It’s a good question, David Winkelman, that I get quite a lot too! But somehow I never really covered it here. Now I will, and provide links to the Help Center in this post, so dig in!

This is a long post but an important one to reduce confusion between the two types of relationships on LinkedIn.

Following means you get the originator’s latest new posted and/or shared material in your Home page feed without either party expressly agreeing to any connectivity.

You can also unfollow someone. You can follow companies. Unfollow them too.

Get the latest on a specific topic by following the keyword with a hashtag.

It’s a treasure trove out there but use it wisely.

Getting even wiser, connecting means one party invites the other, an exchange of privilege and trust. LinkedIn Help says what I have been preaching for years:

On LinkedIn, the basic criterion for connection is a contact you know personally and who you trust on a professional level.

Heed their advice. Be professional. Do not let anyone into your LinkedIn connections that you do not know well enough to conduct business.

I put that philosophy foremost on my About section:

Upfront note:
Want to connect to me on LinkedIn to elevate your success with my secret sauce? Only if we’re already doing business/close to it, then you know my email address. If not, you’ll get no response. Stop asking me again JIC I missed it. I didn’t.

Which is why I never advocate connecting to those anyone who merely ask; rather, I strongly advise you vet them in emails or zoom and find out via good old-fashioned human communication how you can help each other. Research them, ask common connections for their perceptions as a glimpse into the intended relationship.

Do not be a promiscuous linker, as I say. Get that picture? Reputation matters.

Mechanically, as soon as you ask to connect, you automatically become a follower, and them of you. That’s not a bad thing.

If you connect, the followership converts to 1st level; connectivity. That’s a conscious decision now, a bet on your respective futures, and should be carefully monitored.

Big take-away: As a connection they can see all your connections (unless you have adjusted a LinkedIn setting to preclude that, which I do not advocate, although I provided it for you, because that keeps everyone out, so it is not advisable).

Under the default settings on LinkedIn, new connections can approach any and all of yours, and in some really ugly cases, embarrass you (it happened to me before I was much wiser) or poach your clients, which I have heard way too many times.

Followers cannot do those nasty things.

Caveat linker.

Sometimes a connection turns out to be a gold mine and pays off with the mother lode of referrals, and/or business.

Other times, it’s not meant to be, so don’t feel obligated to connect even after a zoom chat (suggest you follow each other for a period and afterwards decide if this is meant to be).

In between there’s the remedy for a connection that did not pan out and be severed by disconnecting on LinkedIn, if nothing formative occurs.

You can’t predict the future with 100% accuracy. Pay attention to work anniversaries, changes of job (and for some birthdays) to think to yourself about the person named, “Hmmm, we connected a year ago and nothing happened. I think I’ll disconnect and then they can just continue to follow me.”

They will not receive any notification that you disconnected, although your profile on their screen (and theirs on yours) will show 2nd instead of 1st level connectivity. Phew…I routinely cull my connections for these criteria.

Some job seekers opt to connect to anyone in hopes a referral or memory of the connection can point to a hiring manager with an open position.

Some job seekers do not.

Same with salespeople. And many other professionals.

Decide what is most consistent with your personality and needs at the time, You can always make an adjustment to suit your new situation.

You are in control of your LinkedIn profile. Know when to follow and when to connect and how to unwind each. You are responsible for your reputation on LinkedIn. Be professional in all that you do, even when you have to turn down a connection.