Company Forces Employee to Delete LinkedIn Profile

I received a disturbing email from a friend of mine. I have changed the message and obscured any personal or employer reference for obvious reasons.

Due to the recent FINRA (the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc) ruling (see below) I will have to take down my LinkedIn profile. The finance industry is so far behind the curve on social media communications it may be a while before my profile is back. In the meantime, feel free to contact me via e-mail or on Facebook (while I can still use it!).

The FINRA has released it’s first member firm communication relative to regulatory treatment of social media communications. Regulatory Notice 10-06, emphasized that all broker-dealer business communications taking place through social networking Web sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and LinkedIn are indeed official communications with the public and are subject to all corresponding FINRA supervisory requirements. This Regulatory Notice confirmed that a profile page on LinkedIn is considered an individual registered representative web site

The FINRA does not make the rules. They provide guidance and the individual firms have to create rules based on those recommendations. There’s a lot of room for interpretation. It turns out that while some firms allow for individual representative websites some do not. My friend’s firm obviously does not. I asked another friend in the financial industry on their thoughts (also changed and held anonymously).

My opinion is simple, if you don’t have confidence in the people you hire to deliver the message and give people appropriate information whether on or off the clock then you have hired the wrong people. Our job is rather simple, but most advisers are too lazy to stay well read because all they see is money(commissions) thus it’s easier for companies to just control what their employee’s say.

I have read through the 10-06 document and can’t find any specific recommendations for Facebook vs. LinkedIn. I can only assume that my friends firm determined that LinkedIn is a more professional network and Facebook is more personal. It will be interesting to see how they react as our personal/professional lives continue to converge.

Ars Technica has a good post explaining more details on FINRA 10-06: Brokers must think twice before tweeting, Facebooking

The new guidelines have two broad effects on the way financial firms use social media. First, the new rules attempt to take the traditional distinction between marketing a brand and hawking specific investment products, and to enforce it in online venues that sport a constantly evolving slate of features and functionality, and where the lines between the personal and the professional—or, the personal and the promotional—aren’t always clear.

I think it’s going to be really important to watch, especially as other regulated industries have yet to make up their minds. I’m afraid we’re beginning to see a general backlash against social media by companies unsure what to do with it.

Continue reading here: How important is ejuice choice to your lifestyle?

Was this article helpful?

