What do you call your LinkedIn connections?

On LinkedIn, the people you connect with are referred to as your connections. Your connections make up your professional network on LinkedIn. When you send someone an invitation to connect on LinkedIn, if they accept, they become a first-degree connection. Your connections’ connections then become second-degree connections to you. Third-degree connections are people connected to your second-degree connections, and so on. So the term “connection” on LinkedIn refers to someone in your professional network, with first-degree connections being people you are directly connected with.

Why are they called connections?

LinkedIn uses the term “connections” because the platform is designed to help professionals make meaningful connections and grow their networks. The word “connection” implies a relationship, rather than just a contact. LinkedIn wants to facilitate more than just list-building – it wants to help people build mutually beneficial professional relationships.

Some key reasons LinkedIn uses “connections” rather than “contacts”:

• A connection is two-way, while a contact can be one-way.
• A connection implies an ongoing relationship, whereas a contact can be static.
• Connecting is more personal than just adding contacts.
• “Connections” aligns with LinkedIn’s mission to connect professionals.

So “connections” reflects the purpose of LinkedIn in making professional networking more collaborative and relationship-oriented.

Are connections the same as friends or followers?

LinkedIn connections are different from friends on Facebook or followers on Twitter. Here are some key differences:

Connections vs. Friends

• LinkedIn connections are professionally oriented, while Facebook friends usually have personal relationships.
• You need a mutual agreement to connect on LinkedIn, whereas friends on Facebook can be one-way.
• The number of connections you have isn’t emphasized on LinkedIn, unlike the number of Facebook friends.
• Connections indicate a professional relationship, while a Facebook friend may just be an acquaintance.

Connections vs. Followers

• Connections on LinkedIn are two-way, while following someone on Twitter is one-way.
• The focus with connections is on two-way interaction, unlike just consuming content from followers.
• LinkedIn connections imply a closer professional relationship than following someone on Twitter.
• Connections are manually approved on LinkedIn, while following is seamless on Twitter.

So LinkedIn connections indicate a mutual, professional relationship that is quite distinct from friends or followers on other social platforms.

How to grow your LinkedIn connections

Here are some tips for growing your base of quality connections on LinkedIn:

• Connect with colleagues, clients, partners, and other professionals you know and trust.
• Get recommendations from your connections to broaden your network.
• Join LinkedIn groups related to your industry or interests.
• Engage with quality content on LinkedIn to meet new people.
• Use LinkedIn’s advanced search to find connections by location, employer, job title, and more.
• Send customized connection invitations explaining who you are and why you want to connect.

Focus on building connections that have the potential for mutually beneficial, professional relationships. Quality is more important than quantity when growing your LinkedIn network.

How many LinkedIn connections are enough?

There is no magic number for how many LinkedIn connections you should have. The right number depends on factors like your industry, career goals, and how you use LinkedIn. Here are some guidelines:

• For most professionals, 500+ connections is a strong network size.
• Influencers and thought leaders may aim for larger networks of 1,000+ connections.
• Focus more on engagement than total size. Even 50 very engaged connections can be very valuable.
• Connect only with people you’d genuinely want to interact with professionally.

Aim for quality over quantity in your connections. A few hundred engaged, relevant connections are better than thousands of random contacts you never interact with.

Average Number of Connections by Industry

This table shows the average number of LinkedIn connections across some major industries. Technology tends to have the highest average, while healthcare has the lowest. However, remember that what matters most is the relevancy and level of engagement with your connections.

How to manage your LinkedIn connections

Once you’ve built up your connections, it’s important to maintain those relationships. Here are some tips:

• Personalize connection requests rather than just using the template invite.
• Congratulate connections on work anniversaries, promotions, new jobs, etc.
• Engage with connections by liking and commenting on their posts.
• Share relevant articles, resources, and introductions with your network.
• Proactively reach out and catch up with connections periodically.
• Organize connections into relevant lists and groups.
• Remove outdated or irrelevant connections periodically to maintain a current network.

Staying engaged with your connections encourages reciprocal engagement.This keeps your network vibrant and mutually beneficial.

Conclusion

LinkedIn calls the people in your professional network “connections” because it wants to encourage meaningful, collaborative relationships rather than just contacts. Connections indicate a two-way, ongoing professional relationship. Focus on building quality connections that further your career goals, rather than the total number of connections. Engage and nurture your connections to develop a strong professional network on LinkedIn.