Welcome to this weeks digest of all things LinkedIn. Today I want to address and issue which has always been a tricky question for LinkedIn users to answer…Should you connect to competitors? More of that later but first….. Interesting Stuff I Saw This Week <ul> <li>LinkedIn Member number exceeds 645 million</li> <li><a href= "https://threatpost.com/iran-apt34-linkedin-malware/146575/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iran-Linked APT34 Invites Victims to LinkedIn for Fresh Malware Infections</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/profinder/blog/open-for-business" target= "_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Help clients discover your services with a new feature on LinkedIn</a></li> </ul> For the full show notes go to https://linkedinformed.com/episode256/Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.

Welcome to this weeks digest of all things LinkedIn. Today I want to address and issue which has always been a tricky question for LinkedIn users to answer…Should you connect to competitors? More of that later but first….. Interesting Stuff I Saw This Week LinkedIn Member number exceeds 645 million Iran-Linked APT34 Invites Victims to LinkedIn for Fresh Malware Infections Help clients discover your services with a new feature on LinkedIn For the full show notes go to https://linkedinformed.com/episode256/ Mentioned in this episode: This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.

Welcome to this weeks digest of all things LinkedIn. Today I want to address and issue which has always been a tricky question for LinkedIn users to answer…Should you connect to competitors? More of that later but first….. Interesting Stuff I Saw This Week <ul> <li>LinkedIn Member number exceeds 645 million</li> <li><a href="https://threatpost.com/iran-apt34-linkedin-malware/146575/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iran-Linked APT34 Invites Victims to LinkedIn for Fresh Malware Infections</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/profinder/blog/open-for-business" rel="noopener noreferrer">Help clients discover your services with a new feature on LinkedIn</a></li> </ul> For the full show notes go to&nbsp;https://linkedinformed.com/episode256/Mentioned in this episode:This show was created by the original host of the show, Mark Williams.

Should You Connect With Competitors?

"Informed" is for you if you'd like to understand more about how LinkedIn works so that you can be an effective user of the platform. 

It's hard to know whom to believe with so many self-appointed gurus out there telling you the latest hacks for going viral and earning 7-figure deals. And even LinkedIn's own publications often don't speak to the reality of using the platform.

But for those who see past superficial promises and sanitised reports, this podcast provides evidence and thoughtful opinion. With a track record of more than 10 years of sensible, no-nonsense advice about honest best practice for LinkedIn, Informed is a trusted source of insight by many thousands of regular listeners. 

The show was created by Mark Williams, who's affectionately known as "Mr LinkedIn". Mark retired in late 2025 and handed over the reins of the show to John Espirian, the relentlessly helpful® LinkedIn nerd. John is a LinkedIn trainer and consultant, the founder of the Espresso+ community, the creator of the UpLift Live conference (the UK's original event dedicated to LinkedIn best practice), and the author of the personal branding handbook Content DNA.

John's reputation is for getting to the point and for not being a salesy douche canoe, so you can expect short, sharp episodes with zero ads or sponsored slots. This also is NOT an interview show, so if you've read this far then please don't pitch yourself for a guest appearance. However, you're welcome to get in touch if you have a LinkedIn question you'd like John to cover on the show. (To do that, search for the "Informed podcast" company page on LinkedIn and send a message.)
 
This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the LinkedIn® corporation. John Espirian is an independent trainer and does not work for LinkedIn® – while it would be great to have LinkedIn's endorsement, the show's independence from the corporation means you, the listener, are never fed an airbrushed political spiel.

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"Informed" is for you if you'd like to understand more about how LinkedIn works so that you can be an effective user of the platform. It's hard to know whom to believe with so many self-appointed gurus out there telling you the latest hacks for going viral and earning 7-figure deals. And even LinkedIn's own publications often don't speak to the reality of using the platform. But for those who see past superficial promises and sanitised reports, this podcast provides evidence and thoughtful opinion. With a track record of more than 10 years of sensible, no-nonsense advice about honest best practice for LinkedIn, Informed is a trusted source of insight by many thousands of regular listeners. The show was created by Mark Williams, who's affectionately known as "Mr LinkedIn". Mark retired in late 2025 and handed over the reins of the show to John Espirian, the relentlessly helpful® LinkedIn nerd. John is a LinkedIn trainer and consultant, the founder of the Espresso+ community, the creator of the UpLift Live conference (the UK's original event dedicated to LinkedIn best practice), and the author of the personal branding handbook Content DNA. John's reputation is for getting to the point and for not being a salesy douche canoe, so you can expect short, sharp episodes with zero ads or sponsored slots. This also is NOT an interview show, so if you've read this far then please don't pitch yourself for a guest appearance. However, you're welcome to get in touch if you have a LinkedIn question you'd like John to cover on the show. (To do that, search for the "Informed podcast" company page on LinkedIn and send a message.) This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the LinkedIn® corporation. John Espirian is an independent trainer and does not work for LinkedIn® – while it would be great to have LinkedIn's endorsement, the show's independence from the corporation means you, the listener, are never fed an airbrushed political spiel.

"Informed" is for you if you'd like to understand more about how LinkedIn works so that you can be an effective user of the platform. 

It's hard to know whom to believe with so many self-appointed gurus out there telling you the latest hacks for going viral and earning 7-figure deals. And even LinkedIn's own publications often don't speak to the reality of using the platform.

But for those who see past superficial promises and sanitised reports, this podcast provides evidence and thoughtful opinion. With a track record of more than 10 years of sensible, no-nonsense advice about honest best practice for LinkedIn, Informed is a trusted source of insight by many thousands of regular listeners. 

The show was created by Mark Williams, who's affectionately known as "Mr LinkedIn". Mark retired in late 2025 and handed over the reins of the show to John Espirian, the relentlessly helpful® LinkedIn nerd. John is a LinkedIn trainer and consultant, the founder of the Espresso+ community, the creator of the UpLift Live conference (the UK's original event dedicated to LinkedIn best practice), and the author of the personal branding handbook Content&nbsp;DNA.

John's reputation is for getting to the point and for not being a salesy douche canoe, so you can expect short, sharp episodes with zero ads or sponsored slots. This also is NOT an interview show, so if you've read this far then please don't pitch yourself for a guest appearance. However, you're welcome to get in touch if you have a LinkedIn question you'd like John to cover on the show. (To do that, search for the "Informed podcast" company page on LinkedIn and send a message.)
 
This podcast is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the LinkedIn® corporation. John Espirian is an independent trainer and does not work for LinkedIn® – while it would be great to have LinkedIn's endorsement, the show's independence from the corporation means you, the listener, are never fed an airbrushed political spiel.

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