I recently set up a profile on LinkedIn.com (http://www.linkedin.com/in/afhill). I soon found myself trolling around for “connections” to add. Along with any social network comes the delicate dance of “friending” and “unfriending” (to use Livejournal terminology).

Establishing someone as a connection offers benefits, but it also comes at a cost. On livejournal, setting someone as a friend gives you quicker access to a users’ post (on your friends list), but it also assumes they are in your “trusted circle”, and can access anything you post for “friends only” (note, users can configure custom friends groupings that only include a subset of your entire friends list). For whatever reason, some users seem to beg for friends, which is essentially akin to saying, “can you share your secrets with me? Please huh pretty please?”

LinkedIn.com doesn’t allow users to share their deepest darkest secrets (”omg Jimmy got the cutest haircut the other day!!!!11!!”), but there still appears to be that draw to amassing the largest group of connections you can. I have received several requests from users to connect. If I won’t be privy to life-altering revelations, what are the merits in connecting with these virtual (literally, not figuratively) strangers?

Perhaps I am naive in assuming a connection with someone means they can speak to my professional capabilities, and networking is based on a foundation of actually being familiar with someone. Maybe it really is just like high school, and the popular kids win.