A Luddite's Guide to LinkedIn

7. Make Contacts Judiciously

This isn't MySpace, where whoever has the most "friends" gets on Page Six or Entertainment Tonight. That's why the highest number of contacts LinkedIn will display in your profile is 500. Don't be a contact whore; only reach out to folks you actually know. And when you do reach out to someone, send a personalized message instead of the generic "I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn" message that the site provides.

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By the same token, if someone asks you to be their contact and you have no idea who they are or don't care to include them in your digital Rolodex, there's nothing wrong with hitting delete. Remember, your contacts may approach you for favors, recommendations or introductions to your other contacts later. Choose them wisely.

8. Don't Wait Till You Lose Your Job

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Join LinkedIn now, even if you have a job to go to every week. If you get laid off, you'll be glad you don't have to scramble to piece together an entire network of professionals willing to go to bat for you.

Know that updating your LinkedIn profile every three to six months doesn't mean you can abandon your traditional CV. Hiring managers you connect with via LinkedIn will still want to see your tried-and-true resume too.

Finally, if LinkedIn is too starched-shirt for your tastes, there are countless other social networking sites in the digital sea. But that's a topic for another column.

This work is the opinion of the columnist and in no way reflects the opinion of ABC News.

Michelle Goodman is a freelance journalist, author and former cubicle dweller. Her books — "The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube" and "My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire" (October 2008) — offer an irreverent take on the traditional career guide. More tips on career change, flex work and the freelance life can be found on her blog, Anti9to5Guide.com.