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There are some dos and donts for polite and professional use of the network.

1. DO connect to your “real-world” friends:

   I’m amazed by how many LinkedIn users join up, create a profile, and immediately set to work inviting all sorts of online strangers to join their networks. The first thing to do as a new LinkedIn user – after creating a rockin’ profile for yourself – is to invite your true-blue friends and former workmates to join your network. There are three steps in this process:

   a) Download your Outlook address book

   b) Use the Find Colleagues and Find Classmates functions to link up with people you know from school and past jobs; and

   c) Invite “real” friends who aren’t already LinkedIn users, to join the network – you’ll be helping them get connected at the same time you grow your own network.

2. DON’T become an Invitation Spammer:

   It’s tempting to start sending “connect to me” invitation to everyone you find on LinkedIn, but it’s bad manners. If you want to reach out to someone you’ve spotted who has an enticing profile, send the person a Contact request rather than an invitation to join your network. A Contact request, to use an offline networking analogy, is like an invitation for a coffee date. An invitation to Connect is like asking someone to go steady. Unless you know a person already, don’t spam him or her with a “want to start recommending me to people, and vice versa?” invitation .

3. DO unto others:

   It’s astounding that a person would send out connect-to-me invitations while proclaiming on his or her profile that no new connection invitations will be accepted. There are other LinkedIn users who set up a profile and make connections, and then specify on their profiles that they won’t act on requests to forward (a key piece of LinkedIn’s value).

4. DON’T make assumptions:

   Connection invitations should state clearly why you expect your invitee to link up with you – for instance, because you serve on the same chamber committee or because your daughters are best friends in the fifth grade. With so many activities crowding a typical businessperson’s schedule and so many people in the mix, it’s easy for people to forget how they know you. Likewise, even Contact requests should state your case as plainly as possible. A message that says “May I call you? We could collaborate” is not the world’s strongest pitch. People are incredibly busy – if you’re job-seeking, or trolling for new clients, you may lose sight of the fact that a person needs a compelling reason to even spend ten minutes on the phone with you.

5. DO keep your profile current:

   If you can’t be bothered to keep your profile current, why should another person engage with you?
   Bonus: when you update your profile, you can send a one-click blast message to let your entire first-degree network know about your news. Note: please don’t abuse this feature! Reserve profile-update blasts for news on the order new business location or conference date to remember….as opposed to news items like “I have started my PMP certification class.”

6. DON’T confuse quantity for quality:

   It’s easy to get the notions “a big network” and “a strong network” confused. The question to ask yourself is “could I recommend this person, and could he recommend me?” Quality is considered referrals, which are good on Linked-In. If a resource cannot offer a referral, it can be considered quantity, which is not too bad either.

7. DON’T pass along questionable requests:
   When a friend sends a spammy invitation for his business conference, you can reply “I’m sorry, but I don’t feel comfortable passing this on.” Don’t hesitate to stand up for yourself and for your friends when sketchy requests appear.
8. DON’T abuse the Find Colleagues feature:

   LinkedIn’s Find Colleagues feature allows you to find old workmates and send unmediated connection requests to them.

9. DO join the PowerForum:

   Newbie LinkedIn users have lots of questions, and a great place to get answers is the user group called MyLinkedInPowerForum. Send a blank email message to mylinkedinpowerforum-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to join the group and get LinkedIn (and general) networking advice.

10. DO disconnect from bad apples when you need to:

    Finally, it’s worth noting that LinkedIn gives you the ability to disconnect from other users if you find that the connection no longer works for you. If you’re plagued by inappropriate requests or other annoyances from one of your connections, you can disconnect.

Literature above referenced from importanttoday.com

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