Twitter followers are floozies, Facebook friends are fair weather. But I remember a day when a LinkedIn connection was someone you had, by God, done business with. And so your LinkedIn connections was a modern version of your Rolodex: People you could call in a pinch, who would help you out.

Standards, it appears, have slipped. I keep getting invitations to connect on LinkedIn from people I've never heard of. They've heard of me through Vital Speeches or my blog, I guess, and so they reach out. If they're a speechwriter, and thus might as well be from Timbuktu, I grant them access to my online family. It's good for me to be able to find them, and for them to be able to find me.

But I keep getting invitations from regular old communicators who I've never heard of, who want to connect with me on LinkedIn.

I turn them down.

But I'm not sure I should.

Readers, what's your policy on LinkedIn connections?

And has it evolved recently?

Talk to me.