I Reached 30,000 Connections and Unable to Add More

Grow Your Network and Get Found for More Opportunities

Dear LinkedIn Friends, Followers and Members,

In my genuine belief, the vision and understanding of the networking, especially here at LinkedIn, as one of the most professional and largest business network, should be based on the following principles: connecting, sharing, and learning from each other! That means, among the people you trust and you know, also to be connected (LinkedIn), with professionals you don't know or have no prior relationships. Of course, that could sound not so logic and a part of you shall ask yourself, why to connect with someone you have no prior relationships or you don't personally know?

Let's look this issue in a quite different perception: If you are "LinkedIn" only with people you know, then for sure you will stay trapped in limited opportunities and relationships. Then how is possible to grow your network?

If you don't connect with a professionals that are skilled and experienced in common or similar industry area as yours, or someone you find with gained hands-on experience that could be of your mutual interest, even if you don't know or have no prior relationships, then how suppose you can get found for more opportunities in order to share and learn, to exchange information, to extend your knowledge, get new job offers, get skill endorsements and job recommendations, expand your business, reach new clients, associates... and, the main point: How to suppose you can grow your network?

Another Reason Why You Should Grow Your Network

If you are Long-Form Post publisher and looking for a sizable audience to contribute professional insights at your published posts, exchanging the experience and learning from each other, then for sure a large network would be welcomed.

"We don't grow when things are easy, we grow when we face challenges"

The fact that LinkedIn doesn't send notifications for new posts we publish to all our followers (1st-degree connections + followers), and the fact of low engagement we all witness here, suggests that in most cases notifications are sent only to a very small percentage of our followers.

Writing interesting content is, of course, critical for engagement, but not less critical is allowing our followers to know we published a new post, to begin with, and that is not happening today with the current LinkedIn's algorithm deciding who should get a notification and who should not.

Considering the mentioned restriction of delivered notifications, increasing the network with professionals involved in common or similar industry area as yours, would be more beneficial and more productive in order to better engagements at your published posts, updates and shares.

The Limitation of 30.000 Connections and What After That

As it can be noticed at My Profile recently I have reached a maximum limit of 30,000 connections and now I am facing with the LinkedIn's restriction policy, I'm no longer able to accept nor send new connection requests, so my further opportunities are abridged.

My list of pending invitations is still accumulating, and I'm sure that inviters are wondering why are not accepted. So, I would like to use this opportunity, here at this post, to express my appreciation to anyone who sent me a connection request, and in the same time to please all that have invited me, to consider to use the only available alternative option to follow me. On the other hand, if I find some professional that could be of my interest, will face the same obstacle and inability to invite to join my network, well I'm also forced to use the alternative option to follow him/her.

"Grow your network and get found for more opportunities"

Besides this limitation of 30,000 connections, and inability to connect, I'm still getting recommendations from LinkedIn to grow my network and get found for more opportunities by connecting with some particular member that is chosen I suppose from LinkedIn's algorithm. It doesn't make any sense.

In the same context as above, and this encourages message from LinkedIn: "stay up to date and grow your network" is senseless, too.

Considering the mentioned connection limit, as well as the restrictions of notification system, I'm no longer motivated to spend my time here at LinkedIn, and seriously wondering, whether or not to continue with the publishing of further articles.

LinkedIn 1st Degree Connection vs Follower

Connecting with someone as a 1st-degree connection allows a two-way relationship between each other, unlike the following someone allows a one-way relationship.

1st-degree connection: you have access to the contact details, which are included in the member profile: e-mail address, phone number, and other personal info accessible only to the 1st-degree connection. You can send and receive free LinkedIn messages, give and receive recommendations, skill endorsements, etc.

Follower: you have no access to the contact details, cannot send nor receive free LinkedIn messages, unable to give nor receive recommendations, skill endorsements, etc. Following someone, just allows you to be a notified (if you are lucky to be chosen as a "strong connection" by the mighty LinkedIn algorithm) about their published posts, shared updates or other recent activity, but unable to establish interpersonal communication as it is available with your 1st-degree connections.

Some Facts and Suggestions That Should Be Improved by LinkedIn

1. All pending invitations that I've got after this limitation, as well as the new ones that will come, to be converted and added as followers, so someone if send me an invitation, beside the pending invitation status, automatically to be featured and the alternative option of following and to become my follower.

2. At the right lower corner, instead of an indicator of 500+ connections, is more appropriate to be shown the real number of all followers (1st-degree connections + followers), as well as the connect button to be replaced with the follow button.

3. At the list of followers (Profile > Your Updates > Followers) at every follower, next to the name, to be marked a degree icon and a follower mark.

Also, at the bottom of My Profile Page, instead of All (500+) section, is better to be implemented two separate sections: my 1st degree connections with the current exact number, as well as the members that are my followers into additional section, with the current exact number and follower mark alongside the degree icon.

4. The indicator of the followers to be synchronized with the actual situation, very often I can catch that the number of followers isn't increasing adequately after newly added followers/connections.

5. At the list of People You May Know, to stop showing my 1st-degree connections as a people that I may connect with. It is senseless because I'm already connected with the suggested members.

6. At My Recent Activity Feed to be shown all my recent updates, i.e. very often I'm unable to see my recent updates, likes, comments, and shares is shown only the last one or none one.

7. To improve the notification when is used the Mentions Feature. Regarding this issue, I can often notice that someone has mentioned me in some particular update or comment at my published posts, but I'm not notified about that.

8. LinkedIn to consider to raise or revoke this connection limit, as well as to improve whole notification system and allow the connections/followers to get notified about published posts, shared updates or other recent activity.

On the list above are named only a few facts and suggestions, but if you are experiencing or have something to add, please, don't hesitate to share your input in the comment section below.

You are Always Welcome to Follow Me

I usually publish articles and updates with the focus of latest technologies in the market, as well as innovations and news within the Mobilities, Cloud technology and all recent local and international events.

If you consider all mentioned above, and somehow you are willing to be connected with me in order to follow my recent activity, then please, you are welcome to click the "follow" button and get started to follow me!

Thanks for your attention and interest! Please, consider to like, comment or share this post in order to get help for a better spreading over the LinkedIn community.