@Karma – I agree with much of what you say, except if I invite someone to connect in LinkedIn and they don’t accept, I don’t assume they even read it and made a decision about it… I get a ton of invitations on other sites that I simply ignore/delete, because I assume they inadvertently spammed me from that software… and I think many people who get any invitation might assume the same thing… make sense?

@Jane – I need to write a post about asymmetrical connections… in my book, in the chapter on connecting, I talk about a spectrum where there is very closed and very open, and YOU have to figure out WHERE on that spectrum you fall… probably not on either extreme, rather, somewhere in the middle… AND, your position on the spectrum can change as needed!

@Tom, nothing is stopping people from doing that, and it’s a good argument to stick with LinkedIn’s supposed suggestion to only connect with people you “know and trust.”

In the beginning, the network is mostly trusted people. But, as you meet people at networking events and start accepting linkedin invites based on ONE meeting, it is technically, no longer a trusted network.

What is stopping someone from viewing your connections, and calling up one of your important contacts claiming to know you ???? even though you have met only once !!!

Appreciate your inputs.

Tom

RE: “slightly open door” :
I use Linked In as a way to test the viability of a contact I made (and had a discussion with) at an event (unless we made a plan to speak or meet then and there). Instead of first making a follow-up call or email I invite them to connect on Linked In. If they don’t respond, I take that to mean: a) they are really not serious about building their network and/or b) They are not really interested in pursuing the business relationship. Usually if it is worthwhile there is some kind of follow-up communication that takes place – whether on LI or other conduits.

When I get an open invitation on Linked In from someone out of the blue, I don’t blow it off immediately. I write back and ask how they found me and why they might be interested in connecting with me. If I don’t get an answer, that tells me something.

Wishing you lots of luck and success!

I know I struggle with the best way to handle connections on LinkedIn. At first I only wanted to connect with people I knew personally, to be able to recommend them and their work, etc.

But…I never received any of those types of requests. In the meantime I turned down (and still turn down) generic “hey, connect with me” open network requests.

However, now I’m meeting people at chamber events, networking, etc. I don’t know them personally, but let’s say we had a great conversation. If one of those people invites me to connect, I’m more likely to accept at this point.

The same is true if I receive a connection from someone in a LinkedIn group – I won’t connect just because we’re in the same group, but I might if we participated in a group discussion.

Is this “open networking,” or perhaps “slightly open door” networking? Not sure…trying to find what works best for me personally.

I have a full description at

http://www.patrickomalley.com/todd-gravseth-lying-lion-linkedin.html