One of the most challenging aspects of being active on a social media site can be deciding whether or not to:

• Accept a friend request on Facebook
• Accept an invitation to connect on LinkedIn
• Follow someone who follows you on Twitter
• Follow someone who follows you on Pinterest
• Agree to connect with someone who has asked for a connection on another social media platform

While some people simply automatically accept every invitation that comes their way, for most of us, there are many things to consider before we click accept or decide to follow someone who has followed us.

For some people it depends on the platform. For example, I accept almost all the invitations I get on LinkedIn, yet I rarely follow people back on Twitter. My rationale is that I do the majority of my networking on LinkedIn, and I prefer to follow a manageable number of people on Twitter so that I am not overwhelmed with too many tweets in my Twitter newsfeed.

Five Questions to Help Decide

These are the things I consider before I say yes to a new connection on any social media site. If you can answer at least four of them affirmatively, you will most likely be glad to create a new connection.

• How interested are you in this person? For example, people on Facebook typically share about personal events and experiences. Do you care enough about this person to be interested in reading about their vacations, sports activities, and other personal adventures?
• Does this person have knowledge and experience in your field? Or in an area you are interested in? If so, the kinds of posts this person makes on LinkedIn or Twitter could be of great value to you.
• Do you have a hobby or interest in common with this person? If so, following them on Pinterest or Twitter would make a lot of sense, as you would likely find the information they share to be fun and informative.
• Do you want to get to know this person better professionally? If you are looking for a job or a client, connecting on LinkedIn and following on Twitter could help you find out more about this person, their business, and the industry they work in.
• Are this person’s political views and values at least somewhat similar to yours? In this case I am not advocating that we select our connections only from those with whom we always agree. Being friends with someone on Facebook who holds opposite views from you can be enlightening. However, depending on that person’s ability to discuss these differences, it can also become tedious and difficult if they tend to be very negative about people you admire and beliefs you hold dear.

 

Consider Giving Someone a Chance

If you feel drawn to someone who has reached out to you or followed you, consider accepting the request. Doing so will give you some experience with what this person tends to share. It could be that you will be glad you took a chance.

Conversely, if you find that their posts are annoying, self-promoting, or simply not interesting, all you need to do is to sever the connection. And not to worry – that person is not notified of your action.

 

How About You?

How do you determine whether or not to accept a Facebook friend request or a LinkedIn invite? Do you tend to follow people who follow you on Twitter and/or Pinterest? What criteria do you use as you make these decisions?

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 50 and up, to become more comfortable using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter.

She works with business owners, nonprofit organizations, retired people, consultants, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.