What is a LION LinkedIn or LinkedIn Open Networker?

  What is a LION on LinkedIn? Understanding LinkedIn Open Networkers?

As you might have noticed, this app also has taken its place in the evolution of professional networking. Amongst the rest, LinkedIn excels with a platform that can help link professionals to recruiters, businesses, and job seekers. You might come across buzz terms like "LION" or "LinkedIn Open Networker." What is a LION on LinkedIn and how will this impact your networking strategies? We're going to have a look at what a LION is, its pros and cons, how to find them on LinkedIn, and how they can contribute to professional development.

What is a LION in LinkedIn?

A LION, or "LinkedIn Open Networker", is someone who opens his/her LinkedIn account to be in touch with as many people as possible online without knowing who they are or aren't. While you would mostly send or accept connection invites from people you know on traditional networking, a LION accepts almost everyone irrespective of whether they know them or not if he/she finds them professional and relevant to him.

Being a LION is about casting a wide net to build an extended network that can offer more opportunities for collaboration, job leads, partnerships, and business growth. As such, LIONs typically believe the value lies in reaching out to as many professional individuals as possible rather than trying to connect with a smaller, highly selected network.

Key Characteristics of a LION:

Some key characteristics are written here:

1. Open to Connections: A LION aggressively accepts connection requests from people outside their circle of influence and acquaintances. The openness is often represented in a LinkedIn profile with a title or message stating that they are an Open Networker.

2. Elaborate Network: LIONS usually have extensive networks in LinkedIn, thousands in number. These connections are often diverse in industry, location, and role, which would later represent a broader reach and visibility.

3. Networking Oriented: The whole concept of becoming a lion is to reach out to the maximum number of people. It doesn't deal in strengthening close, personal relations with each of your connectivities but increases visibility, and somewhat professional opportunities.

4. Opportunity for Opportunities: LIONS pay more attention to the long-term perks of having such a huge network. This might result in more opportunities for jobs or business collaborations as they grow with their connections.

Advantages of being a LION on LinkedIn

There are some advantages that need to be known about being a LinkedIn Open Networker:

1. Huge Professional Network: The greatest benefits of having a LION is the sheer size and the diversification of their network. It, therefore, increases your possibility of getting great job offers, partnership opportunities, collaborations, or other business opportunities through contacting various professionals from different industries and locations. The more gigantic the network is, the more exposure one gets.

2. Greater Visibility: When a person is connected with thousands of professionals on LinkedIn, the most natural effect will be that his profile, and the content he creates, will come up in search results. LIONs are better at being exposed to recruiters, potential customers, and influencers in the industry. This greater visibility is most beneficial for job seekers and freelancers.

3. Access to wide-ranging insights and information: LIONs, through contacts with a wide range of professionals, will have access to varying viewpoints, trends in the industry, insights into the labour market, and other pieces of valuable advice. Networking with people from other disciplines can also help build your knowledge base and stay abreast of developments within your profession.

4. Possibilities of Collaborations and Partnerships: LIONS has a great chance, as due to the large network in diverse fields, partnerships or ventures seem really likely to be formed. Whether it is a joint business venture, new project, or startup idea, being part of this large network generates new possibilities.

5. Higher Chance of Reference: The more connection, the higher chance of getting referred for a job, project, or business collaboration. A LION is more likely connected to people who refer or recommend them for professional opportunities.

Disadvantages of Being a LION on LinkedIn

There are also disadvantages that need to be known about being a LinkedIn Open Networker:

(Note- One of the main disadvantages of becoming a LION is a sense of lack of personal connection).

1. Expansive Professional Network: A LION receives several connection requests, and, alas, no adequate time and resources are dedicated to spending meaningful moments with these people. This transforms the network into an impersonal one, negatively affecting the quality of relationships.

2. Spams and pointless connection requests: Since your account is publicly visible, you will start to receive connection requests from individuals to whom you do not share an actual interest or a practical professional requirement. This makes you receive message spams, useless pitches in terms of sales, and other unnecessary connections from those who only come to get in touch with anyone just to add to their network of friends rather than communicate a helpful intent.

3. Reduced Network Quality: The concept here is quality over quantity, so the LION may find himself with many connections, but the network's strength may not always be relevant to him in terms of career or business. That may reduce the effect of connection or create a mess if most are not in line with the goals.

4. Time-Consuming Follow-ups: Managing a large number of relationships is very exhausting. Maintaining, keeping meaningful relationships alive, and occasionally contacting all your contacts consume so much time and energy since most of your relationship is during the large numbers.

5. Potential of Connecting with Lower Quality Connectors: Given that LIONS do not discriminate and accept any connection invitation, chances are they may be connecting to people or organizations who do not embody the same professional standards as themselves. And this will slowly tear down the reputation if others around are very shady or just spamming other people.

How to Find a LION on LinkedIn?

Finding a LION on LinkedIn is quite easy if you know what to look for. Here are some ways of finding LinkedIn Open Networkers:

1. Search for "LION" on Profiles: The simplest way to find LIONS on LinkedIn is to search using the search bar. Most LIONS carry this label in their headline or summary. You can search terms like "Open Networker," "LION," or "LinkedIn Open Networker" to find the label name on profiles.

2. Open Connection Invitation: A few LIONS mention in their summary of their profile that they are open to connecting with any person. Typically, this mentions something along the lines of "Feel free to connect with me" or "I'm always open to new connections."

3. Seek Large Networks LIONS: Most of the time will have a very large network size, they have thousands of connections. Based on a user's connections count, you may easily detect open networkers. When one has a large network, they are more likely to be open to connecting with people from different industries.

4. LinkedIn Open Networkers or LIONS groups: LinkedIn has Open Networkers or LIONS groups. Joining any LIONS group will give you the opportunity to connect with those who are looking outward to expand their networks. You get to connect with the LIONS in the activities of discussions and groups.

5. Third-Party Tools: There are some third-party tools, platforms, or even LinkedIn extensions tracking and classifying these LIONs. It may help one better sift through profiles and find open networkers efficiently.

Conclusion: Is Being a LION Right for You?

So becoming an Open Networker on LinkedIn would perhaps be a pretty good strategy for those professionals who wish to expand their professional network, raise their level of personal visibility, and open new windows of opportunity. Of course, as with everything in life, there are advantages and disadvantages so please consider these in deciding whether or not this is a move that's good for your professional aspirations.

If you thrive in contexts where more extensive connections and transparency are needed, then LIONs can be a workable means of establishing a network that is bound to be influential, as in sales, consulting, recruiting, or entrepreneurship, for instance. Nevertheless, if you are someone who prefers stronger, curated links or you just don't want to risk spam calls or low quality interactions generated by your methods, then you may not want to consider the LION strategy.

Ultimately, however, LinkedIn really offers enormous opportunities to those who have learned to exploit the capabilities of its networking features. Whether you are a LION or a more discerning networker, knowing your goals and objectives will help you use LinkedIn to best address the specific goals that you wish to achieve.