just got the second reminder. Are there more than just the two reminders? We aren’t even using LinkedIn and I have no idea how this person got the email address.
Hi Laila – thanks for the comment.
I think there’s only two reminders, but there may be three. I’m sure I haven’t seen more than three, though. But even when the notifications stop, someone could invite you again – maybe even the person who invited you before. I’m not sure if there’s anything stopping them from inviting you again.
I’m not a member of Linkedin, but continue to receive invitations from people I’ve never heard of. This time around, I decided to email a complaint to the Linkedin folks. If I get no response and the annoy-o-grams continue, I intend to contact the Attorneys General in California and my home state. I’ve had success with this approach in the past.
Hi Al – thanks for the comment.
I’d be interested to know how you get on. I’m curious to see if LinkedIn would change the policy across the board, or if they’d simply prevent your email address from being invited.