LinkedIn Spammer? Use LinkedIn without being a jerk

People ask me quite often what the etiquette is of using LinkedIn, from connecting to old co-workers, to reaching out to new job openings, or connecting with potential buyers. I have to preface this all by saying that I am a big believer in relationship building vs. connection building. I think a connection means about as much as a name in the phone book, but a relationship is knowing someone on a personal level and having the opportunity to enrich each others lives/businesses. Having 3k plus connections is fine and all, but what good does this do you when you don’t know the people you’re connected to? For many it’s adding names to their database. While there are no hard and fast rules, there are some guidelines I can give you from what I see people doing that you may or may not want to emulate yourself.

1. YOU MIGHT BE A SPAMMER IF: you compulsively send strangers connection requests and not jut the people you met once, but the folks you’ve never ever met… Read more