Those that know me well enough are probably familiar with how I manage LinkedIn invitations. In fact, there used to be a “how to do business with” (or some similar label) section on profiles. That section seems to be deprecated or gone so I’ve decided to use this post to “globally” share my “reply (decline)” to invitations I do not accept. So if you find I have not accepted your LinkedIn invitation (I ignored it in the app) look below and you should be able to figure out why.
Was Your “Invitation” an “Ask” to Look at Some Technology?
More than 50% of the “invitations” I get on linked in is someone using the invitation process to introduce some technology or services. This is not what invitations were originally for. Rather, InMail is the right vehicle for asking such questions, in my opinion.
If you want me to look at some technology, my contact information is at the bottom of this post.
Another FYI: There are a lot of people who hit me up for DevOps, Business Intelligence, or other application technologies. That is not my space today. My focus is on Information Security, Infrastructure (Systems), Data Center, and Networking.
My Personal Philosophy:
Please do not be offended, but I welcome network connections to people I know well enough that I can provide a knowledgeable reply and/or reference if someone else asks me about them. I realize we may be “connected” through other people or may have met briefly at some event. But my “thermometer” for networking on LinkedIn means we have met, done business together, or talked enough that I can comment to someone else about you as I described above. I hope you can appreciate this approach.
LinkedIn Recommended We Connect
Well – that is just WONDERFUL! However, LinkedIn just doesn’t understand my personal philosophy. I hope we may have a future opportunity to meet and develop a business relationship that warrants a future connection.
Using a LinkedIn Invite To Request A Meeting
This is not what the “invite” tool is for. Feel free to buy or consume an in-mail credit to message me. Better yet – send an email! I don’t hide my email address. I read them and respond to them, especially when you tell me you read this article.
My “Public” Contact Information:
Martin Littmann,
Personal Email: martin@askmartin.com
Photo by inlytics | LinkedIn Analytics Tool on Unsplash