Andrey Golub

My PUBLIC feed on LinkedIn (Network Updates feature) contains the Events of my contacts- isn't it THEIR privacy violation?

I wander if you already use the new "cool feature" of LinkedIn platform- My Network Updates?

It gives you a possibility to generate a public RSS feed from all your Network Events! Really cool? But take a better look at it- under the Networking Updates, LinkedIn means the updates from your CONTACTS, not YOUR Events!

• It seems to me an absolutely mistaken stuff!
• Usually on Social Networks users have the two different kind of feeds- one about updates FROM ME, to publish it anywhere via RSS (for my friends and for the whole web), and updates FOR ME from my Network, to know what's happening inside my Network and to keep in touch with my network nodes' activities.

here is how my PUBLIC feed looks like- it's all about my life 2.0, for my friends/ contacts:

But here we're talkin about different things- my Network Updates for me!

For example, my Linkedin Network contents is protected/HIDDEN even from my DIRECT contacts, 'coz several my high-level VIP connections have a strong privacy concern! So I decided to hide my Network nodes one from another- I CARE about their privacy! At the same time LinkedIn allows me to publish ON THE WEB a feed containing EVERYTHING that happens INSIDE my network, all stuff about those people that don't want to be even visible to my other direct connections on LinkedIn! Can you believe that? :(

• I think it's something 100% in conflict with the idea of privacy on social networks!
• I am convinced that the Networking Events from my contacts must remain INSIDE the Network: I trust that Network, I put my contacts and personal data there- so I want it to remain there INSIDE!
• I am absolutely favorable to publish MY personal Events on LinkedIn to where I decide since it's MY decision.
  

As it has been implemented by LinkedIn (maybe their Team's missing a Web 2.0/Social Media experts to know the rules of Web 2.0 game?!),  that means for me on example, that ANYONE in my Network will be able to publish ANYWHERE on public Web (via RSS) a feed that will include also MY PERSONAL events on LinkedIn!

Try to generate your Network Updates feed- It will look like (all names censored):

• Mr. X recommends colleague Mr. Y (POSITION) TEXT OF ENDORSEMENT
• Mr. Z has joined GROUP NAME
• Mr. W is now connected to Mr. V (Mr. V'S POSITION)
• Mr. Y is now connected to Mr. S (Mr. S'S POSITION)
• ...
  

isn't it genius? And let's look at it from another side-

• was I asked by MY CONTACTS about a permission to include MY PERSONAL stuff (Events) on Linkedin to THEIR public feeds?!

Or nobody asked me? Or any my LinkedIn contact can just generate a feed in one click and it's done- so the whole Web can see now MY PERSONAL STUFF! That's crazy for sure!

LinkedIn's explanations are (http://www.linkedin.com/rssAdmin?display=):

• The Network Updates feed publishes your personal Network Updates in RSS format 
• my comment is: My "Network Updates" are for me/ personal, but those include the others' stuff and if this can be published to somewhere else... we have... a privacy violation!

• Important note about web-based feed readers: Some web-based feed readers publish your feed URLs on the web, making them available to search engines and everyone else. You should not subscribe to LinkedIn’s Personal feeds with a web-based feed reader unless it guarantees that your feeds are kept private.

• OMG- Are you serious?! is it just enough from the point of view of LinkedIn to say to the people, probably spammers/ abusers, "don't behave bad" and so they all will all become angels?! This makes me smiling, but then crying- will ANYONE in my Network able to publish all that happens WITH ME on LinkedIn to anywhere on the OPEN web, w/o having asked me if I allow to my contacts to do thay?

God blesses LinkedIn and Web 2.0!

• So what sense does it make now to have CLOSED Networks (like Business Networks), if all the stuff then goes published to the OPEN Web by a wish of anyone?

here is the result- in an external Feed Reader (no authorization, etc):

Keywords: RSS, linkedin.com, network updates, personal feed, privacy violation, social networking, social networks, linkedin