In my LinkedIn (LI) profile, I have a few more contacts than the average LI user, not because I think it is fun to be one of the LinkedIn Open Networkers, and I am not a LION. LI is first and foremost a possibility for a relation, a possibility to share ideas over a cup of coffee, even if it is not possible to have a personal relationship with all my thousands of contacts.
I consider my entire network as potential partners, and I hope we can learn from each other. Do not hesitate to contact me.
LI is a very powerful tool to have good contact with a broad network with a lot of specialists in a great variety of professions. When it comes to Facebook, they give you the impression that all your FB contacts are best friends for life. LI does not operate with the fake friend term, and I think it is a much more honest approach to call contacts what they are, namely contacts.
When it comes to my profile, it is completely open, and I have no need to hide who my contacts are. I think we can benefit from having broad networks, and maybe there are some in my network that can help you? Do not hesitate to contact me if there is anything I can do to help.
When I am expanding my LI network, I am quite strategic when it comes to the competence I am seeking. Since my market for courses is in Norway, I am first and foremost interested in people in Norway with who has competence in crisis management, and those interested in learning more about networking. I might also want to connect with other interesting people, but then I always write a few words why I would like to be their LI contact.
And I do not mind contact requests from people I do not know, even if I do not automatically accept potential contacts that are not Norwegian. One example of a less than useful contact was the Nigerian man who wrote in his profile that he lived in Oslo, but he was located in Nigeria. He did not speak Norwegian at all, and his command of English was very poor. Of course, I do not mind foreign connections, or connections from Nigeria for that sake, but it is easier for me to confirm that Norwegians are the ones they claim. Drop me a note in less than 300 characters to present yourself.
If you want to learn more about how to use LI strategically, I have written a comprehensive guide in Norwegian and English about strategic networking. Here I show you can find exactly the right LI contacts for you, how you maintain your LI network and combine, optimize and synchronize your contacts with Google’s services and other useful network tools.
But computers, LI networks, gadgets and Google services aside, remember that these are only aids. The most important thing for building strategic networks is to build strong relations with people.