The LinkedIn Game

screen cap of LinkedIn "recommend your colleagues" screen

  1. Go to that LinkedIn “recommend your colleagues” screen.
  2. Even though it’s got big, pretty pix of your colleagues, try to ignore their faces, and their names, only look at the 4 “skills” it presents, and pick whichever one you think is the coolest. In this case I think Content Strategy, Teaching English, and Instructional Design are all pretty cool (as opposed to the moronic ones where LinkedIn asks you if this person knows how to use MS Office or Facebook) but I think Serious Games is the coolest, so I’ll click that one.

  3. No matter what the other 3 are, if you think those peeps are pros in them, or what new one comes up to replace your click, ignore them and click “View More” to have LinkedIn (the “house”) show (“deal”) you a new set of profiles (“cards”)

  4. Repeat till bored.

Some might say that this is perverting the platform, but I’m sure you already know that, like Facebook, LinkedIn is an MMORPG, so I won’t even bother addressing that issue. And as a side benefit you’re bending the platform and the peeps toward activities you value. Cause really, more “Serious Games” and less “Expert in Microsoft Word” has got to be a good thing.