Collecting contacts on LinkedIn - Meaningful connections or random connections?
I am relatively new to LinkedIn, and have not yet begun to explore other social networking sites. I am curious as to opinions out there about the philosophy behind collecting contacts. It would appear that some people strive to connect with anyone, for the sole purpose of expanding their network, while I am certain there are some people who only want to Link to people with whom they have had direct experience.
So - what do you think? Is it better to have 500+ connections, even though you may only really know 150 of them, or is it better to have 200 connections among people you would recognize if they called or e-mailed you?
When you reply to this, I would appreciate it if you would be so kind as to tell me how many current connections you have - mine is a mere 232....
Clarification added October 4, 2008:
GREAT INPUT to all of you who have responded so far! Thank you
Answers (13)
Joe T
Senior Engineer, Embedded Systems, at CPU Technology
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I'm only at 82 connections myself, however, they are all quality connections, folks that I know (or knew at one time in my life) fairly well, which is the objective for my network of connections. I prefer quality For most users, I am skeptical when I see the " 500+ connections".
The objectives of LinkedIn users varies all over the place. There are many users who are Open Networkers (which Wikipedia defines as users who "accept invitations from strangers", see link below).
There are some users who apparently who want to persue an "exclusive" network, I have received the "IDK'd" reply (rejection with malice, or "I Don't Know" the sender) replies to several of my invitations, which shocked me. In a networking forum, I would have expected the courtesy of a brief reply, such as, "so, how do I know you?", but no, I got the "IDK".
Links:
Bruce A
Sourcing & Operations Professional - Wholesale & Retail Expertise - International Sourcing Experience
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I'm at 315 and I believe every one of them is meaningful. No, I don't know all of them on an ongoing basis, although I correspond regularly with many more people than I did before I joined LinkedIn. I do know that when I ask a question, I have a network of individuals that will see my question and many that will respond. It is also amazing the people that you will find on your second or third level that have the exactexpertise you are looking for!
Ann Tracy M
Wordsmith/Abraham Lincoln buff/Corporate communicator
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I strive to have meaningful connections, based primarily on these criteria.
- I work or have worked closely with the person.
- I'm connected with the person through a common past, such as school or a professional organization.
- I share a common interest with the person or a common profession and feel the connection could benefit one or both of us.
- I've met the person through LinkedIn Questions and Answers, they've asked to connect, and in my gut if feels right. (Doesn't happen often, but there have been some, and they're neat people.)
I currently have 82 - folks in my profession, people who share my passion for Abraham Lincoln, fellow communicators and others whose connections I value for a variety of reasons such as those listed above.
For me, at this time, this works. I'm not really too comfortable with randomly connecting, and my network is currently meeting my needs. If they change, my philosophy might.
FRANK F
—►CEO @ Start-ups + Turnarounds —►Global Strategies + Future Trends Keynotes + Innovation Seminars
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I go for quality of relationships, not quantity.
I want to either know the person in real life, or to feel that there is the real prospect of a valuable connection emerging.
I did let my network grow to around 530 before deciding that was ridiculous. How many quality relationships can one possibly maintain?!
More that half the people on my list I never communicated with, on any score. So I pruned that back severely, in 3 phases, and got it down to 130 or so. Now it has climbed back to 160 with selective additions. I probably will prune it again as it approaches 200.
I don't see any point in playing the "numbers game". If you need to find a person, you can find them through the search function, and then seek an introduction.
That said, people in various professions, such as recruiting, may find it most beneficial to have hundred and thousands of people connected. So it really comes down to your own purpose and objectives.
Bob S
Development Managers, Inc.
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Hi Mike. I've been here a few months and have about 40 or so connections. I posed the same question a few weeks ago, because of course, we both realize that there is no way these people "know" all 500+. I was duly chastised by some, and like Joe, many feel that quality is the key to their network. That said, if you watch and participate on a somewhat regular basis, you'll find interesting questions and answers, and you'll find some common ground with many of those people. To me, that's a good starting point for connecting. More importantly, joining groups is a great way to meet people who have a similar mindset to you. Those people will be good to connect with as well. I think from these two avenues, and the more you are involved, the more connections you'll make. You may not know everyone personally, but I think your link is valid.
