Linkedin Ettiquette part 2?

There are some who don’t like to add people they don’t really know, so that their virtual network is a reflection of their actual network (the same way some don’t like to “friend” on Facebook people who are not actually their friends).

On the other hand, others like to add new contacts. See that at the bottom of a profile it says “Interested in”, that should give you an idea.

I work for a large engineering / construction company, and don’t socialize much within the company. I send requests to people that I “know of” and who are “likely to know” me at some point, even if we haven’t actually met. Usually we have enough “contacts in common” that it’s a good bet for either of us, and as our (your) networks grow, those chances increase.

So I’d go ahead and link to everyone that you personally know, first, so that when you start making requests of people you don’t know personally they’ll be likely to see “contacts in common”, making your acceptance more likely.

I do not choose to link to people that I don’t know.

I only ever add people that I’ve actually met.

LinkedIn isn’t particularly useful for me. Make of that what you will.

I only link to people I know. I figure if someone uses that site to get information about me and decides to check with the people I’m linked to about the type of worker I am, I want them to talk to people that know me.