I
spend
my
days
writing
LinkedIn
profiles
and
building
personal
brands
for
high-caliber
general
counsels,
CEOs,
and
board
members,
as
well
as
advising
them
on
cultivating
a
strategic
network
for
their
next
job
search
or
landing
a
corporate
board
seat.
I
see
things
from
many
angles
of
the
equation,
including
the
executives
and
lawyers
who
want
a
strong
LinkedIn
profile
presence,
but
are
concerned
about
who
to
let
into
their
network.
I
want
to
warn
you
of
an
ongoing
predatory
practice
that’s
happening,
and
possibly
without
you
even
realizing
it.
There’s
a
version
of
LinkedIn
networking
that
looks
like
collaboration
but
functions
as
extraction.
In
the
2018
to
2019
era,
engagement
pods
on
LinkedIn
became
a
thing.
These
LinkedIn
users
were
gaming
the
algorithm,
creating
large
followings
by
mass-connecting
with
anyone
and
everyone,
and
using
that
to
boost
an
influencer
status.
During
the
pandemic,
engagement
pods
continued
to
soar,
touted
as
“supportive
communities,”
some
via
exclusive
paid
memberships.
They
were
easy
to
recognize:
the
same
folks
commenting
on
each
other’s
posts
in
a
tit-for-tat
style
with
monotonous
comments
that
provided
little
to
no
value.
What
I
described
years
ago
as
“puffery”
has
simply
found
a
more
targeted
vehicle:
your
LinkedIn
post’s
engagement
list.
I’ve
experienced
this
firsthand
on
multiple
occasions,
each
following
a
similar
pattern.
Several
people
in
my
network
(clients,
personal
contacts,
and
peers)
reported
receiving
unsolicited
connection
requests
from
someone
they
didn’t
recognize.
The
common
thread?
They
had
liked
or
commented
on
one
of
my
posts.
The
individual
was
a
newer
connection
who
never
once
engaged
with
my
content,
yet
went
directly
after
the
people
who
showed
up
in
my
post’s
engagement
notifications
rather
than
first
building
any
legitimate
relationship.
That’s
not
networking.
That’s
harvesting.
It
exploits
something
real:
when
you
engage
with
someone’s
content
on
LinkedIn,
you
become
visible.
Your
name,
your
photo,
your
entire
profile,
your
activity,
and
your
connections
are
visible
to
anyone
who
is
closely
watching.
Predatory
networkers
know
this.
They
monitor
the
engagement
on
influential
profiles
and
scan
connection
lists,
treating
both
as
a
prospecting
tool:
strangers
made
acquaintances
by
association.
The
behavior
becomes
more
troubling
if
the
person
operates
in
the
same
space
as
you.
At
that
point,
an
individual
using
your
network’s
engagement
or
connections
as
a
prospecting
tool
isn’t
a
misstep.
It’s
calculated
poaching.
Why
LinkedIn
Harvesting
Is
a
Misunderstanding
of
How
Networks
Actually
Work
I’ve
written
before
about
what
strategic
LinkedIn
networking
looks
like,
and
the
principles
haven’t
changed.
As
I
noted
in
a
prior
article
on
building
an
effective
LinkedIn
networking
strategy,
proper
LinkedIn
networking
is
not
a
race
to
accumulate
as
many
connections
so
you
appear
legitimate.
While
you
want
to
connect
with
people
who
are
relevant
to
your
work,
your
industry,
and
your
goals,
it
should
be
purposeful
and
meaningful.
What
I
described
in
that
article
as
the
“pepper
spray
approach”
—
blanket
connection
requests
sent
to
anyone
tangentially
related
to
a
contact’s
network
—
is
precisely
what
this
kind
of
harvesting
behavior
looks
like
in
practice.
It’s
high-volume,
low-integrity.
But
more
importantly,
it
won’t
offer
the
long-term
gain
that
person
is
expecting.
