Uncle Roger's Notebooks of Daily Life |
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Tuesday, January 31, 2006 You know that experiment done by Stanley Milgram in the 1960's that led to the phrase "six degrees of separation?" The idea is that everyone can be linked to everyone else through an average of six people. You know someone who knows someone who knows someone... You get the idea. Lately, I've been playing around with a site that puts this concept into practice. The site is called LinkedIn and the idea is that you sign up and connect with people you know. They've connected with people they know, and suddenly you've got a link to all kinds of people you might not otherwise ever meet. This is especially useful for finding job or generating new business leads. It's also fun for reconnecting with old friends and colleagues. I was introduced to the site by an old high school friend and have gotten back in touch with a friend from a previous client. I have also been reading The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, an examination of "how little things can make a big difference." One of the points made is that the six degrees concept is not as simple as it sounds. It turns out that a few people are each linked to a whole lot of people, and the rest of us are linked to each other through them. Gladwell calls these special people "connectors." Looking around the LinkedIn site I've found evidence of this. There are some who are, quite literally, linked to hundreds of people while most are linked to a few or a few dozen at best. Personally, I'm a wannabe connector. I love meeting new and interesting people. Unfortunately, I'm not. Nonetheless, if you're a member of LinkedIn, feel free to drop me a note to link up. |
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