Welcome to Linkedlies: The Forum Revolution for Corporate Culture Survivors

[CareerCynic]

I've been navigating the digital landscape long before social media became the behemoth it is today. From the early days of Compuserve's "SIGs" (special interest groups) in the 90s to traditional forums and social media groups on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok, I've seen it all.

Forums, without a doubt, are the superior platform for special interest groups. Let's face it: Facebook is great for sharing your latest food pics and keeping in touch with friends and family(especially if you live overseas). Instagram is perfect for maintaining appearances and showcasing your latest trip to the Bahamas or flaunting your gym achievements. Twitter has become the go-to place for airing grievances and engaging in public debates. Reddit has attempted to centralize, control, and censor forums, but this backfired miserably after the 2023 Reddit API Controversy. Reddit's attempt to raise prices on their API and shut down protests by subreddits only led to a significant backlash, including flooding the platform with John Oliver pictures as a form of protest. Lastly, TikTok has become a platform where the younger generation gets lost in a loop of 30-second videos, chasing that next dopamine hit.

But when it comes to serious, organized discussions and valuable content, forums reign supreme. Unlike the fleeting and often superficial interactions on social media, forums provide a structured environment where in-depth conversations can thrive. They offer a space where you can dive deep into topics, share detailed insights, and build a community around shared interests and experiences with like-minded individuals who seek more meaningful engagement.

Why Forums Like Linkedlies Are Making a Strong Comeback

1. Organization and Archiving: Forums offer a much better-organized, archived, and curated experience. Information is far easier to find and access in a forum format. At Linkedlies, we provide a user-friendly interface that makes posting text and other media a breeze.

2. Independence from Big Tech: Big Tech has overstepped its bounds. Platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram are rife with overbearing censorship, arbitrary rules, bots, and influencers trying to sell you their latest "digital marketing" courses or increase their followers. For instance, I was kicked off a LinkedIn group dedicated to job-seeking advice for posting a thoughtful critique about how many tech recruiters prioritize candidates with excellent soft skills over those who are brilliant programmers but lack social skills. Apparently, the admin found this perspective "too negative" for their upbeat group. Despite there being no explicit rule against such discussions, I was swiftly removed. Shortly afterward, I received an email from LinkedIn saying that they had to temporarily restrict my account due to "unusual activity." I suspect the admins of the group I was kicked out of abused the report as spam to flag me in the Linkedin system, exploiting a flaw in their reporting system, due to it probably relying on automation most of the time, rather than a human. This kind of overreach and the arrogance of admins acting as "gatekeepers" is becoming all too common.

People are tired of these "big tech overlords" monitoring their every move and stifling meaningful conversations. Forums, like Linkedlies, are independently owned and run, free from the prying eyes of bots and arbitrary censorship. Here, you can engage in open and honest discussions without the fear of being silenced for challenging the status quo or bringing up uncomfortable truths.

3. Community and Special Interests: Facebook's decline, especially in special interest groups, and LinkedIn's shallowness and hypocrisy spread by their gurus and influencers, are a boon for forums like ours. People are beginning to wake up to the flaws of these centralized platforms. We were better than Reddit, Facebook, and LinkedIn in the past, and we're still better now. Forums provide a space where you can truly connect with like-minded individuals without the noise and distractions of social media.

Why You Should Join Linkedlies?

If you're tired of the shallow, toxic corporate culture promoted by shallow career gurus, who only worry about growing their followers on platforms like LinkedIn and self-promoting their "latest course" for you to buy, then, Linkedlies is your refuge. Here, you can share your struggles, seek advice, and find tips on how to survive and thrive in the corporate big tech world. Our forum is designed to foster genuine connections and meaningful discussions, free from the superficiality and censorship of social media. Additionally, you don't have to use your real name, reducing the risk of burning bridges or overly exposing yourself.

I also like to use the analogy of how some people would rather buy from local small stores to support the economy of their towns instead of buying from big international corporations that will probably use most of the profits gained in that region elsewhere. The logic is pretty much the same with forums vs social media. When you opt to join a forum and create content on it instead of creating a post on social media you are helping to give the power back to more localized communities and decentralize it from big conglomerates.

Join Linkedlies today and be part of a growing movement to decentralize the internet and help bring forums back to their rightful place as the best platform for special interest groups. Together, we can create a supportive community that helps each other navigate the complexities of the corporate world.