So I start this post with abject apologies to anyone who has “linked me” in during the past six months. But it seems to me, and it is a big Hattie Jacques sized but, that the motivator behind the mass circulation of LinkedIn requests is the fear of imminent unemployment. Almost like the fleeing of animals in advance of the tsunami, the arrival of a “please link to me” demand inevitably presages the imminent demise of a career or company.

I guess you get the nod that your role as VP of Important Things To Be Done is coming to an end and your fingers flicker to the keyboard with its promise of social network salvation. Clinging to the superficiality of contacts long ago made and forgotten, you re-engage your firmament of fellow miscellany. And what is totally surprising is that it works. Out of the seemingly random establishment comes the golden ray of hope and the chance of career redemption.

Although sometimes events take an unpredictable turn. As I witnessed this week when I checked out one of the smartest and most brilliant marketing professionals that I have ever had the privilege of working with and saw that his current Linked In status is “VP of Deniable Activities for Incontinental Inc”. Now that is a proper job title...

Julian