A funeral director wants to connect with me on LinkedIn. Should
I be worried? Does he know something I don’t?
The name doesn’t mean anything to me, so it’s not an
ex-colleague that’s taken a drastic career change (Steve, you know, data
analytics was never for me: what I really always wanted was to be surrounded by
cadavers).
My wife quipped that he only wanted me for my body. That’s
the second joke she’s made this millennium and as the first was something about
ordering my headstone, already I’m beginning to sense a disturbing trend –
yeah, yeah, I know, two data points isn’t much to be going on. Anyhow, I wasn’t
going to start a debate on the subject as she was busy at her daily routine of
sharpening the kitchen knives – I never knew they needed such attention until I
met her.
But back to the subject, random Funeral Director Guy, who
doesn’t know me from Adam, suddenly thinks it would be a great idea to hook up
on LinkedIn. Oh, the hours of fun we will have online discussing casket styles,
trends in floral tributes and the like. Really?
Now, most people who connect to me on LinkedIn are of four
types. And each gets treated differently.
Firstly there are colleagues and ex-colleagues with whom I
share mutual trust, admiration and a sense of bon homie. We might meet up when visiting each other’s city, or
even help with a referral to a new job. These people get a CONNECT and a personal
note asking how things are going etc.
Second are the colleagues and ex-colleagues with whom I don’t
share any friendly mutual feelings but one of us got bored on the internet and
LinkedIn suggested we break the permafrost on our professional relationship.
They usually get a CONNECT, too, but that’s all.
Third are the IGNORE crowd. You know them, the usual dregs
of society: Russian ladies looking for a lasting relationship (passport);
Nigerian ‘UN representatives with surplus funds’ looking for a stupid person;
social media “experts” and, of course, bankers. The only ones missing from this
list are real estate agents, but I understand that: the last one I dealt with
was far too dumb to do anything complex like operate a mouse. If only we could
link up the world’s realtors with all those Nigerian gentlemen?
Last are family and friends who don’t know the difference
between LinkedIn and Facebook. Unfortunately, as nobody at LinkedIn or Facebook
also knows the difference between LinkedIn and Facebook this is an increasingly
common, and increasingly cringe-inducing experience. Hey, why don’t you connect
with your cousin Toby? We found him in your contacts, so it’s probably great
that he can review your career and see all the people you know and add witty
asides to all your posts while tapping you for cash. Toby is currently holds
the position of “Having a Difficult Time” at the Company called “Nowhere Much”
and has been there since 1994. So does Toby get a CONNECT? Only if it would offend
to refuse, but in this case it is probably safe to IGNORE as you are most
likely to meet up next at one or other’s funeral.
Oh yeah, that reminds me: Funeral Director Guy. What to do?
He doesn’t really fit with the above categories, so I don’t know if good things
or bad things will happen if I hit CONNECT. Maybe he’s just trying to sell me
something, but it really isn’t anything I, or anyone else, wants to buy. It’s
something we buy when we have to. And, of course, you only ever buy for someone
else. And in any case, why would he think LinkedIn would be a great way of
drumming up some extra business? Only if some “social media expert” ignoramus
was advising him. And now, here’s the really crazy part…
…let’s take a look at the profile. We have none of the same
contacts, which isn’t surprising as I tend to deal strictly in the land of the
living, and people who work for local government. I was concerned for a second that he might be
connected to my doctor (that really would be worrying!), but no. And again, not
surprising as…wait for it… HE LIVES IN CANADA! Ottawa, to be exact. Now, I
admit that I have been to Canada – once to see Niagara Falls in 1985, and once
skiing in Whistler in 1996. So, do I think I might like to get buried there? Is
it even legal?
Sometimes something is so left field (an ‘outlier’ to my
data friends) that it really has to be explored. My mind at this point takes to
revelry. Maybe the Canadians have found a great new industry I’d never heard of?
Hey look, they figure, the country is pretty empty and in London funeral plots
go for big money. Why don’t we ask the Brits if they’d like to get planted on
the cheap in Canada? What could be nicer? Save a whole bunch of money on
something you don’t want to spend on anyhow, without compromising on quality. Even
the service will be in English. Oh, and the quality of the air here… Well, maybe scrap that last point.
The Canadian Ex-pat Ex-person industry (as I have chosen to
call it) could really be the next big thing. You heard it here first. Opportunities,
as well as graves, are just opening and all you need is a big empty country. I
expect the Russians will be muscling in pretty soon – though they will have to
be a little careful of where they start digging owing to previous similar,
though less well-intentioned initiatives, back in Soviet times.
So, thank you LinkedIn. I have seen the next big trend. This
is going to make Smartphones and sliced bread seem like small fry. I’m going to
cash in now, and my very first step will be to hit CONNECT to Mr Funeral
Director guy.
But I have one tiny fragment of doubt remaining. Maybe he has been taking advice from a “social
media expert”?
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