LinkedIn is Not a Private Club

When build­ing my Linkedin net­works over the past few years, I’ve not­ed a num­ber of small busi­ness own­ers and exec­u­tives that put their pro­file on ​“pri­vate” mode. In oth­er words, if I want to con­nect with them, I need to know his or her email address. The main pur­pose of Linkedin is to get con­nect­ed with busi­ness peo­ple. The more peo­ple you know, the bet­ter. My sug­gest is sim­ple: ​“Approve Every­one.” You can always go through your con­tact list and ​“weed out” any unwant­ed guest lat­er. Use Linkedin to build your net­work. Once you have a con­tact, begin the process of build­ing a friend­ship and a strong con­nec­tion with key peo­ple who can help grow your busi­ness. If you still just want a busi­ness or per­son­al pro­file and want a more pri­vate club, Face­book is prob­a­bly bet­ter fit for you. Face­book is not just about net­work­ing. It is either per­son­al or busi­ness: you choose. Linkedin is for busi­ness: to grow your busi­ness, your net­work and your referrals.