There are certain things about the internet that are still a mystery to me. My brother-in-law is in IT. Sometimes I ask him about these mysteries in an effort to clear up the continuous confusion I suffer from with things like my computer cache, cookies and browser extensions. But I often glaze over in total disinterest within the first 3 minutes of our conversation. I can’t be bothered to understand the complexities of the internet. I just want it to work for me.
This Quick Tip may very well need to be filed under “The Mysteries of the Internet,” but deserves a few minutes of your attention all the same.
When anyone logs in to a particular site, there are a few things at play – Are they on a secure connection? Are they using their own computer or an unfamiliar computer? Are there any number of extensions or apps on that unfamiliar computer that may try to capture their login info and save it for a future session?
I don’t know about you, but when I’m traveling, I don’t consider half of these questions. If I need to pop on to a computer in a client’s office to check something quickly, I just do it. I usually remember to log out when I’m done. “Usually” is the operative word there.
There is a feature within LinkedIn’s Settings & Privacy that can help you out in these types of scenarios. Whether this has only happened to you once in a great while or you are a repeat offender, it’s time for you to familiarize yourself with “Where you’re signed in:”
First, go to your Settings & Privacy under the “Me” tab in your LinkedIn profile navigation bar.
LinkedIn will open a new tab for you that houses all of your various security, account and privacy settings:
Under the Account | Basics tabs, you can scroll down a bit to find the section “Where you’re signed in.”
This section in my Profile currently says that I have 28 active sessions. Oh my.
Some of the sessions listed are from 2 months ago. Oh my, oh my.
Also, Mount Laurel New Jersey? I’ve never even been there.
So, let’s go ahead and chalk parts of this up to the mysteries of the internet. I don’t know why I’m showing as currently signed in to LinkedIn in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. I don’t know why I have 28 active sessions, spanning back to 2 months ago. I simply can’t explain these things. BUT, I can do something about it.
Whether you choose to review each active session individually or sign out of all sessions at once, the tools that you need are right at your fingertips:
Take some time to make sure that your account is secure. And the next time you decide to log in to LinkedIn, remember this post. While some aspects will remain a mystery, the good news is that you now have the knowledge to take care of it.