By 
What does a LinkedIn LION mean?
LION, in the LinkedIn world, stands for Linked In Open Networker. I believe the term was first coined by the gentleman that began the Lions’ Lair at The Meta Network (now defunct), Christian Mayaud (who is a top networker himself). You can find out more background through one of Stan Relihan’s podcast where he interviews Christian.
LIONs are basically open to networking with people that they have never met before, and they are important in the fact that they bridge networks of closed people. If we all follow the standard rule of LinkedIn and say “I Don’t Know” for every invite that we receive from someone who we have never personally met, it would be hard for closed networks to grow into each other and evolve into the great networking community that LinkedIn is today. So LIONs, in general, accept invites from anyone or at least will not give you the dreaded “I Don’t Know” as a response to your invitation. With this in mind, it is relatively risk-free to invite a LION that you found in an Advanced Search into your network.
That being said, there is no authority that governs LinkedIn (other than LinkedIn itself, obviously), and thus if a LION (someone who puts LION in their profile on their headline, for instance) responds to an invite with an “IDK”, they are not penalized. You are. I have received an IDK from a “LION” who put the term next to their name on their headline. I even wrote them with a Wikipedia definition of what LION means and asked them to invite me into their network to cancel out their “mistake”, but it was to no avail.
In conclusion, while it is relatively safe to invite a LION into your network, there is no guarantee that you will not receive an IDK. That is why it is important to review every LION’s profile and contact details to confirm whether or not they really do welcome your invite or not.
“Does LinkedIn discourage LIONs” is a question I received from a reader after writing this post. LinkedIn apparently _originally_ did not like LIONs, and that is why they only display up to 500 connections per person as well as limit the number of invitations that you can send out. I believe that they wanted to keep a community of professionals which would be full of high quality, trustworthy networks without people getting spammed. I think that some people who just wanted to connect with everyone in the early days or perhaps some spammers may have ruined this for others, but I don’t know. LinkedIn wants people to know each other when they connect, and that is why they give you an option to send a seemingly innocent “I Don’t Know” as a way to turn down a connection.
Recently, LinkedIn has allowed LION groups to exist on LinkedIn, so they are taking a more neutral stance. In fact, the ability to search for LION groups in the groups section, which just began a week or so ago, has made it easier to join LION groups. However, they still place limitations on those who have a lot of connections and send out lots of invites.
So, in the end, I would say that traditionally LinkedIn has discouraged but now they are more neutral towards LIONs. I will also add that 1) I am a big fan of Linked In and believe we all need to follow the rules of etiquette as outlined in the End User Agreement which we agree to when we sign up, and 2) although I have been a user since 2004, only in 2008 have I become a LION, so there are many more in the community who understand this topic in more depth. I welcome everyone’s comments to this post so that we can all get a better understanding of the history behind this. Peace to all!
What does this mean for you and your online networking strategy? If you’re looking for the definitive book on LinkedIn which gives even more details and all the secrets about the open networking movement, how to become a LION, advice on how to network with other open networkers, as well as a complete reference to all of the functionality that Linked In has to offer, be sure to check out my comprehensive book on the social networking site: “Windmill Networking: Maximizing LinkedIn.”
I'm a LION - Hear Me ROAR!! | I'm On LinkedIn - Now What???
[...] Schaffer’s post on What is a LION and How Do I Become a LION. He is a LION, and has a different [...]
Patrick OMalley
Be very, very careful when inviting LIONs, including ones who say LION in thier LinkedIn name. Some will IDK you, which is the cardinal sin for LIONs. The reason is sinister, and described at http://www.patrickomalley.com/Todd_Gravseth_Lying_Lion_LinkedIn.html
Note that the groups that you mentioned, and the LinkedIn group “LIONs LI Open Networkers”, does not remove members for doing so.
Patrick OMalley
Be very, very careful when inviting LIONs, including ones who say LION in thier LinkedIn name. Some will IDK you, which is the cardinal sin for LIONs. The reason is sinister, and described at http://www.patrickomalley.com/Todd_Gravseth_Lying_Lion_LinkedIn.html
Note that the groups that you mentioned, and the LinkedIn group “LIONs LI Open Networkers”, does not remove members for doing so.
behind a mountain | Eat your Vegetables!
[...] economy, the best thing I can do for someone is to help. I’ve set my self up as a “LION” and have helped introduce others to my network so I can help people and if I never need to [...]
/home/dkramer
[...] the way, here’s my LinkedIn page. I am not LION, but I’m always open to meeting new people with something in common, or at least a good sense [...]
