Here are the pros and cons of having LinkedIn contacts you don't know
We all have a few contacts on LinkedIn whom we barely know or don't know at all. Sometimes we add complete strangers because they have a really cool job title, at other times we add them to expand our network. Yes, it might have seemed like a strategic move at the time of adding them, but not everybody in your LinkedIn contacts is useful to you. Of course, you need to maintain contacts with people who work or recruit at your dream company, but you can go ahead and delete the others. Here are a few pros and cons you can consider before removing a stranger from your LinkedIn contact list.
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Pros
When you remove somebody from your list, they won't be notified
If you delete somebody from your contact list, LinkedIn won't send them a message and they might never find out at all. Therefore, if you have zero interaction with someone, don't hesitate to remove them from your list.
Easy and hassle free
LinkedIn Help has laid down straightforward steps for removing somebody from your contact list. All you have to do is go to the person's profile and select 'Remove Connection'. Once you have clicked on it, the tab will read as 'No Longer Connected'.
You can streamline your feed
LinkedIn is not Facebook and therefore you don't have to put up with things that you feel are cluttering your newsfeed. If the strangers in your contact list are posting unrelated and silly memes and articles, delete them in order to make your newsfeed cluter-free.
Cons
There's no undo button once you've removed someone
Before you decide to delete all the strangers in your list, understand that there is no 'undo' button to reverse your action. So carefully choose the people you want to remove. If you want to connect to that person again, you'll have to send them a new request. Of course, if you do this, they will know that you deleted them in the first place, landing you in a pretty awkward situation.
They might notice changes between your profiles
When you delete somebody from your contact list, LinkedIn will remove all connections between your profiles. As a result of this, any endorsements you might have given each other in the past will also be deleted. Plus, they won't be able to view your profile as a first degree connection anymore.
You'll no more see different opinions on your news feed
Having strangers on your list who have a counter-viewpoint from yours will provide you with articles and a broader perspective, something that you might not have considered otherwise. If someone you don't know is always sharing interesting content, it will do you good to retain them on your feed.
Also, if you ever feel like there's a possibility that you might need someone from your list in the future, it's best not to delete them. Instead of removing someone from your list altogether, you can 'unfollow' them so you don't have to see their posts on your feed anymore.
