social networks

Thanking, Blogging, Learning & Eating: Resolutions of a Social Capitalist

Submitted by David on Mon, 01/03/2011 - 10:07am

Yes, I have some of the basics on my list--more exercise, fruits & veggies, etc. Three things I'll be focusing on in 2011 to move forward on these five Social Capital Inc. priorities and more:

More thanking, updating & sharing: We talk about this a lot when training on cultivating one's social network--it is so important to be in touch with people when you don't need something or have a task to talk about. Yet it is so easy to get caught up in our tasks and wind up communicating primarily around needs. I try to be mindful of this, but seek to be more consistent on this front in 2011. Two things to help me stay on track--1) practicing "Thankful Thursday" to remind myself to pause and think who I can thank or appreciate; 2) using tags to organize my LinkedIn contacts to make it easier to share articles and updates with people based on their interests. Read more

Connected, even if we’re Bowling Alone

Submitted by David on Wed, 07/21/2010 - 6:11am

Though Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone isn't mentioned until p. 188 in Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks, I read Connected as an important follow-up to Bowling Alone. Putnam's work describes the importance of social capital, and the precipitous decline of that social capital was a primary reason I started Social Capital Inc. in 2002. While Putnam’s work tells us that social capital matters, Connected provides more insight into why our social networks are so important.

When out promoting SCI’s mission, I’m often sharing social capital "factoids”, and find that these nuggets have a certain "gee whiz" quality to them.

Read more