Which kind of LinkedIn user are you?

by Ben Lucier on May 24, 2010

Did you realize there’s a holy war brewing amongst LinkedIn users? During a Twitter exchange last week with Chris Brogan, he touched a nerve that I didn’t even know I had.

The LinkedIn nerve that Chris struck prompted a useful discussion about how people connect on LinkedIn and it helped me clarify my own thoughts on how I use LinkedIn.

By the way, before I get too far into this, I’m a big Chris Brogan fan and have been thoroughly enjoying my time with his book Trust Agents, which he co-authored with Julien Smith. If you haven’t read it, go get it today.

On his Twitter stream last week, Chris invited the masses to connect with him on LinkedIn. Seeing this tweet from the author of a book on trust agents, I was a bit shocked. He explained to me that he gets more from LinkedIn by connecting to everyone, regardless if a professional connection exists in the real world or not.

I quickly responded telling Chris that LinkedIn’s own ‘rules’ say that you should only connect with people you know and have dealings with in real life, to which Chris responded: “Oh, I’d never tell you to break a rule.”

His response immediately reminded me of part in his book which talks about making your own game to get what you want and that’s exactly what he’s doing with LinkedIn. I realized that my argument was no longer with how Chris is ruining LinkedIn, but with the LinkedIn service itself.

Chris was simply doing was he does best: breaking the rules and making his own game. So what if LinkedIn says to only connect with people you know, right?

There are two kinds of people on LinkedIn

I realized last week, that LinkedIn has two kinds of users:

Trusted Network BuilderThe Trusted Network Builder only adds and accepts connections from individuals they’ve met in real life.

Benefit: connections for these users automatically imply a certain level of trust between the user and the connection. This LinkedIn user can be expected to provide a certain amount of information regarding their connections.

Disadvantage: this user misses connections that could be made because of their decision to limit their network size to people they know.

Unknown Network BuilderThe Unknown Network Builder user accepts any incoming connection request and will also invite LinkedIn users to their network despite no prior relationship or real world connection.

Benefit: the unknown network builder can build very large networks, which results in more potential for business.

Disadvantage: No indicator for relationship type means a trust level cannot be established for connections of this user type.

If I continue to be a trusted network builder on LinkedIn, and Chris continues down the path of an unknown network builder, a problem exists when we look at each other’s connections.

For starters, based on my usage of LinkedIn, my default would be to trust Chris’ connections. On the other hand, when Chris sees my connections, he’s missing valuable insight because he doesn’t know that my connections come with an implied trust already because I know and trust them in real life.

I can see why Chris’ “Accept All” approach works for him, but he also hasn’t persuaded me to ditch my trusted network builder tendency in his latest blog post either. I think we’ve both found something that works for each of us and the challenge now is for LinkedIn to step in and help us co-exist on the same platform. A reputation engine would be ideal as it would enable me to rate my connections for others, while Chris would probably opt to not rate (or rate them as ‘unknown’).

What do you think?

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  • http://www.megoagain.com michelle kostya

    My approach could be considered a bit of mix of the two…I don’t actively search out people I have no dealings with, however if someone I don’t know sends a request with a thoughtful note attached and we have something in common (passion, work etc) I will often accept their request.

    • Ben Lucier

      Michelle, thanks for your feedback. I figured you a fencesitter. :) Seriously though, it sounds like you’re still *leaning* toward the trusted network builder since you’re adding somebody based on criteria that you know about them. Although admittedly it’s a weak connection.

  • http://chirpfactory.blogspot.com Rachel Dunlop

    Perhaps LinkedIn could implement a toggle setting that users can set on their own account which indicates whether they are, as you put it, Trusted Network Builders or Unknown Network Builders or a mix. Mixed would allow you to rate your connections.
    That way if you are a purist to one school of thought or the other you save time by not having to rate how you know someone.
    (Similar to the WarcraftPets collection setting (sorry to use a WoW analogy) where users indicate whether their collection spans multiple characters or just one)

    • http://www.linkedin.com/in/meltzerlaw Steve Meltzer

      How about a toggle switch on each of our connections – either the connection is a trusted and known network member or he/she was added as an unknown network member?

