This week I hit 499 connections on LinkedIn.  Why is this significant?  Because when I get to 500 it’s posted as “500+” and then it doesn’t matter if I have 501 or 10,342.  In effect, I’m as cool as anyone else.  The 500+ label is a great equalizer in that regard.  It’s my own version of a glass ceiling…except like other glass ceilings, this one isn’t important - to anyone except me.  I mean really, 499? 

It’s a lot like those vintage McDonald’s signs that used to say “XX Billion Served” except it’s not so much about hamburgers, and it’s not billions, it’s 500+.  Yeah, it’s not really like that at all.  But McDonald’s has great fries, don’t they?  Love their fries.  Good fries.

It’s not like it’s a popularity contest.  And I’m not even in high school anymore.  But I do worry whether or not people like me.  Is it something I wore last week that’s keeping me from 500+?  Do I have food on my face?  Is my hair weird?  Are people judging me because of my posts?  Is my picture weird?  Am I too casual?  Am I too formal?  Is my headline stupid?  Ohhh, my headline’s stupid, isn’t it? Do I have a booger on my profile? 

I remember in school whenever we were about to vote for a new class president the teachers would always say, “Now remember this is NOT a popularity contest.”  Well of course it was a popularity contest.  It’s not like the class president could run on a platform of “NO MORE TESTS” or that the grading system was going to have an opt-out provision in the event you were unimpressed with a low grade.  There were never any “issues” a class president could or even would tackle.  And if it wasn’t a popularity contest, how come the most popular kid always won?

Okay, I’m going to look at this differently, and all of my 499 connections should feel great about this. The way I see it, my connections are members of a very exclusive club.  Only 499 people are in the club.  Because if you’re one of my connections and you see that I’m a 500 pluser (does pluser have two S’s? Because I’m getting the red squiggle) you don’t know if I have 501 connections or if I have 10,342.  At 499, you’re one of 499 of my closest friends.  At 500+, you’re just another number. Not that I’d treat you like that, but that’s how you’d probably feel.  You’d be thinking, “Oh sure, we’re connected, but he doesn’t even know I exist” He’s so smart, so funny, so businessy. I wonder if he’s going to ‘like’ my comment on that article about ‘the best socks for entrepreneurs on Inc.com’ and if he ‘likes’ it does he just ‘like’ it or does he ‘like-like’ it?”  Yeah, that’s probably how it’d feel.  And I can’t do that to 499 of my closest friends.

I’m sticking with 499. Unless someone requests that I connect with them.