You can never have too much of a good thing. Or so the saying goes. But does this really hold true with social networking? Although the “more the merrier” approach can bring solid results to some social networkers, in many cases, less really is more.
How many connections—also referred to as contacts or friends on certain social networking sites—are optimal for success? The answer is...it depends. There are two schools of thought when it comes to making connections in the world of social networking. The first dictates that social networking is a numbers game; therefore, the more connections you have, the better your chances are for success. The networkers who follow this approach are the people wanting to connect with as many people as possible, hoping that this huge number of connections will pay off in solid results. There are two strategies for handling this approach:
Semiselective strategy—. Using a semiselective strategy, you narrow your requirements somewhat, but you still aim for the largest pool of contacts possible that meet these basis requirements. For example, you could attempt to connect with everyone you can in a particular industry, all R&B music fans, or all sports enthusiasts. This could amount to several thousand people. You’ll never make direct contact with all of them, but they at least fit your basic criteria.
Anyone and everyone strategy—. With this strategy, you aren’t selective at all and deem anyone who’s a member of the same social networking site as a potential contact. This tactic isn’t for everyone, but if you decide it is for you, be sure to avoid using software tools such as automated friend finders, which amass thousands of contacts in a brief period. These are frowned on by many in the industry.
Whether this “more the merrier” approach is a viable plan depends on your social networking goals. For example, an independent musical artist who develops a solid MySpace presence might benefit from trying to befriend anyone on MySpace who indicates the slightest interest in her kind of music. A high-tech recruiter with a profile on LinkedIn could also benefit from connecting with as many people in the technology industry as possible. Having a lot of contacts could boost a political candidate’s profile as well.
Beyond business benefits, there are other less obvious reasons that people try to amass a huge collection of contacts. For some, adding connections becomes a game or even a mild addiction, with the goal of being the person with the most connections. For others, it’s a case of self-worth. These networkers equate their professional value with having a large number of professional connections. Their thought is that having so many connections is a demonstration of their professional standing and competence. If this sounds like you, keep in mind that unless your social networking goals warrant this approach, you may not see much business benefit for your efforts, other than to be able to say that you have more contacts than anyone else on your favorite social networking site.
Keep in mind that having too many contacts could also backfire as a professional strategy to social networking. If you’re indiscriminate in choosing your contacts, you could end up connecting with people whose profile is less than professional. A jobseeker or specialized consultant, for example, could actually achieve better results with more selective tactics. If you’re seeking a high-level position or high-level business contacts, being connected to some people could be viewed as a negative. For example, if your social networking goal is to boost your business and elevate your professional standing, you don’t want to have a pool of contacts that includes individuals whose profiles indicate that they’re hawking pyramid schemes, looking for dates, or engaging in spam tactics. But if you connect with others without even reviewing their profile (quite likely if you aim to have many thousands of contacts), you could easily end up with such “friends.”
The second school of thought regarding social networking connections emphasizes the “less is more” approach. This tactic focuses on developing a smaller pool of contacts whom you actually have a professional relationship with, either online or offline. These contacts don’t need to be close friends, but they should at least be people who recognize your name. If you have 20,000 contacts, it would be impossible for you to know them all or even remember that you were connected to them if they ever did meet you in person. Networkers whose goal is finding a new job or developing solid business contacts often benefit from a more selective approach. Having 150 solid contacts can often be worth far more than connecting with 20,000 people who have no idea who you are.
To implement this second approach, start with your known associates, both current and former. From there, get more strategic. Based on your goals, whom do you want to connect with? If you’re looking for a high-level sales job, focus on recruiters who specialize in this area. If you want to change careers, create a profile suited to your new industry and try to connect with others already working in that field. If you’re a marketing consultant looking for consulting assignments at major corporations, your target contacts could be marketing VPs at Fortune 500 companies.
The bottom line is that there is no one right answer regarding the optimal number of social networking contacts you should have or how you should go about finding them. But by matching your approach to your goals and avoiding any questionable or unethical tactics, you have the best chance of social networking success.