    • Ben Lucier

      I agree something needs to be done and your suggestion is interesting Rachel, despite the WoW reference. ;)

      I think LinkedIn really needs to spend some time on this to make sure they get it right. We don’t need a lot of complex identifiers, just something that lets us search/filter based on connection types, you know?

      Thanks for chiming in!

  • http://twitter.com/taraduveanu Tara

    I don’t think we should accept all invitations to connect. If someone wants to connect on LinkedIn and he or she has a good reason for that then I will find out from that person’s message to me and accept the invitation. And this works the other way around when I need to connect with someone I would want to do business with.

    I really don’t see a point in having connections with people I know I’ll never work with or don’t have the same interests or background as I do.

    • Ben Lucier

      That’s kind of my point Tara. But at the same time, @ChrisBrogan makes some great points about how he chooses to use LinkedIn. Although he’s breaking the rules, I can’t say I blame him since he’s making the tool work for him.

      Hopefully LinkedIn will evolve as Twitter has evolved… to accomodate the habits and needs of its users. Really appreciate your comments!

  • http://www.fearlessindustry.com Michael Cooney

    I’m on the side of the Trusted Network builder, There is no relationship in the untrusted method. I would rather have quality connections rather than quantity.
    I think the Chris Brogan method favors a push method, where you want to get you message out to as many people as possible and there will be a percentage that will contact you for you services. I can see why it works, but I think you need to certain stature to pull it off.

    • Ben Lucier

      Good point. I hadn’t counted on the “certain stature” concept. I guess Chris might get away with things we might not. Thanks Michael!

  • http://kbjake.wordpress.com Brian Jacobson

    I, too, follow a somewhat modified approach that encompasses both approaches. I lean heavily toward the Trusted Network Build side.

    As a consultant and a professional involved in recruiting and staffing, I prefer to have my contacts see me as someone with good connections and the ability to Link them with trustworthy professionals.

    As a sales and marketing professional building my company and helping others build and strengthen theirs … I want to meet new people with new ideas. Sometimes serendipity leads to great discoveries of mutual interest and compatible goals.

  • http://bargainista.ca Eden Spodek

    Ben, thanks for the insightful post. I’ve always lived by the rules that are comfortable for me when building my network and connecting with friends and colleagues in the social space.

    You’d probably call me a Trusted Network Builder. Here’s how I break it down: Twitter – sure, if you’re interested in what I’m saying and you’re not a troll or spammer, follow me. I may not follow you back (more because of the time factor) but I’d love to chat and will do my best to reply.

    Facebook and LinkedIN are different. For the most part, unless I know you in real life, I won’t connect – regardless of limited profile options, etc. I’ve made the occasional, rare exception if we’ve connected in other ways and share a circle of trusted real-life connections.

    Once I was tricked into thinking I’d met someone about 5 years after a job search. He was a recruiter who wanted to connect on LinkedIN and deceived me into thinking we met during the search. Wrong! I accepted his invitation only to have a few colleagues tell me he found them through my LinkedIN profile, contacted them and used me as a reference. Grrr!

    When ever my kids see my LinkedIN or FB profiles, they think its funny that I have several pending friend/contact requests. I tell them I’m waiting for the day when I meet these people in person so I can make an informed decision about whether or not I want to connect with them.

    Maybe I’d take a different approach if I was self-employed but I’d rather have a smaller network of trusted and trusting connections.

  • http://bargainista.ca Eden Spodek

    After I left my comment, I remembered a situation where I met someone at an event. I wanted to see if our paths crossed. Turns out we shared a connection on LinkedIN. When I asked our mutual connection about this new mutual acquaintance, he didn’t have a clue who I was talking about. It made me think long and hard about the value of his network and confirmed once again that size isn’t everything.

