I’m flooded with LinkedIn requests each week – do I have to accept them all?

Dear Aunty B,

I recently decided to establish a profile on LinkedIn as a way of promoting my business but responding to the hundreds of invitations I receive each month is becoming too much to handle.

I expected to receive a large amount of invitations when I first joined the site as many of my existing professional contacts have been using LinkedIn for some time. But now it seems like I am spending precious time wading through invitations from people I have never met and who don’t appear to be in fields even remotely related to my work.

Is it okay to decline LinkedIn invitations or should I say yes to everyone?

Overwhelmed,

Melbourne

Dear Overwhelmed,

Repeat after me: it’s okay to say no.

LinkedIn is a fantastic tool for networking, but as with any social media platform, you are sharing the space with people who just don’t get how to use it properly. Think of it like Facebook: would you agree to be Facebook friends with complete strangers? I didn’t think so.

If the invitation is clearly spam, decline it and don’t give it another thought. Accept the invitations from people you genuinely want to connect with. And for those who have written to you personally, try replying to them without accepting the invitation to find out more information.

If they come back to you and present an interesting business opportunity, don’t be afraid to make the connection. You never know when it might come in handy.

Be Smart,

Aunty B

What are you waiting for? Email your questions, problems and issues to auntyb@smartcompany.com.au right now./p>

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