So this person reaches out to me on Linkedin: (Names, places and other specifics omitted to protect their identity. Grammatical errors and typos however, are authentic.)
Hi Rathi, (name misspelled)
I would love to connect, as we both are member of ###.
I’m an international awarded ##### from ###
Maybe we can have a meeting online to talk about our mutual passion and look if we can collaborate in win win projects.
I write back ‘Sure’ and provide my scheduling link.
A few days later I get this:
Hi Rahti (name spelled correctly. Good start. But then…)
Thank you for connecting me in this incredible world, i’m glad and flattered that we are connected. I was wondering would you be interested in investing in my passion?
Here is an idea about
https://######.Com/ Please let me know, we can have a zoom meeting, as ####i can give you a good price, other than the ##### prices.
It didn’t end there. Within the same reply came an avalanche of their work, accolades, hashtags and who knows, maybe a new underwear line they’re launching.
WTF?
I replied as follows:
Dear Colleague, You wanted to connect, and I shared my scheduling link so that we could get to know each other. Instead of opting to meet, you’re asking me to invest in your enterprise right off the bat. That is not the way I network. Best of luck.
They then replied:
Hi Rathi (my name misspelled again…they must be anxious)
the mail i just send you is to let you know that i look for ###s, i am a networker, and i send this to investors and collectors, i have a network of more than ###### people worldwide and work on win win collaborations with #### and networkers, sorry for the misunderstanding of this, lets shedule a online meeting to clear things out and seek for win win collaborations in the future please.
Warm artistic regards,
####
I haven’t replied yet. I see what they’re saying, still, the lack of care in omitting any initial context and going straight to an ask has me wary. That said, they actually responded like a human being, typos and all after I responded negatively to a pat, cookie cutter appeal, so I’m inclined to risk it.
After all, we are both part of a networking community in common already.
But certainly not the one I’ve started. Not MUSE.
As an experiment I’ll continue to engage. So I’ve replied:
I see. Well, without any context given with your initial reply I hope you can understand my reaction. If you like, I am willing to start over :-). Again, here’s my scheduling link….
Here’s my point: don’t be like them.
And, if you’re tired of that kind of ‘networking’ and are looking for a community of people who, like you, provide services to creatives, lets talk!
