Dos and Don’ts of Online Networking
In Happy About Networking: The virtually simple way to build professional relationships, author Liz Ryan offers these etiquette tips for using LinkedIn and other online networking sites:
Do Create a User-Friendly Profile
Your profile is your virtual business card. Make sure it represents you the way you want to be viewed.
Don’t Invite Total Strangers to Connect
Spam is spam, and you must have a minimal level of contact with a person before inviting him or her to connect with you.
Do Be Clear About Your Intentions when you make a request. If you’re job hunting, say so. If you’re looking for investors, ditto.
Do Pass-Along Requests Promptly, or say why you won’t. If people send you requests and they sit there, unforwarded and unanswered for weeks, you’re the weak link in the system.
Don’t Use The Boilerplate Text
It takes very little time to put your own stamp on the standard invitation language that networking sites such as LinkedIn supply. Using the boilerplate text shows a certain lack of effort.
Do Value Relationships Over Transactions
As in physical-world networking, value people for their intrinsic worth rather than the business transactions they enable.
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