If you’re anything like me, you ignored those pesky LinkedIn requests for years before actually jumping in on this social media network phenomenon.  I say it’s a phenomenon because when you receive four of them in a day coming from as diverse an audience as a staff accountant, a former client, former employee and long lost college buddy, you start to get the picture that something’s happened and that LinkedIn is here to stay.  No longer do I let those requests sit in my inbox forever before responding to them…or as was the case in the beginning just immediately deleting them because it was just too scary to deal with and a personal attack on my privacy.  It was like if I pushed that “Accept” button…then all of a sudden I was giving someone permission to contact me anytime…maybe too many times.  And what if it was someone I didn’t know well? What I’ve since come to value is that it’s not as scary as I first thought, or as intrusive…and yet it’s really a great way to stay connected to all kinds of people.  It’s helped us with recruiting, new business, partnerships, etc.  And the part I like best is connecting with long lost friends, former colleagues, even childhood acquaintances.  So if you’re one of those who freeze up when a LinkedIn request appears in your inbox.  Don’t freak out…press accept…it’s not as scary as you think.