Geoff Girardin

Linkedin.com is a popular and useful career-based networking site. Many have referred to it as the “professional Facebook”, a term which I agree with. There are no silly applications or games, simply the addition and tracking of friends and colleagues based around your previous work history, resume, and personal skills.

The service as an ability to post ads, either offering work or for hiring purposes. It is much like Facebook Ads, except there are no silly ads for cosplay events or the latest Kanye West album.

I was surprised on November 17 to awake to an email from the company, offering me $100 in advertising credit. The first thing I said to my self was “What is with these companies wanting me to advertise on them?” Any previous readers of my blog know that I was recently given a $50 Facebook Ad coupon from the company, and used that as a sort of social experiment.

I set up a 10-day run of the ad shown below, thinking “Hey, it’s worth a shot. a free shot. I didn’t pay for it. Heck yeah.” So far, the ad has been seen 73049 times and has had 14 click-throughs. 0 emails.

I don’t have “ad-friendly” photos of myself. That sounds creepy. I mean all the ones I have of myself I am making strange faces. It’s in my nature. If you have a camera out around me I will try to get in every photo taken and I will try to make a face so strange that it breaks the camera. It’s how I do. So with this ad, my photo use was delightfully rectangle squeezed into a square box, causing the sad view you see there.

And then I remember that it was free.