The Rule of Six Degrees of Separation Can Get You Noticed.

Can Applying the Rule of Six Degrees of Separation Help you to get Noticed on LinkedIn?

Six degrees of separation is the theory that everyone and everything is six or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world, so that a chain of "a friend of a friend" statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps. It was originally set out by Frigyes Karinthy in 1929
(image credit to Dannie Walker)

How can you apply that on LINKEDIN to get to the right connections that will be useful to you and them in your professional career or activities.

So what is your strategy? How can you connect to your connection's connections to build your profile or to get to an identified opportunity, target or connection?

Clicks, Shares, Updates, Likes and Views.

Is this really the way to be found professionally for your next career move. Can you really find connections through your connections that will be useful to you and do you have a strategy for using LINKEDIN? Afterall, its just another social media platform, hopefully without the Candy Crush and other add-ons.

LINKEDIN provides guides telling us that "Getting more profile views can get you found for the right opportunity" but can it? And, how does this relate to you improving your profile distribution to the right people. Think about the "six degrees" and consider who you know that knows someone you would like to or need to know for your next career move or business opportunity, find a way to get them to introduce you through your activities on LinkedIn. By using the introduction option you avoid being a "spammer" or "troll" or "phisher" of connections.

LinkedIn also promotes the idea that the "ranking" of profile views against your own connections list has some meaning thus creating a circle of constant adhoc, clicks, likes, shares and views. This is not entirely true because the people viewing your profile may or may not add value to your presence or potential to secure opportunities. Some are just "Trolls", some are only looking for what they can get out of knowing you and some are just scammers, amongst the ones that have actual value. So do not value the number, value the quality and how that is connected or could be connected to your objectives, "Six Degrees" at work.

Like anything it only works if you work it. You "reap what you sow" as the old adage goes.

How does it work?

Someone goes to see your profile, you get a notice, you go and check out who they are before you link up. You received views, they received views and maybe a new connection. But was there value in this exchange?

Someone sees some update from you, clicks like and gets an activity registered in their profile even if the think they liked is not even of importance to them.
You share someone's update and you receive the same. You make an update and hope for likes and the same result. But was there value in this exchange?

But who is liking, viewing, sharing your information and updates? is that important? How can this help you get the right connections? Can people with 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 100,000 connections truly be connected to them? Volume is how LinkedIn measures and shows you and it is volume of activity that adds value to LinkedIn's value, but will volume of likes and shares actually help you? Or is your activity only helping LinkedIn's statistics?  Be sure to connect, like, share and engage with connections of value.

Don't Click for the Sake of Clicking!

There are the "Clickbaiting" strategies employed by some which you should avoid, this will not bring you through the six degrees. Recruiters seem to be the worst at it, although it used to be MLM's before LINKEDIN put a lid on that. If a recruiter, or someone who is saying they are a recruiter puts up a vague announcement about "jobs all over the world" literally then it is probably just click baiting, trying to get attention or worse, scammers trying to get personal details to use later in a different scam such as job placement scams. (Such as pay in advance for fixing your CV and you can get this job or that or much worse). Don't click for the sake of building up the number of likes and shares for the week, click because something resonates with you and adds value if you share it with your connections. Click like if you appreciate something, not just to build your stats for the week. Your left click button has value to you, your connections and to LINKEDIN, use it wisely!

How to Get something Out of LinkedIn.

I will share my own experience. I have several companies and so my LINKEDIN strategy is built around those businesses and how I can meet the right kind of people through LinkedIn through people I know or in industries that I am involved.

Firstly in hospitality, I have a POS software company so my target is to get to know potential partners and customers in that business. Current potential is usually restaurant managers, owners, chefs. future potential can be most anyone in the hospitality industry and following industry leaders helps me get more of the right kind of connections myself. For example, it is likely that a good chef or restaurant manager/F&B Manager will aspire to own their own restaurant at some point in their career, so this kind of professional is important to my future business, so I look for opportunities to meet, connect and engage with professionals from that background at various stages in their career.

I also have a consulting business for a unique entertainment concept that is very narrow in its focus, only about 10% of my connections are related to that business but about 60% of my updates, shares, likes are in that area of my business to highlight what I am doing and keep my profile positive for potential partners. Afterall I only do 1 project in that field each 3 years so its important to keep current with potential partners.

So my rule is that there are numerous people in my industry who have potentially future business connection with. I also hope to share insights that I have learned or pick up along the way with the connections I have.  I look for new connections who are relevant and who will gain from connection with me as much as I may gain from being connected with them. I will admit that I have some excess baggage in my connections but that was created before I realised the best ways to connect and add value, I am respectfully removing some of those connections as I progress.

