How many social networks are you a part of?

 

It's an interesting question when you think about it. Did you immediately think of Facebook? Sure, that's one, and it's  good one. But what about others? Maybe you use Twitter by now and have a network there. Maybe you love LinkedIn for communicating with work-related people.

 

But do you go beyond that? I do. I use (for example) GovLoop.com to join conversations about government and technology, LateNightShots.com to track the Washington, DC social scene (well, one version of it, anyway), and ASmallWorld.net to better understand the global poewr elite.

 

Take it further. Do you have a work email (Outlook or some other proprietary system), a side-business email account (Gmail, Hotmail…), and a personal email for friends and family? Those are three more social networks.

 

What organizations are you a part of? The PTA? Volunteering? Neighborhood watch? Those are all social networks as well.

 

Being part of a social network is rewarding in itself. But connecting ideas between them takes things to another level; often people in one community have solved a problem in a way that's useful to another community. Are you the person sharing those ideas across social networks?

 

Another level still is connecting people across social networks. Maybe you're a technologist and also have a passion for painting. When that artist you know needs a tech connection for a high-end art show, are you the person who "closes the triangle" of relationships?

 

Belonging to (genuinely) diverse social networks is great, but interweaving them is even better. Being a connector is a job in itself.