I find it funny when I meet people on LinkedIn who have 500+ contacts. What are these contacts worth? The answer may be surprising as it is ‘next to nothing’.
What! But it is Linked in! The hot ’social networking’ site!
Let me explain. Networking is about building relationships. You build a relationship by having ‘meaningful’ interactions with those you network with. In fact, the best thing that anyone can say with regards to a networked relationship is “I really feel that I know them”. You have to work for a good network. The output of your network is directly proportional to the effort you spend.
But now there is LinkedIn.
LinkedIn makes it ‘very easy’ to ‘network’. But by building connections are you really maximizing your network? NO, you are playing a numbers game with the goal of ‘proving’ to others on LinkedIn that you are an ‘excellent networker’ because of the size of your contact-list.
Back to the people who have 500 contacts. If they spend 5 minutes a year thinking about or actually networking with all their contacts, then they will spend about 40 hours a year ’strengthening’ that network. More aptly put, most people in your network will have NO IDEA WHO YOU ARE.
Linkedin has become a victim of its own success. Network = contacts, but contacts are nameless faces whose only qualification for being in your network is the fact that they accepted your invitation.
In other words, they are worthless.
Yes, I know you worked for Siemens, who has about 500,000 workers world-wide. So you can invite all Siemens alumni who are in LinkedIn to be in your network. Is that a ‘good’ network? How many of those thousands of ‘network nodes’ vouch for you? Remember you when a relevant opportunity came up?
I am not saying that LinkedIn is bad. For me, its utility has improved with some of the new functionality. But in making ‘networking’ easier, LinkedIn has diluted the meaning of networking.
I agree. Subscribing to Metcalfe’s Law probably isn’t the best practice when it comes to professional networking. The emphasis on numbers has people banking on quantity rather that quality, which will ultimately undermine the strength of your network. You need to nurture your network and engage your contacts rather than building a base of individuals who won’t vouch for you. How about creating actionable networking plans that feed into your career path management? SaaS solutions like UpMo.com embrace this idea of leveraging your network and making it work for you in a way that’s consistent with your career goals.
[...] to the job searching world, as we’ve said before it’s not the size that matters, it’s the quality. or to align it more closely to the [...]
[...] The Trouble With LinkedIn: Bigger is not better giant LinkedIn networks aren’t necessarily better – quality over quantity. Published in: [...]
[...] The Trouble With LinkedIn: Bigger is not better talks about LinkedIn specifically, but the bottom line is that it is quality not quantity in your network. Published in: [...]
I agree on the numbers part. I’ve seen some lately in the millions! How is that even possible? I am very picky about who I choose to accept in my network. My clients are a part of it and I encourage them to network with each other. I like knowing EVERYONE in my contact list.
Good post, thanks!
Erin Kennedy
Professional Resume Services