I presented a 90-minute seminar on Linkedin yesterday as part of my Social Media Marketing seminar series. And the question came up, as it always does when talking about social networks, how do I decide who to connect with?

Fast forward 24 hours. I just received an invitation to connect from a complete stranger. In replying nicely to the stranger, that I did not know them, I saw a small link in the Invitation window that reads: Which invitations should you accept?

Here is what Linkedin has to say when you follow that link, and I couldn’t agree more or have said it better myself:

Invitation to Connect

Only accept an invitation if you know the sender and want them in your network.

 

Accept invitations when:

• You want to stay in touch with the inviter
• You know and trust their judgment and expertise
• You’ve worked with them and would recommend them
• They know your work and can represent your potential

 

Do not accept invitations when:

• You don’t know the sender well (consider replying or deciding later)
• If you don’t know the sender at all, click on the “I don’t know” button or “Report as Spam”

 

Reporting as Spam:

When you select “Report as Spam” on an invitation, the sender will be blocked from inviting you again, and their invitations will be reviewed to make sure the User Agreement has not been violated.

For a great article on filling out your Linkedin profile, see Maisha Walker’s article on Inc.com.