Anonymity on LinkedIn

On LinkedIn I often see that my profile has been viewed by an "Anonymous LinkedIn User". I understand people's desire for privacy on other social networks, like Facebook, but being anonymous on LinkedIn strikes me as rather odd. LinkedIn is a professional networking platform. So, I would assume most people join to network to with people they already know and gain more professional connections. So why be anonymous? Would you go to an in-person networking event with a bag over your head so no one could know who you are?

What are your thoughts?

Trending Towards Change...

Recently my manager asked me to write down the first three current (or currently evolving) social media trends. Here is the list I came up with:

• Social media is a marketing communications tool. It should be used in a way that the customer experience is seamless between the physical and digital worlds. Customer expectations are skyrocketing. Not only is mediocrity is no longer tolerated, it is instantly broadcast. Companies need to be transparent and join in the conversation about their brand(s) - the good, the bad, and the ugly. All of it will be told - and is being told - either a company can be part of the storytelling or they will be left behind.
• Social media innovations will cause major shifts in other areas, like copyright. Blogs and social sharing sites started to push the limits of copyright as it currently stands several years ago. Pinterest is pushing these boundaries even further. Many people are saying that the current general terms of service on Pinterest does have due diligence to protect copyrighted material. But, this is just the beginning. I think that social media and digital innovations will continue to create shifts in society status quo. (Here I'm talking about major changes in law, revolutions, transfers of power, etc.)
• The right person for the job might not be within commuting distance. We are now living in a global world, doing business in a global economy. To be competitive you need to have a global workforce. Companies need to use technology and social tools to find the best people for the job wherever they are located. Social networking, communication, and collaboration tools can help people across the globe work together as a team. (Here think internal collaboration tools - instant messaging, video chatting, file sharing, collaborative editing, etc. And it's important to note, these tools do not need to be proprietary, they can be AIM, Skype, Google Docs, etc.)

After thinking about my list he suggested I add privacy and how our ideas of privacy are changing as a society. I agree. It is important for individuals and organizations to respect the privacy of others, but I think our ideas of privacy will evolve as global citizens become more comfortable being netizens. We will need to strike a balance between "sharing" and "privacy". Balancing these two opposing aspects of social behavior is a challenge for all social networks. As we move towards the ideas of semantic web context becomes more important. Therefore sharing information and connections will also increase in relevance.

Where should we draw the line now? And where will we draw the line in the future? Only time will tell...