I was never really a fan of myspace. I feel like there were too many people on their for the wrong reasons. While I know that there are tons of other networking sites and each one had a specific goal once they started up (i.e. facebook and college students), myspace reached out too far. People just add people they don't know based on looks or interests or they look like they could be very outgoing. Instead of having 125 friends, people try to reach up to 300 friends- whether or not they are actually friends. With any developed or long standing networking site that has an unlimited group of people who could join, I feel like people just add people for the heck of it. Facebook has gotten there.
I know all of you have probably gotten a friend request and you are like, do i even know you? and then try to search and see if you have any common friends only to find out, you dont. Some people just try to friend people to create a new connection- one that may not even exist.
With professional networking sites such as LinkedIn, what is the appropriate friending technique? I never know if I should just add someone because I have talked to them once or know about them. Is friending them the right thing to do? In terms of coworkers, I have worked with a lot of individuals but haven't necessarily talked to them other than on work terms. For others, I recognize their names having sent them emails but have very rarely if actually met them face to face. I don't add them to my LinkedIn profile.
In one article, it was said that "Just as we are now seeing a consumer backlash on MySpace--people have too many ‘friends’--we may see a similar reaction with the networking sites, and their value will decline." I completely agree. People sometimes just add people because they may work for the same company and look for people who be useful for connections. And with so many people doing the same thing, these connections aren't strong or useful.
While there may be a few people on your professional account that you may not know, next time you are about to friend someone, think about if its worth it...
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You make an interesting point and I would have to say that the over-friending is a two way street. We may be liberal in who we include in our network. Also, I would stress that it is important not to make a connection on LinkedIn with someone you don't know well. That may be seen as an unprofessional move in itself. A good rule of mine is asking myself if this person could put my name with my face.
discretion is certainly necessary when seeking out contacts. when doing something like an internship or even a full-time entry level position, however, there are some unique exceptions i feel.
when hearing how the most successful executives reached their positions, they often speak of a special mentor. sometimes there are people who you may not know very well but, for one reason or another, are willing to take you under their wing. this could be the key to your future career. even in this case though you need to be ready and show that you are a worthy mentee!
Great post. I think you make a really good point about social networks. People do tent to go a bit crazy with 'friending' or making connections. But maybe people do that because other people are. If you only have 15 connections on LinkedIn and one of your coworkers in the same field has 150 connections, that person may look like a more well known and well connected person- even if they don't really know or have ever worked with the majority of those contacts. This seems to happen a lot on most social networking sites and they do lose credibility for it. I don't think Linked In is any exception.
Hey Jill,
When you say "And with so many people doing the same thing, these connections aren't strong or useful" you're correct!
On the other hand, I've got the feeling the point of all these networking sites is to broaden your circle and that often implies adding poeple you might not know very well. The larger the circle gets, the more poeple you could get in touch with, thus creating more opportunities.
Alumni networks are based on a "common experience" which is a college. It's nothing personal, yet it functions very well. The larger the group, the better. Could this be true for other Social Networks?
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