Sending Mass Emails BCC In Linkedin

There are many mistakes to be made with Linkedin but one of my pet hates would be strangers asking for recommendations from people they don't know, have made no effort to connect with in a human way and with whom they've never worked!

Linkedin Is For Professional Recommendations For People Whose Work You Know

If you get a request like that - that's a good reason to cut them off your contact list.

Strangers do not have experience of working with someone. Therefor they have nothing to recommend.

Writing recommendations that are not valid diminishes you and your reputation. It renders every real recommendation you make suspect.

And it erodes the value of Linkedin as a source of reliable information.

Bad Habits On Linkedin - Mistaking Connections For Spam Targets

Likewise, if you are being sent spam from anyone on your contact list. It is particularly irksome when it is from someone trying to sell you a service which YOU ALSO OFFER!

What that tells me when I get this kind of spam from marketing and social media people is

1. They don't target their messages to be relevant and respectful to the receiver
2. They fail to understand the most basic aspect of what social media and online marketing is  
3. They do not conduct themselves in a professional manner and 
4. They don't care! 

They are also likely to be the people who will connect on Linkedin and think that means it is okay to put you on their mailing list without permission!!

How To Send Messages To A Lot Of People At Once On Linkedin - The Right Way

The next issue may be partly Linkedin's fault.  Once upon a time you could send messages to several people as a BCC (blind copy).  That option is not available now in the Inbox section. You need to send emails to multiple people now via the Connections window.  What's good about that is you can target your message to go to groups of people for whom the message is relevant (say a local event which they may have an interest in. NOT just an event that you have an interest in them attending!).

Before you send any mass mailing on Linkedin ask yourself -  is this message of value to the recipient and can it undermine my connection with this person if I send this? 

Sending Messages From The Inbox - Keep It To Just One Person Or Intros
Sending to multiple people from a message you create from your inbox means that all on the list have their contact details exposed. That looks bad and is not something that people want or expect to happen. It's not professional conduct and has no redeeming value. Don't do it.

The time you might do it is if you are introducing two contacts, one to the other. In that case, it makes sense. It will never make sense to send a mass mailing that way!

So how do you send a clean message to a group of people on Linkedin? This video shows you how.

Remember UNCHECK the box that allows everyone to see the contact details! 

Linkedin, like most social media platforms changes the way that functions operate from time to time. If what you've been able to do in the past (like send bcc from your inbox) suddenly changes, there is a good chance that the function will still be available but a different way or from a different angle.

Consider this the internet's way of keeping our mind agile and learning new things!

The quality of Linkedin as a professional network is a reflection of the actions of the users. Do be a good Linkedin connection for your people. Not a pest.

Related post:

Why you should join Linkedin and what to do next

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