Reading an aggregator article, I found that Ventureblog's writer does not want to "spend" his precious social capital.  He is right that social network software is not some magic social capital solution.  But he is right for the wrong reasons.

Earlier in this blog, I argued that social capital was not the geometric expansion of linkages to members or groups - that is the "potential social capital" - the real network was still only that which you can actually access. And so the value collapses to the number of people who will meaningfully respond to a transmission of information.

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Now social software can still be incredibly useful in tracking people that are in your "the rest" category. 

Quick example:  I know a woman (Margaret) through a contact (Bill) at a non-profit organization.  Ten years ago, she introduced me to someone (Horton) who I travelled to Russia with.

Now a couple months ago, her cousin (John) is in that same non-profit when I walk in.  He is talking about Margaret with Bill.  John mentions that she has been struggling with a business problem.

I happen to have had lunch the day before with another woman (Patsy) whose business focuses on exactly that problem.  I contact them both, and hear nothing more for months.  Today (yes this really happened) Margaret calls me to ask if I can rekindle the contact.  She is now ready to address the business problem, and wants to talk to Patsy. 

I only had weak links to the two people being connected for about ten years each!  They live in different cities and occupy entirely unrelated niches in my social network.  Their spheres would never overlap - save for me.  But I did not know that I should make the connection until I heard Bill and John talking (New information gathered in a social milieu) about one Margaret's problem.  Even then, the connection took months to happen.

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pretty cool - but only works if you can actually access the weak link contact info years after it was acquired, and then act on it, before your motivation to act has passed.  Some people have a knack for tracking hundreds, even thousands of contacts in their heads, others - like me - need help.  My solution - the information was in my Palm.  A few searches, and I was able to connect them.

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The missing link in such a system - "Automatic search and connect" based on need - across networks. 

In my case, tracing the number of people involved in order for me to have met the targets includes a set of 5 people & 4 links to add Margaret to my network, and 4 people & 3 links to gain Patsy into my network.

Once the two targets were in my network, then my idea to connect them together arose a during a meeting I had with 2 others, one of whom I had never met, and neither of whom was a target.  BUT the topic of the business issues of the target DID come up during that meeting.

Key summary thoughts:

So an Agent (me or software) must recognize the potential Business problem, and that the social Network contains potential solution. Then the Agent - must act to connect/broker two people in your network.

How the recognition takes place, how the network was formed, and how the relationship is brokered are all still vague.  And finally, who gains value, Margaret, Patsy, Me others...All?  Did I receive or spend social capital?

comment [] 205 2:13:28 AM G!.

Stayed up last night to watch the first signals on NASA TV, and then the amazing first pix download. The ghouls missed this time. Congrats to the JPL and NASA teams. [Due Diligence]

comment [] 204 1:18:00 PM G!.