The title of this post is one of my three marketing rules to live by, so from time to time I like to make reference to examples, good and bad. (Full rule list: Don’t be rude, don’t be boring, give to get)

I rarely rant on this blog, but I just can’t take it anymore. I like LinkedIn and think it’s a great place for businesses to network – it’s worth the work it takes to get a return on time spent.

But, and this is the part that irks me, when you send out requests to connect with folks – never, ever, ever use the default – I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn. This is very much like saying – I don’t really care about you enough to write something personal and by the way, I’m really boring and unoriginal. (OK, I know some people don’t even realize they can change the default message, so this is your wake-up call.)

I accept most every connection invitation I get, but I can tell you this, I rarely pay any attention to the one’s that are not personalized.

If you want to stand out using a tool like LinkedIn take the time to craft something personal, or at least something halfway witty. This goes for any network or networking you employ.