I can just picture it now – the production meeting where the already rich guys behind Linkedin figure out exactly how much more money they are going to make. One eager employee stands up with a PowerPoint presentation with the following charts.

1. How many people sign up for internet subscriptions and will forget about it.
2. How many people will give up if you make it hard for them to cancel their subscription
3. How much money they will make from the % of people who sign up who fall into the above category.
4. How many cars you can buy with all that money.

I, obviously, am a disgruntled customer who has tried and failed on several occasions to cancel my Linkedin account. I filled in the online customer form several times. The clever guys at Linkedin made it so that you cant contact them directly so you have no record of any disputes. “What email? We never got that one?” they will ask when you argue with them.

Now Mastercard informs me I am $200 poorer and Linkedin are $200 richer for a service which I only wanted to send one bloody email from and tried to cancel 3 times.

Well, I have a statistic for all the other disgruntled customers out there like me.

If 1% of Linkedin’s credit card transactions are disputed by their customers, Visa and Mastercard will close their account and will suspend Linkedin’s ability to take money from any credit cards for a very long time.

If you, like me, have been ripped off and ignored by Linkedin the please ensure you notify your credit card company and dispute your payment.

Assholes.

tomv – I would disagree that Facebook is for high school students, especially given the history of the site. I would agree, however, that it is a little ridiculous to constantly have stuff like, “Monica scored 86% on the How New Jersey are You? Test!” Really? Am I supposed to care? Those tests, though, do show you just how little some people actually have to do in a day!

Rochelle V. – Nice little website you’ve got there – good luck with the redesign! I had a bunch of connections on my LinkedIn account, but I didn’t see the overall purpose of the website for someone in my profession (a nonprofit financial services organization). I do think, however, that I made the best, most strategic decision for me, my current profession, and my growing small business.

Thanks for the comments, guys!

LinkedIn is still more of a professional, business oriented social network so for many, it’s a natural, easier place to enter the Socialmediasphere. Especially if it’s their first one.

I love this article about LinkedIn versus Facebook from the Digital Marketer, of the Quick and Dirty Tips network: http://bit.ly/OiHqy

When it comes to LinkedIn be open to its possibilities and in the end, make the best, most strategic decision for you and your business.