Have you noticed the explosion in the number of people who want to get LinkedIn with you lately? Although I've used the service since shortly after it made its debut a few years ago, I can't help but notice that lately everybody wants in on the act. Perhaps they have seen some of the great media coverage the site has gotten recently.
I get several LinkedIn requests a week. I don't always accept them. It strikes me as irrelevant to connect to someone I've never heard of who happened to find me using a keyword search. The way I see it, my connections aren't relevant to me - or others - if I can't personally speak to why I'm connected to them.
I suppose it's possible that some people actually know - and can credibly introduce - hundreds or even thousands of people, but frankly, when I see people with so many connections, I automatically raise an eyebrow. "Link Hos" I call them. Seems they may be more interested in collecting links than in making true connections.
Perhaps it's fallout from the MySpace and Facebook generation. I've heard several college students comment that they have "983 friends on Facebook." Never mind that they haven't even met 971 of them.
LinkedIn can be a very powerful networking tool if used properly. I've been able to use my genuine connections to meet people I want to know, either for personal or professional reasons. I've also reconnected to people I worked with in past jobs, as well as rekindled college friendships. And I take some pride in the fact that I can provide relevant information about every one of my connections, even without looking at their online profile. That's the very essence of networking, in my humble opinion.
What's your take? Am I being too dismissive?
