Does anyone like LinkedIn ‘endorsement’ feature?

I have to admit that I really enjoy reading LinkedIn recommendations. They shed light on potential candidates’ core areas of expertise before I reach out to introduce myself.  It is also helpful when a recommendation is written by a mutual contact, as it is an excellent ice breaker.

The endorsement feature, on the other hand, seems epically useless. The strangest thing of all is getting numerous endorsements from people I have never met. As a recruiter, I never pay attention to what endorsements a potential candidate has either, and find that all this feature does is overcrowd a profile.

Does anyone use LinkedIn endorsements effectively? What am I missing here?