You may not be familiar with the term FOMO. FOMO = Fear of Missing Out. I’ve had several people in my life with this condition. My dog even has FOMO tendencies.
Think about that one friend who’s always like, “What were y’all talking about?” Or, “You went to brunch without me?!” Or calls incessantly trying to figure out what the “group plans” for the weekend are.
It’s not attractive. So when I started having FOMO feelings regarding LinkedIn, I took action.
Admitting You Have FOMO
The first step is always the hardest. There are many talks on Facebook or on the #CollectiveChat about LinkedIn and how to be better, how to attract more leads, etc., and I find myself feeling guilty.
I was guilty because while building a business LinkedIn moved from the top of my list to somewhere near the middle to bottom. I instantly had fear that I was missing out on crazy amounts of business or an influx of leads.
In essence, I had FOMO every time the word LinkedIn was muttered.
Start With Groups
After assessing the situation, I found that I was not networking in my 30+ groups. How on earth was I going to network on LinkedIn, plus do everything else when there were 30 groups to work with?
I looked at each group carefully and truth be told – I’m not even sure why I joined some of them! The conversations, if they can be called that, were mostly spam links leading to sales pages or blogs that were all about self-promotion. GAG.
I now have a still sizable 12 groups; a much easier number to manage.
Make Careful Connections
There are some people who don’t connect with others on LinkedIn unless they “know” them. I don’t take this stance since I’m there to network. It’s stilly to go to a networking event and only talk to people you know, so why do it on LinkedIn?
Then there are FOMOs who rush out to connect with EVERYONE.
I take more caution in connecting. I do a profile check, I see how we’re connected, and THEN I make a decision. That doesn’t always save you, though.
I got this email from someone I connected to (who was also connected to a friend):
Oh geez! You mean to tell me I’ve been busting my arse when I have 9.87 million pounds waiting for me?!
[Insert GIANT eye roll here]You can never be too careful.
Make sure you report these messages as SPAM, report the user and disconnect with them.
If you don’t, you’re allowing them to keep cluttering our social spaces with spam and misinformation.
Here’s a little advice on disconnecting from our friend Kerry, a former writer for the SSC.
Think Conversation
It’s easy to revert to our tagline, but it really is about the conversation more than the connection. A few tips to keeping in the normal ranges of being LinkedIn savvy:
- Send personal invitations to connect
- Give personality to your profile (DO NOT use that sterile bio from the corporate website)
- Use an appropriate picture (having NO picture is the same as that bikini pic – DON’T do it!)
- And please, for the love of all things that are GOOD about social media, DO NOT spam people with your info unless warranted
With that, I hope you rid yourself of any FOMO tendencies you have lingering about. I did. And it feels GREAT!
See you in the social sphere!
Latest posts by Brooke B. Sellas (See All)
- Customer Experience Truths Happen In Real Time - February 4, 2026
- Social Listening: The Problem Isn’t Your Tools! - January 28, 2026
- Predictive Social Care: The Mindset Shift Most Teams Need! - January 21, 2026
