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Bob, LinkedIn discourages people from trying to connect directly with others that they don't already know. Instead, they show the links between you & the other person & suggest that you ask one of these intermediaries to introduce you. When seeking a connection, you are asked to say how you know the person that you wish to link to and are given a choice of 6 possible answers: Colleague, Classmate, We've done business together, Friend, Other, I don't know Xxx. If you choose any of the first 3, you are presented with a choice of the possible locations in your CV that apply & are meant to choose one. If you say you're a friend or choose "other", you are asked for your target's email address. If you say that you don't know the person, I believe the system advises you not to proceed, suggests you get introduced by an intermediary & may block your message (unless you buy some "InMail" messages). In practice, however, most people seem to bypass this mechanism easily. They simply contact you directly claiming that they've "done business" with you and, of course, this is not something the system can verify. When I get these messages, I will usually point out to the individual that I HAVEN'T actually done business with them and I'm not sure that I wish to have a business or professional connection with someone who is dishonest. What else will they lie about later on? There is a 7th option to justify connections: membership of LinkedIn Groups. This option only shows if you and your target are members of the same group. To my mind, if you don't want to spend money on InMail messages, this is the honest way to connect with people you don't know. The recruiters also know this & are members of all the groups that don't tie their membership to some sort of professional qualification or profession. If you wish to connect to someone in the group, you say that you know them through a group & you're then presented with a list of groups where you share membership with that person. When someone requests a link, you are under no obligation to agree. You can accept them, ignore them, or correspond without agreeing to link until you're ready to make up your mind. Keep in mind your own reasons for being there. Is it for marketing, for recruiting new staff, for finding new jobs, for finding advisors to support you when you're on the fringes of your professional competence? Be selective & don't accept every link, unless your role is PR & marketing. This is lengthy, but I hope it helps you to understand how LinkedIn works. Trevor Maze From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Robert Dunn Sent: 13 July 2011 08:49 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [OCC-HEALTH] LinkedIn Is anyone else on the list having trouble with LinkedIn? I seem to be inundated with invitations from 'friends' who are recruitment consultants .. !!!! Regards, Bob Robert Dunn TD RGN OHNC SCPHN(OH) MSc Senior Occupational Health Adviser/Operations Manager University of Oxford Occupational Health Service 10 Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PD Tel: 01865 282676 Confidentiality. This electronic transmission is strictly confidential to the University of Oxford Occupational Health Service and intended solely for the addressee. It may contain information covered by legal, professional or other privilege. If you are not the intended addressee, or someone authorised to receive transmissions on their behalf, you must not retain, disclose in any form, copy or take any action in reliance on this transmission. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender as soon as possible and destroy this message. ******************************** Please remove this footer before replying. OCC-HEALTH ARCHIVES: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/occ-health.html CONFERENCES AND STUDY DAYS: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/filearea.cgi?LMGT1=OCC-HEALTH ******************************** Please remove this footer before replying. OCC-HEALTH ARCHIVES: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/occ-health.html CONFERENCES AND STUDY DAYS: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/filearea.cgi?LMGT1=OCC-HEALTH