Dear Sir Richard Branson,
I hope this letter finds you well and finds you at all, as it concerns an issue that is of the utmost importance to hundreds of millions, yourself included, and to the worn from praise but easily betrayed concept we call democracy.
More specifically this concerns your title as a LinkedIn Influencer and, no offense intended, your position as the poster boy Influencer of the LinkedIn corporation, an obvious choice being an easy going, ultra successful entrepreneur and a thoughtful industry and global leader, possessing attractive social awareness qualities, not to mention knighted by the Prince of Wales.
While this letter is equally relevant to all Influencers, I chose you as its sole addressee because I can sincerely state that I have connected with your posts on LinkedIn and more importantly - I believe you! A hard feat to accomplish when we are victimized by relentless daily bombardments of PR and hidden commercial agendas, causing me to believe that your title You Can't Fake Personality, Passion or Purpose, would better fit reality if you'll add to it "In the Long, Long, Long Run".
Whenever I've had a conscience choice in the matter I never allowed myself the bliss of ignorance, and I'm afraid I must deny that from you today. You accepted in the past LinkedIn's invitation to join their "Influencers club", mostly a PR stunt of mutual benefit (although a tool that can be of merit if applied correctly), but when you finish reading this letter you may agree that in reality that title ascribed next to your name here is a burden, a Mark of Cain, and a reference suggesting complicity with LinkedIn's wrong doings, although you have no part in that.
I agree with your advice we should listen more than we talk, in this case that would warrant you to read my posts linked below, as this issue is too wide to entertain in one letter, though I will provide you with a short but meaningful teaser, manifesting the seriousness of the matter at hand.
About 2 weeks ago, within less than 36 hours of me publishing my post titled Is LinkedIn Headed for an Enron Style Fiasco?, Linkedin made a global and silent change to its publishing platform, whitewashing one of the misrepresentations I pointed out it gave all members here (you included) when publishing a new post.
The lack of any response from LinkedIn to the facts gathered and questions raised by myself and many others here, suggests this story entails complete lack of transparency, misrepresentations, mass propaganda and thought control of the public, censorship and hidden motives and agendas, to name a few, all the ingredients you voice against, and would certainly not want to be tainted with.
The story told and unfolded through my posts on this issue (please also read the many comments there contributed by other members):
LinkedIn's fail! AKA why no one read your insightful post?
An email confession by an anonymous LinkedIn editor
Is LinkedIn Headed for an Enron Style Fiasco?
The agony & naivety of a whitewashed whistle-blower
This is currently the only piece written on this issue by an outside news source (and is also the only article on that site I found not to be indexed by Google News!) :
The Mystery of the Missing LinkedIn Post Views
And this is a telling example (there are many others) of an act by one gifted blogger, Patrick Kitchell, as a result of this reality:
Your follower,
Itai Leshem
P.S.
The "ponzi scheme" reference in the title concerns what I believe is a fact I've proved - members here post articles under the false assumption they have a fair and equal chance to be read by others, and in doing so they encourage others to join in and invest their time and efforts in writing articles of their own on LinkedIn. All I've written is based on my best judgment and understanding, and all the opinions stated in my posts are mine alone as a private individual. If I'm wrong on any issue or fact, I would be more than happy to admit this and I am still waiting for a response from LinkedIn that may shed more light on this issue.