Comments on: The Weakest Link(edIn)

By: Larry

Larry — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:39:45 +0000

I’m clearly behind in my blog reading. Imagine my surprise when I read this and found that I’m famous!

You asked for people to analyze their LinkedIn connections, so here goes:

Work-Good 71
Work-Casual 13
Networking 1
Family&Friends 1
Old School 10
LION 0
Work-Bad 1

Lots of people belong in multiple categories — I placed them in the topmost one. I categorized Work-Good fairly liberally. I know lots of the Old School people well enough to recommend them.

By: Rory

Rory — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:31:22 +0000

@jenn Facebook is definitely a whole other ball of wax! I have always kept very private on FB, but have taken that a step further with some contacts who I do not wish to share my whole life with. I have only rejected a few people out there, all professional contacts, as I have decided not to use FB for business at this time. It is true though, we don’t want to turn people down, we’re too polite! If only LinkedIn allowed you to limit exposure on a Connection-by-Connection basis!

Thanks all for the great discussion! (My connection count has not dropped yet, so I guess no one decided I was worth jettisoning yet!)

By: Jennifer C

Jennifer C — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:50:12 +0000

Phew! So glad I got this notification
You are brave to be so candid. I struggle with the same on Facebook. We were all brought up to play nice. Turning down a request to be your friend or join your network isn’t good playground manners. Maybe not though if you consider the other person’s motives- if they haven’t truly connected with you some other way, they probably just want something from you, or they’re those stalkers that just want to know what you’re up to because they’re nosy.

By: Rory

Rory — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:32:05 +0000

@Sony: You are a good connection because I KNOW that you do good work! (but thanks for reading!)

By: Sony Maruvada

Sony Maruvada — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:14:10 +0000

Nice post.I guess I am considered a good connection since I read this blog post .

By: Rory

Rory — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:45:18 +0000

Thanks Seth, I appreciate the feedback! This is a great way to keep the dialogue moving forward!

By: Seth

Seth — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:42:05 +0000

Hi Rory,

Great insight into the social and business protocol involved with LinkedIn. Your thoughts are good to hear since it is what we are all feeling but putting in writing makes you nod your head in agreement.

By: Rory

Rory — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:06:38 +0000

Definitely Pedro, we’ve built a relationship along the way, which is key to a solid connection!

By: Pedro S. Silva II

Pedro S. Silva II — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:30:47 +0000

HI Rory,

I guess I am considered a good connection since I read this blog post. I think that you made very excellent points and expressed it very creatively. I’m glad that you are sharing your knowledge with others. You are already rich when it comes to this new economy of information sharing.

By: Rory

Rory — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:28:55 +0000

Great feedback Fehmida! Yes, it really does come down to deciding how you want to use LinkedIn. It is not a “One size fits all” tool, as we all know.

FYI, I did drop my connection last night. Although it stops me from gaining from that connection, it also stops him from gaining from me, and in this case, I believe it is the right move.

My advice to those employed is to start using LinkedIn effectively while gainfully employed, so you do not cave to the pressures of connection abuse if you find yourself unemployed. I always tell people, the contacts I made this year are not to help with my next job, but for the job after that!