M. (Monica) B
Journalist (investigative)/researcher/writer/yoga addict/sports fanatic/deep thinker/firm believer
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Meaningful connections.
I am being VERY selective as for whom to accept to my network and whom not to let in at all.
It's just like it works in real life where I'm also very picky when it comes whom I hang out it and whom I stay away from.
If you don't have anything useful to say or do not add any value to your own life or to mine, you're out. It is that simple.
DAVE M
Fabulous wire names created at your party ★ Highly effective lead generation for your trade show booth ★ WireNames.
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Every one of my connections is a potential client...
Links:
Mike M
Partner at North Houston Remodeling
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I use LinkedIn as an online contact database. Some people I know better than others. It's not perfect since I still need to maintain a separate contact database with the other 90% of the people that I know.
709 connections.
Dave H
Seasoned entrepreneur, programmer, writer & instructor. I help clients save and/or make money!
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Mike,
I have nearly 900 connections and the bulk of them are very meaningful to me! I generally only accept connections from and attempt to connect with people that I have actually met somehow and these connections are continualy paying off for me.
I would say that it's better to have legitmate connections amongst people you know and are willing to help you as opposed to just getting as many connections as possible.
Josh C
General Manager at Web Industries; Itinerant Writer; and Decent Little League Coach
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Mike,
I currently have 234 connections. Just as a practical matter, if you need help on something and want to get some help from your connections, it isn't worth spending the time educating "weak" connections. With ~200 strong connections, I'm guessing that you have ~20,000 2nd-degree connections. With that many, you can get just about anything done; if you have too many "weak" connections, they won't be of real help, many won't even recognize your name, and you'll waste more time than it's worth. My advice: Keep your 1st-degree connections restricted to "real" ones.
Alison M
Senior Consultant, Coach, Facilitor, Change Agent at Practical Perfect People
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Mike,
I have a different point of view simply because I think you can have a meaningful random connection.
LinkedIn has 26 million people who use it (according to the stats they give).
If you are looking for someone specific, just google "site:linkein.com search terms" and contact them by InMail. I find the introduction execution is fraught with delays and hold ups so it's far better to pick up the phone or pay LinkedIn for the privilege of contacting someone directly. The LinkedIn search only goes to 3 levels of connections, so if you can only hit 20,000 then chances are you won't find the best person for the type of contact you want to make.
One word of warning though - it is impossible to know 1) whether the information in a profile is truthful and 2) how up to date it is. I never knew London Business School had some many graduates the same year I passed my exams.... LOL
Oh - my connections are over 1,500 - many of them technologists who only connect with a few islands of their peer groups.
I have gotten some great advice from many of them - so don't put down the most spurious of random contacts. Most recently today a quant developer shared with me the best tools to engage my computer mad son with stuff which will keep him engaged at school and build some skills which he can rely on in his career.
I guess what I'm saying is that Strangers are only friends who haven't met yet. You never know what that next potential contact may give you down the road.
You'll just have to go with what feels right for you - after all there are "no RIGHT answers" - you'll get out of Linked In what you put in. That is the real magic of it in that it can be used differently by many groups of people and still retain it's usefulness.
Hope this helps move your thinking forward to what could be possible.
All the best,
Alison Murray
I am new to LinkedIn and also am learning the ins and outs of this particular social networking site. I have 21 connections - these are people I know through my career as well as people I would know who they were if they e-mailed or called me.
I prefer to have meaningful connections vs. an inflated contact list. I like to connect with individuals I know personally. When I see the contacts I have currently, I can connect a face with the name - and can remember how their life has impacted my own. I also look forward to forming new relationships with people who have similar interests, goals and vision.
Hi Mike -
I am up to 127 connections (and growing - I just sent an invite about 5 minutes ago). There are only 2 or 3 that I have not met personally - and I linked with them because we had offline discussions that started on LinkedIn, that I felt were, or could be, mutually beneficial.
My criteria are very similar to those listed by Ann above, and I think Josh's advice is right on. I, too, am somewhat leary of those with 500+ connections.
A further concern I have is "recommendations" - some of the ones I see are pretty shallow - I'd rather have and give fewer, more meaningful ones.
Thanks for asking - and I'll see you F2F tomorrow :-)
