Yes, it's too bad that the whole "competitive network building"
mentallity has taken hold in Linked In. Now, when I see connections to
people who show more than about 100 (or really even 50), my optimism
about their usefulness drops a lot. The best ones are 2nd order hits
with people who have less than 30 or so connections - then I'm quite
optimistic that they would be able to help make the connection.
Anything in the 100 range is suspect, and anything over 200 is a
writeoff.




--- In sikmleaders@..., Valdis Krebs <valdis@...> wrote:

Maybe Tom is looking to "close a triangle" -- get a direct
introduction? Always the preferred route!

LinkedIn often does not work for a quick/effective intro -- especially
if the LinkedIn network path you need to utilize contains people who
really don't know each other -- which happens quite a bit.
LinkedIn/Facebook/other SNS have become polluted with unusable
links[i.e. network noise] because some folks on on these sites will
accept any invitation, while others are in a race towards 'my network
is bigger' and want to get as many people in their direct circle as
possible, even if many/most are strangers. These links often fail when
it comes time to activate and use them in finding a path to someone

you

seek. Just because a 'mathematical path' exists in a network does not
mean it will be found, or be effectively utilized.

I'd be interested in hearing both + and - experiences in meeting key
people through a connection via LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.

Valdis
valdis@...
http://www.orgnet.com