0 0

Readers' Questions

  • ellan
    How to delete people on linkedin?
    17 days ago
  • To delete connections or remove people from your LinkedIn network, you can follow these steps:
    1. Log in to your LinkedIn account.
    2. Go to your profile by clicking on your profile picture or by selecting "Profile" from the top navigation menu.
    3. From your profile page, click on the "My Network" option in the top navigation menu.
    4. On the left side of the My Network page, you'll see the "Connections" tab. Click on it.
    5. Here, you will see a list of all your connections. Find the person you want to delete and click on the three-dot icon (more options) next to their name.
    6. From the drop-down menu, select "Remove connection."
    7. A confirmation window will appear, asking if you are sure to remove that person as a connection. Click on "Remove" to confirm.
    8. The person will be removed from your LinkedIn connections, and they will be notified of the removal.
    9. Remember, removing someone from your LinkedIn connections will also remove any endorsements and recommendations you have given or received from them. Additionally, they will no longer be able to view your non-public profile information or message you on LinkedIn.
    • reece williamson
      How do you delete a connection on linkedin?
      1 month ago
    • To remove a connection on LinkedIn, follow these steps:
      1. Log in to your LinkedIn account.
      2. Go to the "My Network" tab on the top navigation bar.
      3. On the left-hand side, click on the "Connections" section.
      4. You will see a list of your connections. Locate the person you want to remove.
      5. To the right of their name, there will be three dots. Click on the dots to access a dropdown menu.
      6. In the dropdown menu, select "Remove connection."
      7. A confirmation message will appear asking if you want to remove the connection. Click on "Remove."
      8. The connection will now be removed from your network.
      • Daniel Rall
        Can you delete a post on linkedin?
        1 month ago
      • Yes, you can delete a post on LinkedIn. Here's how to do it:
        1. Log in to your LinkedIn account.
        2. Locate the post that you want to delete on your feed or profile page.
        3. Click on the three dots (more) icon in the top right corner of the post.
        4. From the dropdown menu, select "Delete."
        5. LinkedIn will ask for a confirmation to delete the post. Click "Delete" again to confirm.
        6. Once deleted, the post will be permanently removed from LinkedIn and will no longer be visible to others.
        7. Please note that you can only delete posts that you have created.
        • sandra
          How to delete media on linkedin?
          3 months ago
        • To delete media on LinkedIn, please follow these steps:
          1. Log in to your LinkedIn account.
          2. Navigate to your profile by clicking on your profile picture, located at the top right corner of the LinkedIn homepage.
          3. Scroll down to the "Featured" section on your profile, where your media is displayed.
          4. Hover over the media you want to delete, and you will see a pencil icon on the top right corner of the media item.
          5. Click on the pencil icon, and a drop-down menu will appear.
          6. From the drop-down menu, select "Remove from Featured."
          7. A confirmation box will appear asking if you want to remove the media from your profile. Click "Remove" to confirm.
          8. Note: This action will only remove the media from being featured on your profile. It will not delete the actual media file from your LinkedIn account. If you want to completely delete the media file from LinkedIn, you will need to delete it from your device or the source where it was uploaded. Remember to keep any media you want to showcase professionally on your LinkedIn profile to capture the attention of potential employers or connections.
          • tomi
            How to remove an employee from linkedin?
            3 months ago
          • To remove an employee from LinkedIn, you will need to follow these steps:
            1. Sign in to your LinkedIn account.
            2. Go to your company's LinkedIn page by clicking on the "Work" icon in the top right corner of the LinkedIn homepage and selecting "Manage" under "Company Page."
            3. On your company page, click on the "Admin tools" dropdown menu and select "Manage employees" from the options.
            4. You will see a list of all the employees associated with your company's LinkedIn page. Find the employee you want to remove and click on the three dots next to their name.
            5. From the dropdown menu that appears, select "Remove connection" or "Remove as employee," depending on the options available. LinkedIn may ask for confirmation before removing them.
            6. Once confirmed, the employee will no longer be listed as associated with your company's LinkedIn page.
            7. It's important to note that you will need to have the necessary administrative rights or privileges on your company's LinkedIn page to remove an employee from the page. If you do not have the appropriate access, you may need to reach out to your company's LinkedIn page manager or administrator to carry out the task.
            • silke gottschalk
              How to delete a message in linkedin?
              5 months ago
            • To delete a message in LinkedIn, follow these steps:
              1. Open LinkedIn and sign in to your account.
              2. Go to your LinkedIn messaging inbox by clicking on the "Messaging" icon at the top of the page.
              3. Locate the conversation/thread containing the message you want to delete.
              4. Hover over the message you want to delete, and you will see a small ellipsis (three dots) icon appear on the right-hand side of the message.
              5. Click on the ellipsis icon to open a drop-down menu.
              6. From the drop-down menu, select "Delete" or the trash bin icon.
              7. LinkedIn will prompt you to confirm the deletion. Click "Delete" again to confirm.
              8. The selected message will be deleted from the conversation/thread.
              9. Please note that deleting a message will permanently remove it from the conversation for all participants, and it cannot be retrieved once deleted.
              • Leon Drescher
                How to delete a business page on linkedin?
                5 months ago
              • To delete a business page on LinkedIn, follow these steps:
                1. Go to the LinkedIn homepage and sign in to your account.
                2. Click on the "Work" icon located in the top right corner of the page.
                3. From the dropdown menu, click on "Manage" under the "Pages" section. This will take you to the Manage Pages dashboard.
                4. On the Manage Pages dashboard, you will see a list of all the pages you manage. Locate the business page you want to delete and click on the three dots (...) next to it.
                5. From the dropdown menu, select "Edit".
                6. On the Edit page, scroll down to the bottom and click on "Delete your Page" in the left-hand menu.
                7. A confirmation pop-up will appear asking if you are sure you want to delete the page. Read the information provided and click on "Delete" if you're sure.
                8. Another pop-up will appear requesting you to provide the reason for deleting the page. Select an appropriate reason from the dropdown menu and click on "Done".
                9. Your business page will be marked for deletion and will be removed within a few business days.
                10. Note: You need to be a LinkedIn Page administrator to delete a business page.
                • may
                  How to delete a linkedin company page?
                  10 months ago
                  1. Log in to your LinkedIn account. Click the "My Network" icon at the top of the page and then click "Manage."
                  2. Click the "Companies" tab to the right.
                  3. Click the company that you want to delete and then click "Delete" at the top of the page.
                  4. Click "Yes" when prompted to confirm the deletion of the company and all associated content.
                  5. Enter your password and click "Confirm" to complete the deletion.