LinkedIn now lets you block other members
The social network delivers the long-requested feature, which lets users do away with unwanted attention from other members.
LinkedIn announced on Friday welcome news for anyone who's ever been spammed on the social network: member blocking.
The feature has long been requested, especially on a social network full of members eager to make professional connections -- who might cross the bounds of accepted etiquette to do so. "We built this feature not only because it was a feature our members requested but because we also knew it was the right thing to do," said Paul Rockwell, who heads up the Trust & Safety unit at LinkedIn.
To block a member, head to that person's LinkedIn profile and select the "Block or report" option from the drop-down menu next to the "Connect" and "Send InMail" buttons. But before you head to that person's profile, the company suggests, turn on the anonymous profile-viewing feature, which lets you see other members' LinkedIn pages without them knowing it.
Blocking a member will disallow both of you from seeing each other's profile, and if you're connected, that connection automatically breaks. You also won't be able to message each other, and all endorsements and recommendations will be removed. The blocked person will not be notified that they've been shunned, and you can block up to 50 members at a time.
LinkedIn warns, however, that all public information still remains viewable -- such as the information of your public profile, and any comments you might have made in a public group. If you change your mind, you can also unblock a person, but you won't be able to block them again for another 48 hours.