> Hey Sudheendra, Do you know Vivek? With 2.5 years of experience in PHP he seems like a good fit for our <i>next big startup</i>. Thanks to LinkedIn, I noticed you are his 1st connection. Would you mind connecting us?<p>Wow. "Uh, no"? "Go away"? "Leave me alone"? I'm not going to help someone spam my friends.
Perhaps I misunderstand English but how is asking for a referral as in "Do you know any good developers?" a BAD way to ask for a referral? And how is asking about a specific person's abilities a better way to ask for a general referral?<p>If you are new to the area and are looking for a good pizza place:
Good: "Hey, do you know of any good pizza places around here?"
Bad: "Is Tino's over on 4th any good?"
The later asks about a specific location, and doesn't tell you if there is anything better. Nor does it help you if the answer is "No"