The Ballad of the Less Connected
I have a confession to make…
I HAVE LINKEDIN CONNECTION ENVY.
There, I said it. Now it’s out in the open, and everyone can see it. I’m told confession is good for the soul. Ahhhh…. the lifted burden.
Recently, you might recall I posted an update that I had just crossed the 5,000-connection threshold. That was a proud moment for me in my LinkedIn career. I congratulated myself on being a rock star networker and my connections for being worthy of the nod. I stated once again my desire to build a network of QUALITY, not quantity. Hooray for us! I'm sure we all basked in a wave of smug self-satisfaction THAT day.
But then it dawned on me…
I’m not winning. I looked around the LinkedIn playground and saw kids running with bigger cliques. They had more pals, chums, buds, bros, besties and got-yo-back friends than my glorious but outnumbered crew. If this professional network one day devolves into a post-apocalyptic free-for-all, I won’t have the numbers to win at Thunderdome. We are a squad at best.
I want a battalion.
Do I want to “put out every day†like Adam Karpiak? The man has wit coming out of his pores. There’s charisma to spare. I’m calling shenanigans. I think he has a couple SNL writers on retainer, and I don’t have that kind of payroll. But I think he’s up to 646 Million connections, now? Is that a thing? Can I be the Bernie Sanders of LinkedIn and ask him to GIVE ME 25,000 connections? I’m not funny enough!!! HELP ME!
Can I be a “share & comment warrior†like Lila Smith? I experience shock & awe every time I open my feed and see that she has commented on the first 78 posts before I had my first cup of coffee. I mean… damn. That’s getting out there and WANTING your social to be social.
All the billionaires on the site say I have to work 25 hours a day, eight days per week, if I REALLY WANT IT (“IT†being anything, from their money, their fancy sports car with the batwing doors or their quadrillion connections & followers). But I have an actual job and a wife and kids, and I enjoy the occasional nap. Wanting to be a human being is making me feel like a slacker. Who knew sleep was a vice? How do these LinkedIn demigods make the TIME?
So, I’m making this post my grassroots mission to find my 30,000th connection before the end of the year.
You read that right. I’m going to connect with nearly 25,000 more people on LinkedIn in the next 52 days. Take THAT, you non-sleeping billionaire bullies! I have go-get-em coming out of my ying yang, and I will NOT be denied!
WHO WILL HELP ME?!?!?!!! Share this post! Tell a friend! Like! Comment! But SHARE THIS!
Seriously… click that “connect†button, and let’s get this thing rolling. I love y’all.
PEACE.
Using my proven knowledge/expertise in Administration to the advantage of a Great Employer. Unfluencer??
7 å¹´Whats the point of building connections if you cannot remember who they are and what they do and how they work and connect with others - it is not a numbers game.
Researcher / Writer / Community Systems Builder--
7 å¹´Shannon Kelly this is funny! and the first time you came across my feed. I know exactly what you mean about Lila Smith - Lila tell me the truth did you hire a virtual assistant assistant? I know you commented with interest when I explained why it is used when i commented on some one else's post. :)
Medical Writer and Editor, Research Publications, Grant Applications, Medical Communications, and Regulatory Documents
7 å¹´Happy to help w. quest to have 30K connections! Happy to be a connection who shares knowledge & offers help--really let me know. Thats how I think quality matters more than quantity. That doesn't mean I can share knowledge and offer help to as many people as possible! Great to network w. you!
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7 å¹´CONNECTING with people and COLLECTING people are two different things. Sometimes . . . less is more.
Building the dynamic experiences your customers crave
7 å¹´Hey, team! If you "Like" it, please "Share" it! I can't hit 30,000 contacts by December 31st, if we are just loving each other! Oh, and THANK YOU!