What do I get out of LINKEDIN. Over the past 3 years I have probably received upwards of $600,000 in leads, or references to leads or to support leads, through connections that I have fostered after identifying their potential and then sending through contact requests. So as a source of business leads it is very worthwhile to have an active LINKEDIN profile and the right connections. It is equally important to respect those connections and provide a positive value to the connection relationship.  So it is an important source of leads for my business, but it is also an important source of reference to my profile, achievements, activities and status that groups I may potentially work with will review, so it has to be professional in how it is set up. Make sure your profile and activities reflect the person and professional you want to be.

Who approaches me on LINKEDIN?

Recruiters now and then, but most professional recruiters seem to take the time to read my profile and realise that I am probably not the right fit for what they are looking for or might be just too expensive, given my age and experience.
MLM's used to be a pain but seems to have disappeared. Thank you LinkedIn.

Because I am in software distribution I get approached often by POS suppliers for hardware and peripherals and this makes up about 50% of my "Spam" contacts. The other is software development companies offering their services to me, which if they had bothered to look at my profile would be a complete waste of time, but its theirs to waste.

Scammers are the worst and usually the most obvious. Without specifically disparaging any one nation or people there is a particular group that pretend to be "bankers" or "funders" or offer "opportunities" that are obviously false or at best misleading. Identifying them and avoiding them, blocking them, reporting them is very important to all of us on this network to protect its integrity for our ongoing benefit. So always report scammers, but don't do it slanderously. Or at least block them and identify them as "spam" so LinkedIn can take care of them.

What is your Strategy? Do you have one?

If you just accept every request for connection from every corner of the globe you are taking a shotgun approach to your use of time to improve yourself.

Some suggestions:
1. Join Groups that are appropriate to your job, future direction and industry and participate in discussions in positive manner, have something to say, say it well (research it first) and share with the group.
2. Look through suggested connections and only try to connect with appropriate people that may add value to your participation or to whose participation you may add value to.
3. Having the most likes doesn't mean that people actually like your update, they are just trying to improve their weekly stats to make their profile position the best they can. Make sure your updates are reaching people you want to reach. Share them with groups, especially those appropriate to your development.
4. Having the most profile views means nothing if the people viewing your profile are just trolls, scammers, fake recruiters et al. Find ways to expose your profile to the right people.
5. If you are a guy (or girl), don't accept every pretty girl connection request, especially if she is showing her "tartars" or is otherwise provocatively displaying herself as a "honeypot". Chances are she may not even be a girl, could be a 6' 4" Nigerian guy in a boiler room in Bangkok for all you really know. (no offense intended to 6' 4" Nigerian guys in general) So CHECK THEIR PROFILE and look for clues about who they really are. ITS NOT A DATING SITE!!! (Same applies for guys used as honeypots to attract girls into a scam or other guys, don't fall for it)
6. If you truly know someone, know of their activity, career, and you see an update or share from them, try to take time to actually read it and comment, share or like if you think its appropriate, sometimes making a comment, share or like will get someone's attention so it is a good way to build stronger connections but use it wisely.
7. Endorse people you know or know of or have an understanding of their profile. Don't just go through clicking the endorse button ad infinitum to build up your activity on your profile or in an attempt to get more views or likes. Endorse people as a strategy to get someones attention but not 10,000 people.... you can't handle that much attention anyway.
8. Give recommendations that are truthful, have specific reference to an activity and result and that are not just a personal reference as to how nice someone is.
9. Use your judgement, if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.
10. Don't be dismissive or nasty to others, if someone tries to connect with you, if you don't know them don't just ignore them without looking at their profile to see how they may be connected, remember the "SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION" rule. They could be connected to people you know or wish to do business with so find out about them, take time to check them out.
11. Don't believe that a professional recruiter will ask people to "like" or give their contact details openly. Don't do it. Respect yourself enough not to just throw yourself out into the world without checks and balances. Check them out and find out about their opportunities, don't become a victim of scammers just trying to get your personal details or worse. If they are collecting emails and phone numbers they are probably selling them to marketing companies or worse you will get a "My Honorable Dear" email letter from someone related to a former Finance Minister in an African or CIS country who has billions of dollars held in their country and if you just give them your bank details and send $10,000 first then they can transfer $78 millions to you. Yes,like that is going to happen but you will be so surprised how many fall for it.
and last but not least,
12. Keep your profile up to date with a professional picture of yourself, not showing your boobs or six-pack (unless your profession is health, weight-loss, fitness etc) or other inappropriate pose. (yes I fall down in this area because my wife demands that I put a picture of the 2 of us up to ensure that any "honeytrappers" realise that I am married to the most beautiful woman in the world and have no interest in anyone else. LOL, but keep making professional updates, adding to your experiences and activities and editing on regular basis, it makes a difference. Today's profile is not the end of your story, always add the next chapter!

Most of all, be professional, research and take time to think of your own strategy that works for you.