Instead,
it
will
often
backfire
once
those
being
prospected
catch
on
to
the
modus
operandi.
It’s
also
why
I’m
deliberate
about
who
I
accept
into
my
own
network.
I
decline
a
significant
portion
of
connection
requests,
particularly
those
that
are
untargeted
or
where
the
intent
is
clearly
lead
generation
or
poaching
rather
than
genuine
connection
and
a
shared
interest.
If
your
opening
move
after
connecting
is
an
immediate
sales
pitch,
you’ve
already
answered
the
question
of
why
you
wanted
in.
Your
follower
count
is
not
an
accurate
measure
of
how
robust
your
network
is,
and
the
engagement
you
see
on
a
LinkedIn
post
doesn’t
reveal
who
is
quietly
reaching
out
behind
the
scenes.
A
network
built
on
scraped
associations
is
purely
transactional.
You
want
a
network
of
people
with
whom
you
share
genuine
professional
overlap,
not
hundreds
of
strangers
who
landed
in
your
inbox
because
an
algorithm
surfaced
your
name
under
someone
else’s
post.
Real
influence
is
built
over
years
by
showing
up
consistently,
delivering
value,
and
earning
trust
one
relationship
at
a
time.
There
are
no
shortcuts.
Attempts
to
manufacture
that
kind
of
connection
by
piggybacking
on
someone
else’s
community
aren’t
worthwhile.
The
Key
Takeaway:
Always
Protect
Your
Network
If
what
I’m
describing
above
hasn’t
happened
to
you
yet,
it
may.
Unfortunately,
LinkedIn’s
default
settings
aren’t
protective
of
your
privacy.
Here
are
a
few
adjustments
worth
making
now
to
secure
your
own
privacy:
Limit
who
can
see
your
connections.
Go
to
Settings
>
Visibility
>
Who
Can
See
Your
Connections,
and
toggle
it
so
only
you
can
see
your
full
connections
list.
This
is
one
of
the
most
meaningful
protections
you
can
put
in
place.
Also,
manage
who
can
see
who
you
follow,
as
well
as
who
can
follow
you.
These
are
small
adjustments,
but
they
limit
the
ability
of
someone
to
systematically
mine
your
engagement
and
connections
list
for
prospecting
purposes.
A
Final
Note
on
Building
A
LinkedIn
Network
The
number
of
“likes”
on
a
LinkedIn
post
or
the
size
of
a
LinkedIn
network
is
not
an
indicator
of
success.
Borrowed
influence
is
not
influence,
and
when
it’s
taken
without
permission,
it
erodes
the
trust
you
spent
years
(maybe
even
decades)
building.
Some
of
the
most
successful
lawyers,
general
counsels,
and
C-suite
business
executives
I’ve
worked
with
who
land
the
fastest
in
a
new
role
or
on
a
corporate
board
seat
are
the
least
active
on
LinkedIn.
They
aren’t
manufacturing
connections.
They
aren’t
always
actively
commenting
on
posts
or
creating
evergreen
content.
They
stay
in
their
lane
and
run
their
own
race.
They
are
purposeful
in
who
they
allow
into
their
network
and
are
focused
on
showcasing
their
own
brand,
credibility,
and
visibility.
A
strong
network
is
one
of
the
most
valuable
professional
assets
you
have.
Build
it
strategically
and
guard
it
accordingly.
Wendi
Weiner
is
an attorney,
career
expert,
and
founder
of The
Writing
Guru,
an
award-winning
executive
resume
writing
services
company.
Wendi creates
powerful
career
and
personal
brands
for
attorneys,
executives,
and
C-suite/Board
leaders
for
their
job
search
and
digital
footprint. She
also
writes
for
major
publications
about
alternative
careers
for
lawyers, personal
branding,
LinkedIn
storytelling,
career
strategy,
and
the
job
search
process. You
can
reach
her
by
email
at [email protected],
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn,
and
follow
her
on
Twitter @thewritingguru.