I was wondering, does hiding your connections on Linked in undermine the spirit of the purpose of the site altogether?  There are some folks who choose to hide their connections, as it is their own private database of contacts and they feel as though other members of LI will contact them on their own.   I was a little hesitant at first, but I did realize that it really defeated the purpose of the site.  Now I am a little perplexed as to why someone is even on LI if they are not willing to share and allow for networking. What are your thoughts?

Okay...so check out the poll re: Linkedin and cast your vote.  Now, we posed this same question to 200 members of the Civil Engineering Central Group on Linkedin, and here are some of the responses we received:

Q:  Does hiding your connections on Linkedin go against the spirit of what Linkedin is all about?


"YES. What's the point, you want to see others but not share yours? That's not how life works."

" I think in theory it does, however in my own experience I know that I can get quite annoyed by an enormous amount of recruiters contacting me, and I think my contacts generally feel the same way. The site is about networking, not about recruiters hitting you up every other day for a job."

"I think so. What's the point of joining a group that is all about connections if you hide them? I do think there are lots of people who just have connections and don't have the faintest clue of who the person is. I submit that most people with more than 1000 connections are abusing the spirit of the site as well."

"No. It's your network to do with as you please."

"I am torn on this issue. On one hand I don't want my competitors getting into my client database, nor my employees. But, the reality of the situation is that if they want to get at them, they will.

"One of the real strengths of the LinkedIn Network is it's capabilities to assist matching people with special needs to those that can meet those needs easily. If we all were to close off our networks to others, there wouldn't be much of a use for LinkedIn."

"It would be beneficial if LinkedIn would add a feature that allowed classifications of contacts, some that you could make private, some could remain public, and others that can only be seen by members of the same classification."

"I think it is a person's prerogative to hide their connections. It certainly slows down potential for growing their network. However, it is their way to protect their connections from potential unwanted solicitations."

"I do believe that hiding your contacts goes against the spirit of Linked In. First and foremost, Linked In is a professional networking site. Only recently has the slightly contentious recruiting element of Linked In been introduced. As a recruiter, I am naturally protective of my contacts and "corporate intelligence". However, if I am connected with someone, it is a 2 way street. Not only does someone have access to my contacts, but I have access to theirs. If someone is looking to hire someone that is in my network, then I consider them to be fair game. People are free to come and go as they please and, if they are in my network, then chances are I have already tried to recruit them for the opportunities I have available. Thus, who am I to argue if someone else does have something for them. When it comes down to it, we are responsible for those who have access to our network. If you don't want someone to have access, then don't accept their invitation to connect. Remember, the spirit of Linked In is to network and share information. If you do not want to do that, then stay off the site or don't allow people to join your network that you feel would violate the trust that goes along with that spirit."

"The spirit of LinkedIn is that it is a professional networking site; please note the use of the word “Professional.” We should not be on LinkedIn to steel contacts or do anything that is not on the up and up. It is truly meant to be an enhancement to the networking skills we have and a place to build a strong network. That means our network including our extended network. If someone does not want to share their contacts they are probably paranoid that someone will try to connect with some of their contacts. Yes, that is the point. We are all trying to help each other by building strong networks and a great source of information."

I suppress my connections on Linked In.  Why?  Because I use it in the course of my business, and operate in a small niche.  I'll explain... 

If someone connects with me, there is a good chance they have asked me (or I have approached them) about new opportunities.  Why do they - or I - want this announced to my entire network?  It seems to betray the confidentiality issue.  I want to be Linked to them, and I'd love to announce to the world that they trust me enough to link, but that seems to somehow belie their confidentiality. 

By the way, just because I suppress someone from perusing my contacts does not exclude them from the networks of those who link to me.  Those with whom i link are still two degrees away from my contacts. (I've tested this!) They just cant flip through my connections pages like a good book. 

Matt + Carol: You guys have done a great job with this site.  I have enjoyed it and  look forward to watching its continued success. 

Hi Recruiter Chic

By all means, use my name!  I'm not here to razz anyone anonymously.   

I know opinions on this issue differ, and I also understand my logic is faulty.  You may not believe this, but I give this LinkedIn topic a good amount of thought (more thought than I probably should).  I have been using the site "actively" for less than a year, and I am still trying to figure out my protocols. 

I have come to the conclusion that I am probably not protecting anybody with my choice, but by the same token, if my objective is to "hide" my contacts, I am not being very effective at that, either.  As a result, I haven’t changed a thing about my LinkedIn setting choice because I see one fact neutralizing the other.   

In the end, regardless of what I do, the only limitation beset upon my network is that they can't read my connections like a book.  As I said previously, my connections are available to anyone in my network through 2nd and 3rd degrees, just as if I did not have my contact list suppressed.  So really, anyone who connects with me really does have my connections, if they want them. 

To respond to your question about who in my network has suppressed their connections list, I don’t know the number, but they are certainly there.  I don’t condemn them; it's their choice.  In my job, I am expected to be resourceful enough to find my own contacts; Any contacts others wish to share with me are a gift, not a right.  I think that extends to LinkedIn as well.

I always enjoy your input on this board and appreciate the jab...it gave me a chance to clarify my position.