LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

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At this point in the social media world, it is clear that LinkedIn is a heavy hitter when it comes to effective communications. People feel that LinkedIn is a very powerful channel for business; however, not everyone uses it effectively.

LinkedIn as a business card exchange

There are many people who subscribe to the school of thought that says that quantity rules. The more people who want to connect with you on LinkedIn, the better. Those people feel that everyone is worth the connection. This philosophy also believes that if you have so many LinkedIn connections, you are bound to eventually do business with some of those people.  One thing that is for sure is that no matter what, you should have a presence on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn selectivity

People who believe in this philosophy are more discriminating about who they choose to accept into their LinkedIn community. People who think in this way feel that there may be negative consequences if you choose anyone and everyone to be connected with you on LinkedIn. One of the biggest issues is regarding time. Everyone is so busy managing their businesses and their lives. The last thing that they want to do is waste time interacting with people in a fruitless relationship.

Let’s take a closer look at both schools of thought so that you can make an informed decision about how you want to approach your LinkedIn connections.

The issues in the eyes of people who choose quality over quantity

The following are potential issues from the perspective of people who don’t accept LinkedIn connections solely on the basis of numbers.

  • The fear that low-quality connections may say or do something to damage their reputation or relationship with other high-quality connections. From their perspective, their connections on LinkedIn should never be chosen randomly. They feel that it is just too risky.
     
  • They are protective of the people whom they have chosen to connect with. They feel the need to shelter them from people who may be questionable.
     
  • These people covet confidence. They feel that it is wrong to reveal information that has been given to them in confidence. This puts them in an uncomfortable position. The last thing that they wish to do is to endanger any of the relationships that are important to them.
     
  • Smaller, high-quality relationships are more meaningful than a large number of relationships. In addition to that aspect of it, it is also much easier to manage and maintain relationships with a smaller number of people than a larger one.
     
  • Connections should not be made until after an actual relationship has been firmly established. True relationships require trust and honesty. From the perspective of people who choose quality over quantity, they are very careful before they say yes.

The issues in the eyes of people who choose quantity over quality

  • Those people are not overly concerned with protecting other people. They can certainly take care of themselves. They are secure enough with their own reputation to feel that nothing (and nobody) can affect it. If anything happens, they feel that their network of connections will shelter them.
     
  • Imposters are not an issue for them. Proper etiquette is being used at all times and thus, expect the same behavior from everyone else. If anything questionable or unethical happens, they will simply not connect with that person after that.
     
  • Sharing information is a positive thing. It is understood that there is some control over the information. You only allow people to see your information if you choose to do so.
     
  • With regard to connecting to people, they don’t feel that this is in any way a bad thing. They feel that if you connect with someone, you will start to establish a relationship and, after all, that is exactly what social media is all about. Connecting with people is the only way that you will be able to eventually do business with them.
     
  • When it comes to the size of their networking community, they don’t feel the need to choose between large and small. They have a smaller, intimate group of people with whom they connect regularly. Having the larger group surrounding the smaller group allows them the option of drawing from a substantial pool.

Conclusion

The two schools of thought are very different but neither one is better than the other one. There are advantages to both and negative points to both. You need to look at them and determine which one works best for you and your business. Whichever one you choose, LinkedIn is an amazing social media tool for business and is well worth your investment of time and effort. You should consider LinkedIn your most important professional media channel. People who have a presence there are serious about making high-quality connections that will help them to succeed in business. So, jump in and start connecting.

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Author

  • Michael Cohn

    Michael Cohn is the founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of CompuKol Communications. He has decades of experience in IT and web technologies. Michael founded CompuKol Communications to help small businesses and entrepreneurs increase their visibility and reputation. CompuKol consults, creates, and implements communication strategies for small businesses to monopolize their markets with a unique business voice, vision, and visibility. Mr. Cohn earned a Master’s degree in project management from George Washington University in Washington, DC; and a Master’s degree in computer science and a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ.

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25 Responses

  1. Linda says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Social Media Marketers
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    HI Michael. My thoughts on LinkedIn are also how valuable it is in all areas of our business lives. There are many people who think having the most connections is the way to go, but not knowing how to connect and communicate with those connections is not an effective way to move forward. I go with quality first and foremost and quantity as a great add on only if you can manage your connections.
    Posted by Linda

  2. Ryan Biddulph says:

    "Imposters are not an issue for them. Proper etiquette is being used at all times and thus, expect the same behavior from everyone else. If anything questionable or unethical happens, they will simply not connect with that person after that." This sums it up Michael. Be high energy, meet new people and release the low energy folks along the way. Thanks!
    RB

  3. Scott says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: CMS User Group
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    Good Article. Personally, I would choose quality over quantity.
    Posted by Scott

  4. Brian says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: The NJ Networking Forum
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    My favorite topic!

