Some say a large connections list is little more than a phone book, while others contend that only connecting with people you know is no better than y

Alison's Contribution:

I recently came to the conclusion that the best use of LinkedIn is two fold:

1. Wide reach searching using Google "site:linkedin.com variables" to find contacts in businesses you want to reach - works as long as they have a public profile. You may also want to do a network search.

2. Individual Networking with contacts directly linked to you. I would look to see if there is some form of synergy to be had over a five year period.

Happy to go into more detail if needed. Hope this helps.