Hey, here’s an idea: scan the phone book into a text file and then import all those numbers into your iPhone. Boast to friends about how many people you have in your address book.
Hey, no one said it was a good idea!
I understand why some people believe the fundamentals of this scenario somehow change when “phone book” becomes “social media” and “phone number” becomes “contact information.” For about 20 minutes, I was one of them. Until I saw the utility of the site plummet as the number of my LinkedIn connections grew beyond a manageable level.
Enter the “Remove connections” function.
I’m currently experimenting with groups to keep people in those “outer orbits” of my world close without mixing them into my real-life network. I also use Twitter for this extensively. The reason I want them separate is simple: LinkedIn is most powerful when your online connections represent real relationships. I don’t need a phone book’s worth of data in my profile. I want to see names of people I know, people I can call, people will know my name when they see it in their email inbox or on their caller ID. Making people a first or second degree connection in name only isn’t helpful if I can’t bank on a response when I call them.
As I discovered, there’s a big difference between knowing how to reach someone and having earned the right to do so.
Before you get swept up yourself by the siren’s call of large numbers, learn from my early experience and be judicious when connecting online. One day, when you need your network, you’ll be thankful you did.
Jason Seiden is CEO of Ajax Workforce Marketing. Ajax amplifies brands by aligning employees' online messaging.
I'm Jason. I run a brand agency with a specialization in workforce marketing.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ll admit that I am one of those people… However, I use LinkedIn as a research tool, in addition to networking, reconnecting with old friends and colleagues and for education.
One of my motivations for maximizing the number of connections (1st & 2nd) is a function of LI’s ‘visibility’ policies (not sure if this is what they are called…), but the more 1st level connections I have, the more full names and profiles I can view for my research.
And, yes, I’m an evil salesperson, which is why I use it for research so much!
Either way, thanks for the insight. I read a lot of your blog posts and always enjoy them!
Once again, Jason, I completely agree with you. I’m finding that weak connections are a waste of time. Basically, I get all excited because I think I’m ALMOST connected to a key prospect, only to discover that one of the key links in the chain is “some guy I met at a trade show a couple years ago.” Electronic networking makes life quite a bit easier, but just as with the good old fashioned rolodex, relationships matter.
@Skye—Thanks… always love hearing from evil professionals, whether in sales, HR, finance, or anywhere else in the organization! I look at connections as a question of reach vs. trust. I have a premium account to give me some of that visibility you crave w/o needing to boost up those 1st degree numbers. At $200/year, it’s a bargain (for me). And no, I don’t get commissions from LinkedIn for saying that.
@Dick—Wait, you agree with me “once again?” I thought you were supposed to be a smart guy?
You made good impressions on the folks I followed up with after HRTech. Talk to you soon.
Good to see someone come out and say this. I hope this gets into the mass public, may be into the top ten list of things not to do with LinkedIn. This type of networking is meaningless and undermines tha value of networking. Are there any ideas on how to turn down invitations which you know are not going to hold ground in the long run?
@shankar- in my experience there are two easy ways to respectfully reject an invitation- a) instead of IDk’ing them, simply archive the invitation and/or b) send them a short but sweet note letting them know you do not accept unsolicited invites but would welcome the chance to accept their invite if and when you get to know them better. If they put forth the effort to call/meet you then they may be worth the connection (after you’ve qualified them, of course).
@Shankar—Ideas on how to turn down invitations… I like Skye’s ideas. You can also try forming a group if you’ve got people who want to follow you, or redirect them to Twitter.
@Skye—Nice. Thanks.
it’s often a numbers game. when you really *do* need that connection, already being connected to someone (even 2nd or 3rd level) can be a plus. if it’s only through networking professionals (recruiting agencies, headhunters) then obviously best to contact that person directly.
using linkedIn like your personal email is one approach – you only want to converse with people whom you know, you don’t want unsolicited emails from people constantly flooding your inbox.
but when it comes to doing business with someone (especially in large business hubs like new york city, san francisco, los angeles, etc.), having your name visible through as many channels as possible is usually very helpful. if it’s a choice between a weak connection & no connection, the weak connection will win 95% of the time; it’s a numbers game.
just my 2 cents.
there’s always a “that being said” these days, isn’t there? after reading a few more online opinions about linked in, I do agree that if you’re talking large numbers of contacts (say 8000)…well, that most likely would work against you. unless you’re Bono, then it’s too few. yes, the quality of connections is obviously important too.
but if you’re talking 300-500 contacts, especially someone with a 20-year work history, I find that a manageable number and often helps when soliciting new work.
I disagree with you. It is very stimulating to write a linkedin update every day and receive comments and recommendations on it from any of thise connections that I have not networked with for a while. There are about 200 countries in the world, so on average you can only connect with 150 people from each country until you reach the 30000 people limit. Having many connections from wide interest groups is also helpful for gaining credibility in an online world polluted by scam.
@Ruben—Thanks for sharing your opinion. Me, I think 30k connections is a needle in a haystack strategy that’s not worth the effort. If I want to connect to any random 150 people in a country, I can do it pretty easily. Twitter is a great tool for that. LinkedIn’s power comes from earning the right to call someone—and the decision makers and movers and resource owners that it actually helps to be connected with tend to be a bit more discretionary with their connections.
Jason – I think like any other tool it depends on the person and what they are using it for. I have some weak link connections that happened to see my updates and when my resume was in front of them at Applebee’s knew who I was and that I had a good grasp on my area of expertise. These are people that aren’t on Twitter and we’re not connected on Facebook. I just don’t believe there is a one size fits all approach but you have to do what works for you.
Jill—you’re awesome and I respect your opinion on this because I know you’ve made it work. Thanks for weighing in!