The true value of LinkedIn is your ability to connect with others and in turn their connections.  You will have different levels of connections.

■      Level One Connections:  These are the people you know personally.  These are classmates, professors, friends, family, and others who you know.

■      Level Two Connections: These are people you have a connection with through one of your Level One Connections.  Basically they are a friend of a friend.

■      Level Three Connectors – These are people you are connected to through a Level Two Connector.  They are a friend of a friend of a friend.

You will be shocked by how many connections you have when you start adding to your network.

Here’s how to send a request to be connected to another person on LinkedIn.

1. Find a potential connection on your LinkedIn (See the Topic: Finding Possible Connections I and Finding Possible Connections II)
2. Click on the person’s name in order to view the person’s profile.  If you would like to connect to this person, click on the connect button.  In some cases, you will need to have the person’s email to connect.  Generally these are people who have used a privacy setting.
3. Indicate how you know the person using the various options presented.
4. Include a personal note.  You want to make this specific to the person.
5. Click on the send button.  You will be sent an email should the person connect to you.

You should try this out with friends or family to start and then move on to others who you don’t know as well.  You should also read the topic: Developing a Connection Strategy to identify the best approach for building your connections. .