LinkedIn's Most Unusual Members: Meet The Super-Connected

LinkedIn open networkers, or LIONs, accept almost all LinkedIn connection requests and introduce strangers out of good will. Here's a look at this controversial group and its approximately 16,000 members who'd like to be known as the saints of social networking, but are sometimes called spammers.

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According to Alba, LinkedIn and the LIONs have a complicated relationship. The LIONs need LinkedIn to build upon their network philosophy that more connections are better; LinkedIn needs LIONs because they are some of the service's most enthusiastic promoters.

"I haven't seen LinkedIn take a stand, or a strong stand, on this," Alba says. "Many of the open networkers are actually helping LinkedIn grow, since they are such passionate evangelists. I'm guessing this is a topic that LinkedIn is just going to be silent on, for now."

LinkedIn doesn't mind acknowledging the existence of LIONs, but what they tell users will not change anytime soon.

LinkedIn doesn't mind acknowledging the existence of LIONs, but the company remains unwavering in its own networking philosophy.

"My comments in regards to the LIONs are very similar to what we have said (in the past)," says Krista Canfield, a LinkedIn spokeswoman. "We always advocate that our users only connect and add people to their network that they know and trust."

In Defense of Open Networking

During a recession, most people wouldn't want to be in the situation Todd Herschberg now finds himself. Recently, he worked on a contract basis as a marketing consultant to help drive web traffic to Like.com, an e-commerce retail site. By his co-workers accounts, he did a good job - his efforts increased traffic to the site and fattened the company's revenue. But the contract exprired and he is now without a job in the worst economic climate since the Great Depression.

But Herschberg has something on his side: he's a LION. With more than 16,000 connections, according to TopLinked.com, he is the 45th most connected person on LinkedIn. He has already received inquires for new gigs.