Rethinking Linking. « The Networking Newarker
[...] few months ago I purged a number of people from my connections list – many were LIONS who connected with everyone for the sake of email address harvesting, and that was definitely a [...]
Colin Chisek
I don't know if there's a character limit for comments. Anyway, I discovered this blog through Spin Strategy's “30 Ideas for Job Searching” e-book. I'm mutilating the title, but it's something like that.
Anyway, I am very glad I discovered the Windmill Networking blog. Finally, a blog that is not afraid to teach people who know next to nothing about social networking. That this blog would actually dare to teach the basics in a manner that does not dumb down our intelligence. I look forward to reading more on this blog. I already have this feeding on my Google Reader. Keep up the good work. I plan on reading the “Lions you must connect with” posting next.
Colin
nealschaffer
Hi Colin and thank you for the compliment! I do not believe that there is a text limit to the comment as everything seems to appear here. Yes, I am very familiar with Spin Strategy and its author Tim Tyrell-Smith…one of the nicest and most genuine people you will ever meet. The fact that he is smart and his blogs are always on target goes without saying!
Yes, I designed the blog to be read by hopefully beginners as well as those that are experienced with social networking. The idea is to hand-hold newbies while offering additional insight for the veterans. My soon to be released book on LinkedIn is done in a similar vein, so I do hope that you enjoy that when it comes out!
Thanks again and look forward to reading your comments in the future!
- Neal
[Libro] Revolución LinkedIn « Algo más que traducir
[...] esperándote a que llames a su puerta para enseñarle el talento que tienes, como es el caso de los LION, empleadores que aceptarán invitaciones tuyas incluso si no los conoces de nada, aunque, por [...]
4 Tips for LinkedIn Professional Etiquette | Marketing Job Search Blog.com
[...] For more information on LIONs on LinkedIn, please reference Neal Schaffer’s blog post. [...]
[Libro] Revolución LinkedIn | Algo más que traducir
[...] esperándote a que llames a su puerta para enseñarle el talento que tienes, como es el caso de los LION, empleadores que aceptarán invitaciones tuyas incluso si no los conoces de nada, aunque, por [...]
Margaret Lee
What is a LinkedIn LION? http://ow.ly/ZG5K 4 main personality types on Linkedin
Ivan Walsh
What is a LinkedIn LION? http://ow.ly/ZG69 4 main personality types on Linkedin
Ivan Walsh
What is a LinkedIn LION? http://ow.ly/ZG6a 4 main personality types on Linkedin
Ivan Walsh
What is a LinkedIn LION? http://ow.ly/ZG6b 4 main personality types on Linkedin
Tweets that mention LinkedIn LION: What Does LinkedIn LION mean? The Definition. | Windmill Networking -- Topsy.com
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ivan Walsh, Margaret Lee and Ivan Walsh, Ivan Walsh. Ivan Walsh said: What is a LinkedIn LION? http://ow.ly/ZG6b 4 main personality types on Linkedin [...]
Nicolas N
I am a LinkedIn Open Networker, however it always irritate me when someone attempts to connect without at least making the effort to state a reason for connecting so as a result I consider their request as “What's in it for me?”. Out of courtesay, however I usually archive the request vs the dreaded IDK. I have had to use the IDK when the same inidvidual kept on attempting to connect without bothering to creatively say why… Other requests stating a reason have always been accepted.
nealschaffer
Hey Nicolas,
Since there is no rule or governing authority for LIONs, no one can say what etiquette rules apply here. I applaud that you do not select “IDK” unless it's for an extreme case. It is up to the person sending the invitation to keep track of who they sent invites out to…I recommend in my LinkedIn book that people keep track of it in a separate document because LinkedIn makes it hard to organize. I also believe that invitations should be even a little bit personalized. As more and more LinkedIn users become LIONs, it is important to reflect upon other LIONs like yourself, so I sincerely appreciate your comments!
- Neal
Get the most from LinkedIn, make it work for you « Mark Lockitt
[...] you want to read more, you can go here: http://windmillnetworking.com/2008/07/11/what-is-a-linkedin-lion and if you’re thinking of becoming a LION it’s worth looking at and joining [...]
Lori Taylor
What is a LinkedIn LION?? http://ow.ly/1xq61
Sharon McLaughlin
RT @lorirtaylor: What is a LinkedIn LION?? http://ow.ly/1xq61
Junaid Ramzan
RT @nealschaffer LinkedIn LION: What Does LinkedIn LION mean? The Definition. | Windmill Networkin.. http://bit.ly/8Xe4WD
Partha Srinivasan
RT @nealschaffer LinkedIn LION: What Does LinkedIn LION mean? The Definition. | Windmill Networkin.. http://bit.ly/8Xe4WD
bethebutterfly
Great post Neal….I have to be honest…I was always curious what that was! Thought maybe it was some super user award for a number of connections….
nealschaffer
Glad to be of help Perry!
nealschaffer
Glad to be of help Perry!
