Eric SimmsSenior Program ManagerBaltimore, Maryland, United States
On Linkedin I used to add anyone who sent me an invitation, but I soon realized my network was mostly composed of people who never made an effort to communicate; I suspect they were just trying to build up their network numbers to look impressive. I have severed these connections and I’m in the process of rebuilding my network, so I am curious how others build meaningful and useful online networks. Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
It depends on the network.
For PM.com I accept anybody, as they have shown their affiliation to my profession by signing up.
For LinkedIn, I accept anybody with a profile that shows affiliation to project management. It helps if there is a picture of the person. I immediately remove new links if they try to sell anything. It is not so much about my own growth and pride, it is more to recognize my responsibility to give them acknowledgement if they reach out. Often they comment on an article or comment I made, or they refer to my history in project management.
For FB, I am more selective. Saving Changes...
Wade HarshmanScrum Master| GDITIndianapolis, In, United States
On LinkedIn, I only accept invitations from people I've met. I have exceptions, but if I don't recognize a person, they don't have enough history to validate their legitimacy, or we have much in common, then I don't feel compelled to connect.
On this forum, I used to accept all connections, as Thomas said. Lately I haven't connected to many people at all, especially if their profile is empty. But honestly, I don't really know what value there is in connecting to someone here. Do connections get something that any other user wouldn't see? Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
I learned early in my career that I have something to learn from every person with whom I come in contact. Now that I'm self-employed, I have to consider extending my network even when there is no clear, immediate reason to do so. Saving Changes...
I agree with Wade that I haven't figured out what the value of connections are on this forum, other than if you want to contact someone directly. I see it more as gamification like the badges and influence score. I accept all invitations, but don't often actively add more for that reason.
I actually deleted profile information after observing some questionable activity that resembled social engineering. Although I even had a conflict of interest evaluation by my employer who both approved and thanked me for my contribution to the professional community, I followed information security advice to limit certain personal/employment information on social media. Saving Changes...
Hi Eric I’m probably one of many less active group of people on social media out of my own choice - would normally accept or add network on professional basis. Thank you for bringing up this topic. Saving Changes...
Victor GinobaBusiness Analyst| HarmoniaDumfries, Va, United States
Hi Eric,
Thanks for your question. It's funny that I'm reading your post now as I'm very new to this site and have not had much time to establish a meaningful network. So, I was thinking of that exact question. So far I've noticed that people in the PM community, people have way more connections then people on Linkedin do (I think it maxes out at 500). And it's not likely that one person has had a meaningful communication with hundreds of thousands of people.
However, with that being said, My rule of thumb for Linkedin is: If I have had some sort of meaningful communication with you, then I with connect with you (would be better if I met you). Outside of that I won't connect. However, for this website, a different strategy might need to be implemented. Saving Changes...
Jason KeelerSr. Project Manager| BMO Wealth ManagementToronto, Ontario, Canada
From a LinkedIn perspective, I'm relatively selective in that I generally accept invitations from those I know personally or at least know of and think would be an asset to connect with.
I get quite a few LinkedIn connection requests from people I have absolutely no connection to (e.g. different industry or country), and if not accompanied by a personalized message I flat our reject. If they look like they may be an asset, I'll usually respond and thank for reaching out, but also ask why they reached out and how I can help. I've met quite a few interesting people this way - usually fresh grads or those looking to enter the profession or my organization. Often however, I never hear back from the person.
This approach has kept my LinkedIn profile fairly clean. From a projectmanagement.com perspective, I haven't accepted any requests yet (thus how I ended up here), but as with those above I'm likely to be less selective than with my LinkedIn profile. Saving Changes...
