It’s 2024. Most business deals are digital-first. Your digital reputation is an asset to you and your company. Countless executives worldwide cultivate leads and relationships through targeted content and the right messaging on LinkedIn. Do you?
You do what you do best. You hire experts for the rest.
Don’t have 16+ hours per month to spare to create targeted content? Consider partnering with a personal branding agency that brings your unique expertise, experience, and personality and we do it on the platform where professionals like you hang out.
Take A Look At Where You Can Be, Same Time Next Year.
More visibility. Greater authority. No more low-quality leads in your pipeline. You’ll see real clientele, real connections, and real influence – all because of your digital reputation.
At GrowedIn, we’re passionate about taking your offline persona online via LinkedIn. What makes us a perfect partner for building your digital reputation?
High Talent Density
Our team is young, smart, and always hungry for growth. We’ve learnt LinkedIn from scratch and keep learning as we go. There’s nothing better than a duo of creativity and enthusiasm for a client, is there?
Process-first Culture
We’re highly process-driven; a step for every decision and a decision only after a set of steps.
Customer Centricity
For us, a happy client is all we want. That’s why we take feedback very seriously – a “no big deal” for you is the “end of the world” for us.
BOOK A CALL
Reputation comes first. Relationships second.Business third.
We partner with executives to help them leverage LinkedIn’s potential and build it as a channel for reputation-driven business growth. Take the first step NOW!
Uncomfortable interactions with strangers on the internet are common, but you wouldn’t expect them on a professional platform.
Well, guess what? Even LinkedIn has its bad moments.
While LinkedIn has strict policies to prevent abusive behavior, hate speech, and misinformation, and while its algorithm isn’t friendly to scammers, uncomfortable situations can still arise. That’s why LinkedIn provides the option to block (and unblock) profiles.
This article will help you identify which profiles should be blocked, guide you on how to block and unblock a profile, explain the consequences of doing so, and help you manage your LinkedIn connections effectively.
7 Reasons to Block Someone on LinkedIn
If someone is bothering you on LinkedIn or making you uncomfortable, you can report their actions and block their profile to prevent unwanted interactions. Blocking someone on LinkedIn may seem like a significant step, but it can help you maintain a professional and secure social network.
Here are 7 reasons to block someone on LinkedIn:
Inappropriate behavior If someone is rude or uses abusive language toward you, blocking their profile can prevent further interactions.
Unwanted contact If someone repeatedly sends unsolicited messages despite your clear disinterest, blocking them can help you avoid further unwanted communication.
Privacy concerns If you want to limit who can contact you on social media, blocking a profile can help protect your privacy and maintain your boundaries.
Hateful or violent content If a connection promotes hateful or violent content, you can report their actions and block them to stop seeing their posts.
Over-engaging behavior If a connection’s excessive likes or comments flood your profile with notifications, you can either remove them as a connection or block them if necessary.
Harassment If someone is using LinkedIn as a dating site or engaging in harassing behavior, blocking their profile is the best course of action.
Fake profiles or scammers If you suspect a LinkedIn user is running a scam or using a fake profile—for example, pretending to represent a company without proof—you should report their actions and block them to avoid further contact.
Steps to Block a Profile on LinkedIn
LinkedIn allows you to block people without stating a reason for it. If someone has shown inappropriate behaviour, it is best to report their actions before you block them. LinkedIn will not notify a person when you block them, protecting your privacy and allowing you to maintain a professional network effectively.
Whether you’re using a desktop or a mobile device, you can follow these steps to block a profile on LinkedIn:
1. Log in to your LinkedIn account.
2. Search for the profile you wish to block.
3. Click on the option “More” under their profile picture.
4. A drop-down menu will appear, select “Report/Block”.
5. A pop-up window will appear where you can choose between reporting and blocking the person. Click on “Block (user name)” to proceed.
6. Confirm your action by clicking “Block” on the new pop-up window.
Note: If you can’t find the profile of the person you wish to block when you search for them, chances are they have hibernated their profile, been removed by LinkedIn, closed their account, or blocked you.
What Happens When You Block a Profile?
Blocking a profile is not similar to removing a connection or unfollowing a profile. While it does both these things automatically, it also helps you protect your privacy and maintain a professional environment on LinkedIn.
Let’s look at everything that happens when you choose to click on that “Block” option:
The person you block will be removed as a connection automatically.
A blocked account cannot view your profile; which includes the headline, profile photo, summary, and all other details.
If you block someone, they cannot send you messages on LinkedIn.
You can no longer view each other’s posts or any other updates on LinkedIn.
Any endorsements or recommendations from the blocked account will be removed from your profile.
If you try to view the blocked person’s profile, you will not show up in their “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” list and vice versa.
In case the person you block was subscribed to your newsletter, they will stop receiving it.
