LinkedIn Purges Inactive Accounts for Accurate Connection and Follower Metrics

LinkedIn Purges Inactive Accounts for Accurate Connection and Follower Metrics

LinkedIn is planning to remove “hibernated” and “restricted” accounts from connection and follower counts to provide users with more reliable engagement and reach insights.

New Help Documentation

LinkedIn has released its Restricted and Hibernated Account Filtering Help documentation to provide further clarification. According to LinkedIn, “The connection and follower counts on LinkedIn should represent real, active professionals who can be valuable connections for members. It’s important to accurately report these counts for our members.”

The LinkedIn Notification

The professional networking platform is notifying users of the change. This notice explains that the user connection and follower count may change as a result of the company’s efforts to provide more accurate numbers.

The Impact

Factors affecting the impact on counts include account age, number of connections and followers, and places where members have worked or studied. Users with a large number of connections and followers may see a more significant change in their counts, but this update ultimately aims to give more accurate insights into the user’s network.

Account Types Explained

Hibernated accounts are those where a member has deactivated their account for a certain period of time, while restricted accounts are those where a member has violated either LinkedIn’s Professional Community Policies or its User Agreement. By filtering these types of accounts, LinkedIn can offer a more accurate representation of users’ active connections and followers.

Re-inclusion of Restricted or Hibernated Accounts

If hibernated or restricted accounts become active and comply with LinkedIn’s policies, they will be re-included in the connection and follower counts. However, limitations exist for members who have reached the 30,000 connection limit; they may experience a decrease in connection count but will be unable to add new connections.

Why We Care

Filtering out inactive accounts can enable users to connect with active professionals, improve engagement, and increase visibility. By providing a more accurate representation of a user’s network, LinkedIn aims to offer better networking opportunities and create a more valuable experience on the platform.