I got an email from LinkedIn Requests yesterday. Thinking someone wanted to connect with me, or wanted advice, I opened it. Turned out to be essentially a commercial. Someone I didn’t know, and had no contact with, sent me three paragraphs describing his business, how wonderful it was, and telling me to contact him. He went on and on about his shipping and logistics company – telling me how I could save money and all about his innovative ideas.
Trouble is, I rarely ship packages, particularly large ones. Nearly everything I do is electronic: web copy, brochures, letters are all uploaded via FTP or emailed. No shipping.
The email was impersonal, irrelevant, and unanticipated. I have no need for this person’s services, and frankly, I was annoyed.
So, before you hit send on LinkedIn or “friend” someone, think about it from their point of view. Is this for me? Or for the other person? Who gets helped by this?