How to decline an invitation?

Alison's Contribution:

thought your question was going to be about the fact that there is a distinct lack of a "NO THANKYOU" option on the invitation - you either have to say "I don't know this person" or "Decide later" and let it expire.

I've now read the question and reviewed the LinkedIn purported raison d'etre:
"Through your network you can:
Find potential clients, service providers, subject experts, and partners who come recommended
Be found for business opportunities
Search for great jobs
Discover inside connections that can help you land jobs and close deals
Post and distribute job listings
Find high-quality passive candidates
Get introduced to other professionals through the people you know "

I understand the antinomic nature of just linking to close associates vs "getting found" or "finding opportunities/people". I would have to say that I fall in the latter camp - except for recruitment where I am in a competitive market so I'm in the first camp.

Day to Day, I look for technical staff (who often have less than 20 connections here at LinkedIn), so the more islands of technologists that I can connect, the better!

My take on the situation is that LinkedIn started out with the intention of linking close associates as their career diverged; the recruitment industry figured out that it was a good source of information (as with Zoominfo.com); now it is being used in many different ways by many people. Revenue streams flow from job adverts and premium accounts, so LinkedIn will need to "follow the money" (particularly when so many people are clamouring for more from a "free" site).

If LinkedIn was a directory service where I could find the people I wanted, then I would side with you and only connect with people I knew well. However, in order to reach across 10million+ people to find the best candidates, it's necessary to find enough connections. Even with a business account, it is impossible to know whether you are reaching the best candidates for open positions (perhaps that could be addressed with a hidden actively seeking green pastures state).

Hope this helps you understand why some of us don't use LinkedIn the way that you prefer. Obviously, it is up to the individual to make their own choices - which may depend on how you feel at the time, how much you feel you can trust the invitee, how comfortable you are in your present position, etc, etc.

Thank you for the opportunity to understand your thinking. It goes to show that everyone can break the right rule for the right reasons sometimes, but you need to make sure they aren't breaking it for the wrong reasons.