I think we're talking past each other here. There are many programmers that I could connect to on linkedin but there is no value that linkedin is adding since I also can get in touch with them through email and through friends or friends of friends that I know from other settings like meetups and conferences. The fact that I can do this and that it doesn't even require that much effort means there is some kind of disconnect between how you see linkedin and how I see it.
To me linkedin is just another digital silo capitalizing on the fact that it is de facto middle man between professionals because of network effects. Defending their actions in my opinion is also a very weak position to hold when even someone like me that tends to be on the anti-social side of spectrum has managed to build up a network of professional friends without linkedin's help.
To me linkedin is just another digital silo capitalizing on the fact that it is de facto middle man between professionals because of network effects. Defending their actions in my opinion is also a very weak position to hold when even someone like me that tends to be on the anti-social side of spectrum has managed to build up a network of professional friends without linkedin's help.