Social media connection requests from strangers – how do you handle them?

We often devote a fair amount of time and energy to expanding our number of connection on social media. However,  have you thought about how to spot people you should avoid? I’m referring to the people you don’t know who reach out and want to connect. How do you decide whom to accept and whom to reject?

A quick glance at their page can be enough. Maybe their LinkedIn profile is mysteriously sparse, or they have very few friends on Facebook.

However, in some cases, you may have a number of shared connections on LinkedIn. Or perhaps you and the person have many of the same friends  on Facebook.  Or perhaps the two of you are followed on Instagram or Twitter by similar people.  In those cases, you might consider connecting with them or letting them follow you. And sometimes you will be glad you did.

But other times, it is best to NOT connect or let them follow you.

Unfortunately, other than LinkedIn, no platform gives you a way to communicate in advance. This rest of this blog post will focus just on the requests you get from strangers on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn Invites from People You Don’t Know

  • Review the profile of the person asking you to connect. Are they members of an organization you belong to? Might they be a good business connection? There have been many times when someone I didn’t know invited me to connect, and I was glad I accepted.
  • Look at the connections you have in common. Are these people you know and trust?
  • Click on the words Manage All just above the pending invites. Then click on the word Message just under the person’s name and photo and write a short message. I usually ask what prompted them to reach out to me. If we have a membership in common, I reference the group.
  • Then wait to see what happens.
  • If nothing happens, you know this is not a connection you need or want.
  • If you receive a thoughtful answer, go ahead and connect.

 

 Recent Example of an Invite from a Scary Stranger

  • Recently I received an LinkedIn invite that I was going to ignore due to a minimal profile. However, he was connected with a number of Toastmasters, many of whom I know personally, so I used the Manage All feature and wrote him a note. (Toastmasters is an international organization to help you become better at communication and leadership).
  • He replied almost immediately with a complimentary message about me from his friend. Supposedly, his friend was attracted to me and wanted me to send him an email. Yikes! It’s been a long time since someone hit on me on LinkedIn.
  • My response?  I did not respond to his message, and I ignored the invite. Then I blocked him. Then I reported him.
  • Finally, I sent an email to our 30+ shared connections, telling them of my experience. I encouraged them to disconnect from him and suggested they consider blocking him.

 

How About You?

What approach do you take when people you don’t know send you a LinkedIn invite? What about friend requests on Facebook?

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 45 and up, to become more effective 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