Take a moment to log into your LinkedIn account and click on "contacts" then click on "connections" in the drop-down menu. Behold the list that you can scroll down and view alphabetically. You may be surprised by how many of your connections have switched jobs or companies or even got married with new last names since the last time you interacted with them. Which was when again, exactly?
Despite the fact that LinkedIn has a reputation as being the networking site for professionals, we seldom utilize what the site offers to get the most out of our experience there. Much like Facebook and Twitter and pretty much every networking site ever, the unspoken goal is always to increase followers and connections, so much in some cases that it trumps the reason why you're even on the site in the first place. According to the Pew Report, LinkedIn users between the ages of 18-34 have on average 319 connections. (Ages 35-46 have 198, interestingly enough.)
But how well do we know those average 319 connections? There may be strength in numbers but that strength is completely useless when none of your connections interact with you, or worse, remember you. And that gets awkward fast if you want an introduction to a new connection through an old connection and they can't quite figure out how you wound up on their list in the first place.
So I'll say what nobody else will: you should clean out your LinkedIn connections list. Lest you think I mean making a day out of it and whittling your average 319 to an elitist handful, don't take it that far. That sort of move only works for celebrities on Twitter who have an insanely huge fan following. But in the world of business and professional networking, ask yourself the following questions.
Do I Remember Why I (Or They) Connected in the First Place?
As a freelance writer, I work with a lot of PR executives to the point where "linking up" is easy and fast to do. When making a connection with a person who may be more vaguely known to you, it's important to clarify who you are first. We all interact with a ton of people every day and I'm sure that some firms work with multiple Heathers on a daily basis. I like to write a little personalized message before inviting a contact to link up with me so they can recall who I am with a bit more ease. You'd be amazed at how many people respond back with offers to go catch up over coffee together - and in the case that you may not have yet met the person you worked with, it's a nice personal touch. If you can't remember why you connected, reach out to your contact and see what's new with them. If they don't remember either and really don't have anything to offer you, then you may need to clean them from your list.
The first step is introduction, then connection. Not the other way around.
Can They Give Me An Endorsement?
This is not a greedy or selfish thing to ask for, particularly if you've worked with said contact multiple times. It's a case of scratching one another's backs - you give what you get and on LinkedIn, you kind of need those recommendations for your profile. I wouldn't necessarily drop them from my list if they declined the offer, but you do want to start hunting down some of your connections who can provide great testimonials on your behalf. It looks a little strange to have 500+ professionals on your profile and no endorsements from any of them...
Collecting Connections for Connections' Sake
A major LinkedIn faux pas is to treat your connections like a deck of playing cards. You want the best possible hand and aim to get it and keep it at any cost. Even if it means adding someone you have never worked with or interacted with before or even live in the same country as. If you're doing this, stop. During a job interview later on down the line, you may have an interviewer who shares one connection in common with you on LinkedIn.
Some helpful advice before that show gets ugly fast:
1) It will always be that one person you don't know.
2) The interviewer will always want to know how you know them and what you worked on together.
Time to chuck that hand, however excellent it may be, for a more familiar, but still solid deck.