Photo credit to MarketingDirecto.com
Yes, I'll admit it.... I grew up through every social media craze there ever was. Myspace... had it. Live Journal... had it. Twitter... still do. Facebook... well, you get the point. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that I marched on over to my computer the moment I heard about LinkedIn.
It was so professional! I felt like a kid on the first day of school with brand new erasers and perfectly sharpened No. 2's. I could post all the skills I possessed and even ask for endorsements (which are the technical versions of referrals). With an online resume, I found it much easier to keep things up to date.
When I finished creating my profile, I patted myself on the back for a job well done and leaned over to my husband to ask him to friend me... and he declined. While I tried my best to lick my wounds and be understanding, my husband began explaining his logic.
"LinkedIn isn't like Facebook," he said. "You don't just friend people that you know. These are people that are a good professional connection and that you would use as a reference."
So that got me thinking. I guess those high school friends who are still going through their 'frat boy' stage are probably not the best to be friends with. However, I can't help but wonder - if they are on LinkedIn then aren't they wanting to grow professionally? Sometimes it's not the people themselves who are important but the connections they bring. What if Sally doesn't have a job but her aunt is the hiring manager at a wonderful firm? I, for one, would want to be on her good side and be counted as a great friend. Being friends with someone is always a great thing in my book. Friend me anytime!