Sharing contact information has always been an awkward dance. 

Finally, there seems to be a solution and it’s a fascinating case study of product innovation and social change that has implications for how we network. 

I’m talking about the growing adoption of the LinkedIn QR code. 

At fintech events in New York these days, virtually everyone exchanges info scanning a LinkedIn QR code.

This was not nearly so widespread a short time ago even though the technology has been around for years. 

I’m assuming it’s being driven by the post-Covid combination of a resurgence of in-person events and the rising familiarity with QR codes from restaurants. 

It’s already altering how people interact. 

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, open your LinkedIn feed. Click into the search bar and then the icon on the right to display a personal QR code. That can be scanned with a phone.

It is a completely different experience than exchanging an email. 

That’s because it doesn’t end a conversation, it extends it.

You notice you have 42 mutual connections and you both went to Skidmore or worked at Goldman or like kayaking. 

It increases your surface area and ability to connect. 

Watching someone read your profile reminds you LinkedIn is your CV. 

It’s no longer a job board or content site, though it has those features. 

It’s an identity verification platform, the modern White Pages. 

People no longer Google you. They look you up on LinkedIn to confirm you exist. 

There are implications:

-Having a profile is table stakes  

-Your photo needs to be polished

-Career and school details need to be up-to-date

-Posting content is how you stand out 

When you connect first on LinkedIn, your initial follow-up communication will by necessity start there. So that’s another touch point you need to monitor. 

It is true that creatives tend to use Instagram and gamers prefer Discord. 

But unlike those platforms, most LinkedIn profiles are publicly visible and connected to your real name.

That limits people from hallucinating accomplishments. It also explains why more and more people ask for your social media profile to engage with you.

You need a LinkedIn profile, for example, to register to attend the tech parties thrown by former Google product manager Andrew Yeung.

I met a software engineer at an event who said she won’t go on a date with a man who doesn’t have a LinkedIn profile.

That kind of FOMO is hard to ignore.