Private messages on any social network are a privilege to use. It’s an opportunity to connect with someone outside the clutter of the public social stream. But if you’re sending messages like these, chances are you’ll go from LinkedIn to linked out.

 

The unsolicited-for-no-good-reason-business-card-link 

If we’re connected on Linkedin, then I don’t need a shared document with a link to your digital business card. You can actually export your connections if you want to get all that great contact info in your address book. Don’t waste a valuable opportunity to connect with someone by sending them something they don’t need.

 

Requesting a recommendation from someone you don’t know (at all!)

Would you go up to a complete stranger and ask them to vet your professional competence? I really hope the answer is no. So, why would you do it on a social network? When you use Linkedin to build up your professional connections and portfolio, you may connect with people you haven’t yet worked with in real life. Asking them to endorse or recommend you before having any other type of interaction is one of the quickest way to ruin a relationship before it has the chance to begin.

 

For all intents and purposes, spam

Calling me your friend when I am neither friend nor acquaintance doesn’t get my attention. In fact, you typically get sent straight to the trash bin and removed from my connections. And if the message sounds too good to be true, it is.

 

Super-motivational-salesy-weekly check in

You want to help me grow my business? Cool. Send me some awesome business referrals. Or, better yet, show me what you’ve been able to do for others. Your messages just became both white noise and blacklisted.

What types of Linkedin messages have turned you off?

This post originally appeared on FAVES + CO. 

Evans screenshot resizedWritten by Sarah Evans

Sarah Evans (@PRsarahevans) is a social correspondent at Sevans Strategy and chief evangelist for social collaboration platform Tracky. You can follow Sarah (@sarahevans) on Instagram and check out her new website, FAVES + CO.

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