One important question that I get at my LinkedIn training sessions is whether other people can see if I have visited their profile. The answer is, yes…if you don’t have your settings properly set. Unlike Facebook, Linkedin profile visits are not completely anonymous by default. The user has the option to toggle between three privacy settings–
Full information — shows your name and headline
Semi-Anonymous — shows name of your organization
Anonymous — completely private mode (I have this option chosen)
Personally, I don’t think the semi-anonymous feature works that well and LinkedIn should consider removing it completely.
Here’s why?
If a person (say Jim) that I am not connected to visits my profile and I also have a 1st degree connection (say Mary) in the same organization Jim is from, the human mind tends to think Mary has viewed my profile even though she didn’t. Hence, defeating the purpose of the semi-private mode and creating a false impression.
To avoid ambiguity and maintain your privacy, it’s best to go with the fully autonomous mode.
