However, all social networking sites are primarily a function in expanding your network, sharing information with them and so forth. This has given rise to the term "Super Conductor" which is considered as anyone with over 500 to 1,000 connections. Opinions vary on the number, but I really have to question why it's an issue of numbers at all. Where is the metric of quality?
From personal experience, it's clear that people have wildly differing concepts of networking, who they should have in their network and what to do with the connection once you have it. My personal definition of someone I want in my network is a person that I've had meaningful personal or professional encounters with. However, for me there is an even more important consideration: Do I want or need the connection to continue?
I might want to be connected to a person I admire and respect. I might need to be connected to my boss, regardless of the quality of that relationship due to political considerations. In most cases, I certainly want to stay employed and the boss is typically an important part of that equation.
In other cases, I receive "blind" connection requests. That is to say, people who work at the same company or who are in a LinkedIn group with me send me a connection request. These boggle the mind as we have never worked together, spoken together or have any actual connection what so ever. The optimist says they are perhaps trying to forge something. The pessimist in me says they are fishing for access to the people in my network. Pessimism wins this one and into the ignore bin they go.
Of course... to each their own. The beauty of a flexible system is that people have the luxury/burden of using it however they see fit.
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