A lot of merchants in the online scene maintain a LinkedIn profile; but don’t seem to get what “networking” means.

I’m not a great networker these days, I prefer to be a bit of a “ghost” and do my own thing. I started up a LinkedIn profile years ago out of curiosity and have hardly used it since. However, I still get a few invitations to join other people’s networks. The email notifications usually read something like this:

***
Fred Bloggs requested to add you as a connection on LinkedIn:

Michael,

I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

- Fred Bloggs
***

I have no idea who Fred Bloggs is. There’s no motivation for me to even bother clicking the link to find out. It’s a bit like the random “friend” requests you get on other social networks.

What I’m trying to say is that LinkedIn is about business – so if you’re going to use the invitation feature; approach it appropriately. If you want someone to join your network; tell them why. Tell them who you are, what you do or what your connection to the person is – you may have met briefly at a conference and the target might just need a bit more info to jog his or her memory.

Unlike other social networks like Facebook and MySpace, it’s not the quantity of “friends” you have – LinkedIn is only useful to you if those you network with are relevant and engaged.