How To Use Linkedin To Generate Business
[...] that the more connections you have the more business you are likely to get. Unless you want to be a LION, I suggest connecting only with people you [...]
BUMAGEXCHANGE
[...] the more connections you have the more business you are likely to get. Unless you want to be a LION, I suggest connecting only with people you [...]
LinkedIn Account Restricted or Suspended? You Were Too Active!
[...] and generally keeps a low profile on the social networking site. This person is also not a LinkedIn LION and only has a few hundred connections. Why was their account restricted? For being too active! [...]
Ak Ghosh2004
Thanks for clarifying. I used to think that you need to connect up with at least 1000 people to get that LION status. Well good to know and thanks again.
nealschaffer
Glad the clarification made sense! Keep networking!
LinkedIn Invitation Received? LinkedIn Invitation Bounced?
[...] bounced back-to-back. All three of these people had the same thing in common: 1) they had “(LinkedIn) LION” in their profile, 2) they were members of a LinkedIn “Open Networking” group, 3) [...]
Five Social Media Tips for Fun and Profit | Upstarts and Alpha Dogs | BNET
[...] that relate to your specialties. To easily find these super networkers, just search the word LION (which stands for LinkedIn Open Networker) in the LinkedIn search bar along with your city and state or specialty. Also, join a group, like [...]
LinkedIn Connections: What Will You Do With Them?
[...] it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are gathering connections to monetize them. A lot of LinkedIn LIONs and open networkers with lots of connections, who I would label as super connectors (like the [...]
What is a TRUE LinkedIn LION? How to Become a LION?
[...] Today I received a LinkedIn invite from someone who had the wording “TRUE LION” with a trademark symbol in their profile headline. I was definitely confused about what this could mean, but after doing a little research on the issue, it is apparent that there is now a three-way fight for the heart of the LinkedIn Open Networker. [...]
Why Use LinkedIn? 7 Reasons for Every Professional to Use LI
[...] you never know how someone, or someone that they know, may be able to help you out when you need it. I openly connect with anyone on LinkedIn because you never know how you can help them or vice-versa. Case in point: I recently accepted an [...]
LinkedIn Restrictions: IDK & LinkedIn I Don't Know Threshold
[...] will be restricted in that you will need to enter an E-Mail address for each invite. If you are a LinkedIn LION actively using invites to build up your network, this is obviously a major inconvenience. [...]
How To Use Linkedin To Generate Business * Marketing Resources * Marketing Articles * Bethesda Emedia Marketing Resource Library | Bethesda Emedia Marketing Library
[...] that the more connections you have the more business you are likely to get. Unless you want to be a LION, I suggest connecting only with people you [...]
How to Grow Your LinkedIn Network in 15 Ways
[...] Social Media Strategy for Businesses and Professionals jQuery('#nav').spasticNav(); < Next Post> Home / LinkedIn / 15 Ways to Grow Your LinkedIn [...]
What does a LinkedIn IDK - I Don't Know This Person - Mean?
[...] have never responded with an IDK, but I have received my share of them, even from self-professed LinkedIn LIONs and members of LinkedIn groups for open networkers. I believe it is a unwritten but understood [...]
Fake LinkedIn Profiles : How Do You Spot These Fake People?
[...] I looked at how many invites I received today, I was surprised by the large number. Since I am a LION or LinkedIn open networker, I do receive a lot of invites. But today was especially huge, and there was no explanation. [...]
Are LinkedIn Group: Managers Competing for My Membership? Why?
[...] invite or two to join a LinkedIn Group. It is only natural since I have so many connections as a LinkedIn Open Networker (= LION). Since you can easily send out invites to join a group when you create it, it’s obvious [...]
What is a LinkedIn LION?
[...] book on the social networking site: “Windmill Networking: Maximizing LinkedIn.”Read More on “What is a LinkedIn LION?” var [...]
15 Ways to Grow Your LinkedIn Network
[...] [...]
10 Top LinkedIn Open Networkers and Connectors to Follow in 2011
[...] ability to follow Group discussions of others before connecting with them, so even if you are not a LinkedIn LION, feel free to Follow them or join the same Group and engage them in discussion. You should also [...]
