If you have the common worry that your current employer will see "I want a new job!!!!" on your LinkedIn, then say something like "I'm always open to interesting opportunities."
The last straw was the one where they requested your email login details, and proceeded to spam your contacts with join requests. What kind of a prick of a company does that?
I guess they factored in the people that'd pay attention to that kind of scumbaggery, and those that wouldn't and figured they'd end up on top. Guess they did too. You're a product, not a customer, when you're on LinkedIn, much the same as Facebook.
The nail in the coffin for me has been recruitment agencies stressing I should be on it - any advice from the vampires like that is a good sign you should be doing the polar opposite.
That last straw has been active for probably as long as they existed. I didn't fall for it, but a lot of people who know me did, and I used to get a lot of linkedin spam because of it. Either they've refined their practices, or people have wised up, or we've passed peak LinkedIn.
In any case, I ignore most email from LinkedIn, I don't play the endorsement game in either direction, and anyone who receives spam from LinkedIn related to me are themselves LinkedIn products, so they made the choice.
I've figured out how to exist peacefully with them, and other than this thread it doesn't take any time out of my day. :)
Still quite a strong, what I would call, "shill" force out there though.
It seems that if two people communicate on the internet, a third person will be interested in it.
As far as recruiter emails go, it was not very good. Just a generic "we are hiring developers".
If there was a viable alternative I'd jump on it, but for now it seems to serve its purpose very effectively.
Not always. They are not all out for your blood.