You can not join an audio event if you have blocked the host or a speaker in that event.
You and the blocked account will also not appear in each other’s featured lists such as “People You May Know” or “People also Viewed”.
LinkedIn protects your privacy when you block a profile, but blocked accounts can still access some information. For instance, if a mutual connection shares your content, the blocked person will be able to view it.
If you’ve set any information as “public”, such as your profile, shared content, or comments, it can be viewed by your blocked accounts on search engines.
To restrict such information from public access, go to your privacy settings, click on “Visibility”, and adjust all the sections of your profile that can be displayed publicly. You can simply turn off the sections you wish to keep private and turn on the information you want to display on search engines.
Understanding Blocking in LinkedIn Groups
If you are a member or an administrator in a LinkedIn Group and a fellow member is sharing inappropriate content or harassing someone, there are ways to prevent that from happening. Let’s learn about the process of blocking someone in a LinkedIn Group.
As a group member:
You can only block admins if their admin permissions have been removed.
You can not block the manager of a group without first leaving it.
You can reach out to the manager or admin and request to block a group member.
As a group administrator:
If you want to block a member of your group, you will have to remove them from the group first.
If you block a fellow admin, you will only see the profile name on the Page admin view. Their profile photo and LinkedIn account will not be visible.
Can You Unblock a Profile on LinkedIn?
Yes, blocking is a reversible action on LinkedIn. Whether you blocked the wrong person by accident, reconciled with a colleague, or had a change of heart, LinkedIn provides the option of unblocking a profile. However, it is essential to understand that unblocking is not an exact reversal of blocking.
If you choose to unblock a person, your connection will not be restored. Just as someone is not notified when you block them, they are not notified when you unblock them. So, if you want to re-establish the connection, you will have to do it by sending a connection request.
Steps to Unblock a Profile on LinkedIn
Unblocking a profile on LinkedIn can be achieved through both your desktop and mobile device. So, if you decide to unblock a person, follow these simple steps:
1. Log in to your LinkedIn account.
2. Click on the “Me” section on your profile.
3. Select “Settings & Privacy” from the drop-down menu.
4. On the left side, find and choose the option “Visibility”.
5. Click on “Blocking”.
6. A list of all blocked accounts will appear. Find the profile you want to remove and select “Unblock”.
Note: After you unblock someone, LinkedIn will not notify them but they can view the content that was previously hidden from them.
The Effects of Unblocking a Profile
When you unblock a profile on LinkedIn, it lifts some restrictions between you and the previously blocked account. While the person is not notified that they have been unblocked, they may start to notice your presence on the platform.
Some immediate effects of unblocking a profile include:
The unblocked person can view your profile as long as your privacy settings allow it.
They can engage with your public content again, such as liking posts, leaving comments, or sharing it.
If you re-establish a connection by sending a connection request, you can interact directly with the person.
If you accidentally unblocked the wrong person, or want to re-block someone due to unchanged inappropriate behaviour, you will have to wait 48 hours before you can do so.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn is a professional platform, some users may not maintain appropriate behavior on it. Thus, it is important to be aware of the actions you can take to protect your privacy, such as reporting and blocking profiles on LinkedIn.
If you understand how blocking and unblocking work on LinkedIn and their immediate effects, you can maintain your connections more effectively and strengthen your professional network.
At GrowedIn, we help industry leaders build a professional network and establish an influential presence on LinkedIn. Schedule a call with us to discuss how you can manage and grow your LinkedIn connections more effectively.
0
min read
How to Block and Unblock on LinkedIn (A Step-by-Step Guide)
Learn how LinkedIn’s blocking and unblocking features can help you build a more focused and professional network.
Read blog
Written by
Keyur Kumbhare
in
Getting Started
NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to The GrowedIn Newsletter
We study LinkedIn around the clock to take the guesswork out of LinkedIn success. Every week, we break down what works, what to do, and what to avoid, and send it straight to your inbox. Sign up today!
Thank you! Please check your inbox for confirmation.
Please Enter a Valid Email Address
Meet The Founder
The Founder & CEO @ GrowedIn, Keyur Kumbhare, has been building his personal brand for the past 4 years. He stumbled into his expertise through trial and error in 2020, which led to a series of events - building an audience of 10k in less than 2 months, connecting with creators like Justin Welsh, and receiving numerous networking, speaking, and freelancing opportunities. As he worked on building his own LinkedIn presence, he discovered something intriguing: LinkedIn was more than flashy posts or self-promotion. It was about reputation – about being genuine and drawing people in naturally. Keyur noticed a gap. While executives wanted business growth, they often overlooked the importance of LinkedIn as a platform to build their digital reputation. To bridge this gap, GrowedIn was formed. With his own journey as inspiration, Keyur and Team GrowedIn set out to make LinkedIn a platform where professionals can build more than just a following - a reputation, a legacy.