    Quantity egauls Quality for me. I use LinkedIn as a sales and recruiting database.
    I have 11,000+ connections which allows me to view over 21 million profiles on here.
    I always have a "Quality" name when cold-calling companies and find great candidates that are not on the job boards. In my opinion if you are not expanding your network you will not expand your business and it's not always about who you are connecting with but who they are connected to.
    Posted by Brian

  5. Robert says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: CMS User Group
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    I value my connections and like to think I can call them or email someone I know. people with thousands of connections do not know them well and may as well join Twitter and have lots of followers there. quality definitely over quantity.
    Posted by Robert

  6. Vincent says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: eMail Marketing Group
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    That's really a problem of the user and their ability to effectively manage their communications. Do you know some other reasons for this issue?
    Posted by Vincent

  7. Fitz says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Freelance Editing Network
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    Umm, not everyone uses it because not everyone finds it user-friendly! I am so often sent on a whirring roundabout when having to change some detail – while logged on, I am repeatedly requested to log in.
    Posted by Fitz

  8. Marlene says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Freelance Editing Network
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    !Points of view! That´s all about! I just know I like Linkedin because here people care about professional matters. It is an input-output path between those who are not interested in "social" information that lacks sence.
    Posted by Marlene

  9. Rashaad says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Freelance Editing Network
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    But more and more people are using LinkedIn. I agree at times, it's not super user friendly but hopefully improvements will made to the site.
    Posted by Rashaad

  10. Michelle says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Professional Writers
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    I am returning to work after being home with kids and going back to school, and LinkedIn has been tremendously helpful in educating me about today's workplace. I cannot tell you how much I have learned through my discussion groups. However, I have friends in the professional world who do not engage in any social media except Facebook, and only to keep in touch with friends. I have encouraged them to get LinkedIn, not so much for the connections but for the group discussions.There is always something interesting being said.
    Posted by Michelle

  11. Randy says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Freelance Editing Network
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    Yes, you can be asked to log on extra times, but that seems to happen on every site. I love LinkedIn and have connected with old friends as well as new people who may or may not lead to future work. As far as I'm concerned, the more connections the better. The more connections you have, the more times your name will come up in searches, and that's part of what things are about for me.
    Posted by Randy

  12. Jayne says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Social Media in Science – Applying Social Media to Laboratory, Scientific & Health Professions
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    Fabulous article! I completely agree that Linked In is an amazing place to make business connections that are quality and a great place to engage in productive discussions that can add value to our own businesses and the decisions we make as part of our daily lives.
    Posted by Jayne

  13. Strayer says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: AssociationofWriters.com
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    I don't have many connections. There's no way I could track too many. I have connections to people I think are interesting.
    Posted by Strayer

  14. Brenda says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Writers World
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    I've been seeing articles about this very topic across the net. Don't know if it's LinkedIn doing a little promotional marketing or if it's others who are on this site taking it upon themselves to promote it. Either way LinkedIn is a great tool for promoting one's work, networking, and job searching. For those looking to grow their career,this is the place to be.
    Posted by Brenda

  15. Nadia says:

    Quality or quantity?  Being relatively new to LinkedIn, I hope to find both to expand my business.  I do find a lot of discussions interesting and helpful.

  16. CA says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Professional Writers
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    I agree, I like LinkedIn because of the discussions in the various groups I'm in. There is always some new information to learn. It's a great way to keep abreast of the vast rapid fire changes that are happening as we type! Unfortunately there are still many people who are not linked in.
    Posted by CA

  17. Kimberly A. says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Social Media For The Clueless
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    This was a nice, objective breakdown between the two philosophies. I can see where the "quantity" strategy may work for some people in certain types of businesses, but I personally prefer "quality".
    Posted by Kimberly A.

  18. Ann says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Freelance Editing Network
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    I agree with Fitz Townsend. I find LinkedIn user-UNfriendly much of the time. Sometimes I want to scream, "Stop the merry-go-round!!"
    Posted by Ann

  19. Umair says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Web 2.0
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    It is better to have potential connections that will lead to the quality.
    Posted by Umair

  20. Nellie says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Freelance Editing Network
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    I'm in the "quality over quantity" camp. To me, the numbers game is absurd. Anyone can accumulate hundreds, even thousands, of meaningless names of people they've never met. What does this really say about you and the professional level of your contacts?

    @Randy – I see your point about searches, but are you sure this is making a difference to your reputation? I think I'd rather get noticed for something more meaningful – not that this is easy!
    Posted by Nellie

  21. Randy says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Freelance Editing Network
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    @Nellie, I haven't noticed any reputation problems, but thanks for the concern. Of course I'm not adding hundreds of people without checking them out first. The point is to add the right people, not just people for the heck of it.
    Posted by Randy

  22. Nellie says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Freelance Editing Network
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    Well that makes sense! It kinda sounded like you weren't being too discriminating. I actually was nearly taken in by a con man who is an active member of LinkedIn. For some reason I thought LinkedIn had lifeguards at the pool, but they do not.
    Posted by Nellie

  23. Carlostella says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: "Write It Down"-A Website for Writers
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    Thanks a lot. Your article is very interesting and it clarifies a lot of points. I will read and discuss it with a student, who works as Marketing Assistant at Fiat Industrials, in Italy, near Milan. She is learning Conversational Business English with me.
    Posted by Carlostella

  24. Debbie says:

    Excellent presentation of the two thoughts regarding connections. For job seeking, I prefer quality as I use LI very strongly to reach out to HR directors thru my connections and I am seeking work within my immediate geographic area. This strategy is very effective ONLY when my connections actually 'know' their connections.  I like the more personal relationship 'feel' I have with my connections because I actually know 95% of them.

  25. J.L. says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Web 2.0
    Discussion: LinkedIn Connections – Quality vs Quantity

    big amount of connection doesn't guarantee that our network is working well, unless all of them are well qualified connection … quality is more value then quantity!
    Posted by J.L.