21 Years on LinkedIn: Six Lessons Learned

I joined LinkedIn in 2003. Back then, the site had about 35,000 members – 10,000 times fewer than its current monthly active users, and 1/25,000 of today’s 900 million total member accounts. LinkedIn has certainly evolved since then, and so have my views about it. Here are six lessons I’ve learned along the way.

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Seek Quality Over Quantity

Many users assume the power of LinkedIn is in the numbers—the sheer number of connections you can accumulate. But more isn't always better, and quality outperforms quantity over time. The value is in building a network of people whose work, reputations, and integrity you can vouch for. These are the connections that matter—not just to you but also to others you might introduce them to in the future.

Play the Long Game

LinkedIn isn't a quick fix for networking, job seeking, or professional success. Its impact usually plays out over the long term, in ways you can’t always predict (or reconstruct later). Connections you forge today may prove valuable years from now, and in surprising ways—a career opportunity, a shared project, or a timely piece of insight. Network curation on LinkedIn takes time, patience, and willingness to run a networking marathon - not a sprint.

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Personalize Your Interactions

Personalization makes a difference. I always personalize my connection invites, to give context for the invite, and to set expectations. Briefly explaining why you’re reaching out conveys intent and genuine interest, and the same is true when accepting an invite. It takes just a moment to reply, “Thanks for the connection. Let me know if I can help with something specific.”

Once connected, monitoring and responding to direct messages is important too. Even if it’s just a brief acknowledgment, I reply to everyone who takes the time to reach out to me. It’s a small effort, but it can foster goodwill and stronger connections.

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Be Selective

It’s OK to reject an invite from someone who's a complete stranger to you. If you’re skeptical or just don’t want to connect with someone, steer the communication toward their reason for connecting and offer to follow up by email if that’s a better option for you. (And keep an eye out for the occasional fake account: they have few or no shared connections with you; credentials that don't sync with their likely career stage; a weird mix of impressive academic, corporate and personal experiences; and an industry totally unrelated to yours.)

Engage For a Reason

Think through your reasons for using LinkedIn. Defining a few goals can add focus to the time you spend on the site - whether it’s to stay on top of industry news, engage with peers and experts in your sector, share job openings from your network, or invite collaboration. Intentional engagement is more rewarding, for me and for those in my network: I can recognize results, and others can understand the purpose behind my interactions.

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Use the Power of Weak Ties

Finally, one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from LinkedIn is what sociologists call “the strength of weak ties.” People you work with every day usually have networks and perspectives that are a lot like your own. But the second-degree connections—the acquaintances of acquaintances—often have more diverse backgrounds, access to different information, and sometimes, unexpected opportunities. Looser and more casual connections sometimes deliver novel ideas, informative conversations, and valuable introductions. And it's another reminder that LinkedIn’s long-term value lies not just in direct connections but in the wider web of possibility they lead to. (To learn more about how this works, Google “Mark Granovetter weak ties.”)

LinkedIn has many flaws and countless critics. But you can avoid many of the site's drawbacks by connecting and following selectively and with purpose. After 21 years on LinkedIn, I’ve concluded that it’s not a social network —it’s a business tool that, over time, can reward patience, intentional engagement, and connection for a reason.

How do you get value from LinkedIn, and what’s your advice to newer users?