575 - How do you connect?

There are 800 million profiles on LinkedIn.

I don't say 800 million people because we all know there are quite a few fake profiles and duplicate profiles.

Regardless, there are still more than enough people to go around.

When it comes to connecting with people, how do you decide with whom you will connect?

Do you accept every request from people without checking their profiles?

Do you chose by any of the following criteria?

There are many reasons why people connect.

The worst scenario are the people who randomly connect with everyone.

They don't look at profiles to be sure the profile isn't fake or that the person is a good fit.

When you connect with fake profiles, you are opening your network to scammers unless your settings are secure, which many are not.

I've received many requests from fake profiles who were connected to people in my network.

It's time consuming to alert those people that they are connected with a scammer.

Do you look at a person's About section, Education, Experience, Recommendations?

There are so many criteria to consider, especially if you are an analytical type.

While relationship building is not new, it is becoming more recognized on LinkedIn as the best way to build a network.

Consider why you are connecting with people and how you can get to know each other ON A BUSINESS LEVEL.

It's unfortunate that LinkedIn has that social media aspect where many believe they can start personal relationships.

If that's your mindset, you are in the wrong place.

This is a business platform. Save your personal content for Facebook.

Take good care of your network and it will thrive.

By showing them that you genuinely care, you are showing your network who you really are.

How do you connect on LinkedIn?

882 - OH NO! Mercury is in retrograde!