Are you also getting irritated by all these invitations from people you dont know? Usually without any additional text? Do you also flag them as spam or do you accept them to expand your LI network (for what it is still worth)????
Clarification added September 5, 2007:
@Eric Mariacher
Interesting blog. Never considered myself as an open networker because of mentioning my e-mail adress in my name. Good point though, removed it from my name. Might be the answer here. Did that because of the Inmail restrictions but might have triggered many to openly send invitations just to increase numbers and not seriously want to contact.
Answers (6)
Eric M
Embedded Software Manager, LION
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Matthé,
Putting your mail in your name is against LinkedIn policy. It usually means for people such as myself that you are an open networker.
So I feel free to invite you by writing stuff like "Like you, I choose to make my email address available to make it easier for people to connect with my network. I am assuming you feel the same way about having an open network.".
By the way I am not inviting you because you would decline. Anyway I'm out of invitations :-(
I invite you to read my blog about: HOW DOES QUANTITY BRING QUALITY?
Links:
Daniel J
District Leader at Primerica Financial Services and Owner, David Gordon Productions
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Removing your email address is a good start. You will still occasionally get an invitation from somebody you don't know, as I did the other day from someone who claimed to be a Colleague in order to send me the invitation. So far, I've been generous and haven't used the "I Don't Know" button (which I assume is what you refer to as "flag them as spam"). Instead I wrote him back to chastise him for misusing LI.
I certainly would never accept an invitation just to increase numbers, and especially not from someone who wouldn't take the time to write a personal message explaining why he/she wants to connect. You have a third choice. You can simply click the "Archive" link and the invitation expires.
Robert F
Independent Business Owner(IBO) with Amway/Quixtar
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I do not get too many of these "stray" invitations. When I do, I ignore them ... if they make even a small effort to get to know me, I generally allow them into my network.
Rajeev V
CEO and Owner at Smart Hiring - www.smarthiring.com
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I am People Person and want to know as many as possible. Instead of getting irritated I welcome when people have taken time and clicked a few buttons to send me a message. I will never flag them as spam and never will use the I don't know button. I Wanna Know Them. they should have button saying I Wanna Know Them.
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Olga K
Research Professional, Translator, Citizen of the World
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I'm not that game to post my email openly,
but agree with Eric's idea on his blog 100%
I accept anybody as a connection with a completed profile and a couple of words in their invitation about common interests they have with me
Most of my connections came from this q/a department though
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Eileen B
IT Professional, Information Security Quality Assurance Operations & Administration / President, CMU SEI LI SPIN
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I agree with Robert, my network is comprised of those who are true contacts. Nothing wrong with open networking, is just not my style right now. Ignore them, trash them and move on, there's more here that is interesting to focus on :)
Eileen