What the Social Graph Is and Why It Matters to You | Take 5: Interactive
[...] Neil Schaffer says that LinkedIn originally didn’t like the LIONs, and that’s why the 500+ barrier came into being. They didn’t want the connection count to become like the Twitter follower account. Then they saw the little extra juice of credibility that LIONs brought to the interconnection of social graphs. [...]
Embracing Stranger Danger: My New LinkedIn Philosophy » Jatalie Web Design, LLC
[...] Resources: LinkedIn User Agreement What is a LinkedIn LION? by Neal Schaffer of Windmill Networking. Metcalfe’s Law on [...]
Arlie Anderson
OK that’s awesome Neal,
This really clarified the question and elaborated for me the LION term. I am also going to read your blog on ” How do I become a “LION” on LinkedIn. Thanks
nealschaffer
You’re very welcome Arlie! I have a number of posts regarding LinkedIn LIONs on this blog that you should check out if you’re interested.
Mark Allen
Thank you Neal. I had formed an idea over the years what a LION is, but, sometimes it takes articulating as you did, to breath life into vague concepts and point us toward efficient use of this tool called LinkedIn.
Online Business Optimization
Thank you for the explanation. I was a little surprised when I saw LIONs lists sold on Fiverr and advertised as “people who will auto-accept you”. I accept most profiles that invite me, as long as they are legit (having a premium subscription also helps), but one needs to control this before it becomes free-for-all for spammers and LinkedIn really brings the ban hammer on us.
nealschaffer
Thank you Mark – and glad you called LinkedIn a tool, which is what I call it as well.
Dane Pymble
I had seen this a lot and was wandering what it meant, thanks for clearing it up:) I am a LION but don’t openly advertise it on my Profile. Good article, very well explained:)
nealschaffer
Thanks Dane!
Who Owns What? LinkedIn Connections Causing Confusion | SPARKER Strategy Group | Social Media and Marketing in Winnipeg
[...] they organically accumulated during the course of regular business or do you consider yourself a LION (LinkedIn Open Networked, like me) and strive to connect with individuals who share similar [...]
Abhijit Dhada
Thanks for this beautiful explanation buddy… I was wondering the LION concept since long… your explanation is so vivid that we do not need to refer to any other source. Thanks a million…
nealschaffer
My pleasure Abhijit!
Jobseeker on LinkedIn? 5 Ways I Can Help You Find a Job on LI
[...] By Neal SchafferBufferPin ItAs you probably already know, I am very active on LinkedIn as a LinkedIn Open Networker or LION. I accept all invitations, and I respond to each invitation with asking my new connections how I [...]
The Social Networking Rub | Social Media Explorer
[...] it was a race to 10,000 on Twitter, then 25,000 and so-on. LinkedIn developed the LION designation for people who had lots of connections and were open to connecting with anyone, even those they [...]
The ICUC Glossary: LinkedIn LION | SNOOWS
[...] out this great article for more [...]
Rameshbg Hr
Thanks for information
MD marcus
Thanks Neil – not sure that I qualify for LION status but I certainly can roar at times
Regards Mark G
Neal Schaffer
Good stuff Mark
Mollydreamtobe
If LIONS accept all invites, why do alot of them write no IDK’s after posting their email? Surely people who add them are generally people they don’t know??
Neal Schaffer
It’s because they don’t want you to respond to their LinkedIn invitation with an “IDK,” or I Don’t Know, response.
8 Profile Tips to Maximize the New LinkedIn User Interface for 2013
[...] other than for the above reason of managing your top ten skills. However, if you have been a LinkedIn open networker or a promiscuous connector, you might be getting bombarded with endorsements from people that for [...]
Kevin Cardinale
Well I reached LION status, and I jumped through all the hoops. As it stands, I’m waiting for all the head hunters to fill my inbox with offers of $50,000 jobs, left and right. I’ve yet to see it. But, I notice I go through stages of interest, and I have no idea what I’m doing for it to skyrocket one day and get down to nothing the next. One day I’ll have 80 people view my profile and the next 3. I’m assuming lots of 80+ days is a good thing and 3+ not so much.
That being said, I welcome everyone and connect people. I’m the stock trading specialist of LinkedIn. I’m paying it forward, and hoping my good deeds will not go unpunished.
Neal Schaffer
Hi Kevin, thanks for your comment. I don’t think becoming a LION will promise you additional business or jobs, but it does allow you to become approached by other LIONs that see you as being open to networking with them. That being said, this post is from 2008, and since LinkedIn, and the people who use LinkedIn, have changed so much since then, I blogged back in 2011 as to why I am no longer a LinkedIn LION. You should read that for some perspective into the issues. Either way, I would focus more on engaging with others in your target market through connecting with them and engaging with relevant professionals in Groups.