Category: About CID

The Center for Intercultural Dialogue’s LinkedIn group will be discontinued October 15. Daily posts will appear instead on the Center’s LinkedIn page. Please follow that instead.

This summer CID was swamped by nearly 800 requests to join our LinkedIn group, most identified as based in Ethiopia, and most obviously fake accounts. In addition to the sorting process being terribly time-consuming, I’ve been advised that this is probably some sort of scam, likely an attempt to gain access to legitimate members, by pretending to shared interests. In fact, I’ve now been subject to those myself – I was just asked to apply for a job that had nothing in common with any of my areas of expertise. After discussion with several other organizations, it seems the best road forward is to simply post to the Center’s organizational page on LI, which is here, and encourage current and future group members to follow that page. That way you can still see all the posts on the LI platform, if you prefer that to subscribing directly to the website.

If instead you prefer to now switch to the website, just enter your email in the box at the top right of any page if you view the site on a laptop, or just below the current posts if you visit using a phone. You get to choose whether you receive posts daily or weekly. Despite the common misunderstanding that we send out a newsletter, we do not; rather, followers receive regular notices directly from the website.

In order to give everyone time to move from the LI group to the LI page, as previously announced, the group is not being deleted until October 15. But no new members are being admitted between the first announcement in September and then, even the few legitimate ones.

My apologies for the inconvenience of changing how you follow the Center. However, beyond the few minutes spent changing from the group to the page, or to another platform, given that nearly all followers just read the posts and do not offer their own contributions, it seems unlikely to be a huge problem for very many. And the protection from potential spam attacks seems worth the inconvenience.

Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz, Director
Center for Intercultural Dialogue

The Center for Intercultural Dialogue’s LinkedIn group will be discontinued. Daily posts will appear instead on the Center’s LinkedIn page. Please follow that instead.

This summer CID was swamped by nearly 800 requests to join our LinkedIn group, most identified as based in Ethiopia, and most obviously fake accounts. In addition to the sorting process being terribly time-consuming, I’ve been advised that this is probably some sort of scam, likely an attempt to gain access to legitimate members, by pretending to shared interests. After discussion with several other organizations, it seems the best road forward is to simply post to the Center’s organizational page on LI, which is here, and encourage current and future group members to follow that page. That way you can still see all the posts on the LI platform, if you prefer that to subscribing directly to the website.

If instead you prefer to now switch to the website, just enter your email in the box at the top right of any page if you view the site on a laptop, or just below the current posts if you visit using a phone. You get to choose whether you receive posts daily or weekly. Despite the common misunderstanding that we send out a newsletter, we do not; rather, followers receive regular notices directly from the website.

In order to give everyone time to move from the LI group to the LI page, the group will not be deleted until October 15. But no new members will be admitted between now and then.

My apologies for the inconvenience of changing how you follow the Center. However, beyond the few minutes spent changing from the group to the page, or to another platform, given that nearly all followers just read the posts and do not offer their own contributions, it seems unlikely to be a huge problem for very many. And the protection from potential spam attacks seems worth the inconvenience.

Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz, Director
Center for Intercultural Dialogue

Update 9/24: I just checked, and lots of you have already moved to follow the LI page – thanks for the quick response!

The Center for Intercultural Dialogue’s LinkedIn group has suddenly been besieged with dozens of questionable requests for membership each day.

Typically, there are several new member requests to join that group each day. These have been increasing over the last few weeks, until yesterday there were over 50, so something is very odd.

It is not entirely clear what the goal of fake profiles asking to join the group might be. LinkedIn has promised to investigate, but in the meantime I’ve been advised that this is probably some sort of scam, likely an attempt to get information about those who are legitimately part of the LinkedIn group. As a result, I am going to deny new member requests that seem at all questionable. I have also been going back to delete all potentially fake profiles (most of these provide minimal information, which goes against the whole point of a LinkedIn profile).

If you are a real person with an abbreviated profile who wants to be let in to the group over the next month or two, please send a message, stating who you are, why you are interested in joining the group, and providing the URL to your LinkedIn profile. I will then add you to the group manually.

Similarly, if you were added over the past few weeks since this started, but then discover that you have been deleted from the group, you are welcome to send a message asking to be reinstated – just provide the same information – who you are, and why you want to join. My apologies that this is necessary. And more apologies to anyone who I inappropriately deny membership.

Anyone who has had a similar experience with another LinkedIn group is invited to write and tell me what happened in that case. I am very curious about who is trying to attempt what here.

Wendy Leeds-Hurwitz, Director
Center for Intercultural Dialogue

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Update as of August 19: 

Out of 421 requests in 3 weeks, LinkedIn deleted 117 as fake accounts, but they move slowly. Today I got impatient, and went through those remaining. I approved 26 as likely legitimate, and denied 278 as likely fake. So far, only 1 person has written to be requesting to be let into the group, but if I have denied you access inappropriately, please write in and briefly say why you wish to join the group. Be sure to include the URL of your LinkedIn page – many names are duplicates, and it can be difficult to locate the correct profile.