    • Ben Lucier

      Yep, I’ve run into this as well Eden. Happens all the time on Facebook, but occasionally on LinkedIn. My connections appreciate that when they ask me about one of my friends or connections, I can actually tell them about the person. (ie in your case a very friendly and approachable socmedia superstar with loads of expertise related to podcasting.)

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  • http://www.sueannereed.com Sue Anne Reed

    I’d say that I fall somewhere between the two, leaning more towards Linking to people that I’ve had some sort of contact with (whether meeting them in person or an ongoing connection with them online).

    I’ve met Chris Brogan in real life, so I’m comfortable with linking to him. However, since linking to him my jump in 2nd-level connections has increased considerably.

  • Dorothy Steel

    Hey Ben,

    I’m still old school, privacy-phobic, Trusted Network all the way. I’m not job hunting, selling anything or interested in popularity so I don’t want or need a million meaningless connections. Trying to explain why to ‘kids these days’ is making me feel old though. I’ve definitely found my generational divide. :)

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  • http://crosbygroup.ca Connie Crosby

    My experience and behaviour is very much like Eden’s. I get frustrated with people using Facebook as a wide net of people they might want to know someday since I’ve tried to keep that to real life friends. With Twitter I’ve left it wide open since I can control the message more.

    That being said, everyone sees and uses these tools differently. It’s difficult for us to put rules onto how other people are using them (even if there are rules set by the site owners).

    I’ve been on LinkedIn now for so long that there are people there who I met, had contact with briefly, and then haven’t had contact with in 2 or more years, so wonder how useful that is as well. I’ve always wished there was a notes field on LinkedIn so that I could write in where/how I have met this person, much the way I write notes on the back of business cards, to tweak my memory.

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  • http://www.acevirtualassistance.com.au Jodi Gibson

    Interesting. I am in two minds also. However, with LinkedIn I feel I am more inclined to accept an invitation from someone I don’t know as it is business related compared to someone wanting to ‘friend’ me on Facebook. Hence why I have more connections on LI and Twitter than friends on Facebook!

    As a virtual business operator, most of my clients I have not ‘met’ in person, not by choice but the nature of our business and location. I feel comfortable making a legitimate business connection with someone I don’t ‘know’ if I feel that I could be of service to them or someone in their network, learn from them and/or vice versa.

    The virtual networkng arena can be very powerful when used correctly and authentically so to not connect with those I don’t ‘know’ would be foolish.

    • Ben Lucier

      Thanks for your input Jodi.

      I agree with you 100%. I would like to use LI the way you do and it would be great if LinkedIn would recognize that and make changes to somehow separate (or identify) my “trusted” network.

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  • http://www.newadventuresofanoldsid.blogspot.com/ Chris Syme

    I don’t have a problem with linking with as many people as possible on LinkedIn unless you’re a troll. The more connections I have in my field, the better. You never know when you’ll need one. I am not a privacy freak and I don’t care how other people use Facebook, Twitter or any other network. As long as you are there to raise people up and not suck up (as Brogan would say), go for it. We don’t realize just what he was offering us–a chance to be linked to him. That is value, folks. Appreciate it.

    • Ben Lucier

      Chris, appreciate your insight… it’s great to have people chime in with their views.

  • http://publicimagedesign.com Daryl Woods

    Perhaps the problem here is making comparisons to the way Chris Brogan does things. Chris tends to see things with a perspective beyond what most of us comprehend. What works for him doesn’t apply for all. Use LinkedIn the way it works best for you.

    It is about building your network so why confine yourself to existing contacts. In my case, I’ve expanded my base by joining groups and hiring people I discover in those groups. This has worked out very well because some of those people have hired me back.

    Read what others are doing on LinkedIn and follow strategies you feel comfortable with. There is no absolute right or wrong path.

  • Scott

    I’ve found that that the new connections, new ideas, fresh approaches of people I have newly “met” on LI have provided the greatest results for me. Groups are a great place to grow and learn from new connections. While we’ve never met in person, we share the group connection – which I don’t think violates LI rules, BTW.
    Scott

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