What is value of a network?

Over the past week I have increasingly thought about networks, LinkedIn and about the rules and etiquette to operate within them. More and more, I talk to people who directly network with known associates within their work circles. They tell me that once they meet someone it is convenient to connect and keep tabs on each other. They are somewhat reluctant to reach out to people that they don't know, have more seniority or work in different industries. I would like to take this opportunity to challenge this mindset and encourage individuals to reach outside their comfort zones and explore networking with people that they normally wouldn't.

Let's think back to the evolution of networks. (Roads, Railways, Phone landlines, the Fax, the Internet, Cell Phones and texting, Facebook and the social media wave it brought with it)

Every network is a series of nodes connected to each other. For example, a road connects two places and allows traffic to pass through so that each place becomes more enriched than it would have on its own. People can travel between the two places exchanging goods and services, establishing new businesses, adding social growth, etc. There are tangible and intangible benefits that are hard to quantify but nevertheless the benefits are there and overtime the effects can be seen. Humans have been developing networks by land, sea and air since the beginning of civilizations. In the 20th century, the rise of telecommunications brought forth rapid moving information networks that allowed instantaneous communication with people on the other side of the city, the country and even the world. Fax machines then allowed for paper documents to be sent instantaneously. Since then, the internet has made all these networks seem like "non-networks" in comparison to what we see and do on it today.

In the context of telecommunication: Metcalfe's law, first presented in 1980, stated the value of a network is equal to the square of the number of communicating devices (n^2). A network of 7 people brings 200% the value of a network of 5 people although it is only 40% larger. This is some serious ROI and it further intensifies as the numbers scale.

The point being is that someone with a fax machine, a phone or even a Facebook account gets the most value out of the platform only based on the number of connections that the person has. If there is only one fax machine on the planet then it might as well be used to prop a door open or weight down a tent so it does not fly away. Hence, the value of such a technology only became realized and grew once people began to adopt the technology. The more users it had, the greater the value that it proposed to newcomers and early adopters. *Side note 1: It took some vision and leadership for the first adopters to buy into the network and without them the technology would have failed. Be leaders!

Furthermore and to my second point of staying within your circle: The internet is supposed to free us. We are now able to connect with individuals from all walks of life that we normally would have never had an opportunity to meet. Networking only with individuals from your knowledge area/industry accentuates a term I became aware of during the last U.S. election, and that is "Echo-chamber". Although this is not a political argument it further shows that we focus and are driven to content that further validates our thinking and therefore makes us feel conformable and reinforced rather than challenged and curious. If we truly seek to grow and understand the world around us then we must explore and question everything and not just seek to validate ourselves and our own beliefs. Take away: network with everyone, higher ups, and entry levels, farmers, bankers, engineers, technicians, contractors, entrepreneurs, nurses and students. EVERYONE! It is also a challenge to the boxes that we place around people to simplify them and make it easy for ourselves to categorize them and assign value based on our internal beliefs. *Side note 2: I can already hear the rebuttals of not wanting strangers to see into our lives and I agree. I tend to guard my personal Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat accounts to my inner circles. However LinkedIn is business and the more people that are aware of you and your business the better off you will be. So no excuses, if you want to succeed in business you need to extend your networks to unfamiliar places. This is where our edge will come from.

In summary, it is only when we reach out beyond ourselves and what is in front of us that we find the true value. The technology itself only facilitates and accelerates the interactions. It is solely by our own admittance of complacency that we can tear down walls that have been built up over time and truly maximize the value potential that these platforms have put within our reach. I would like to thank all of my connections for taking a chance in accepting my invite/ sending me theirs and in turn I offer myself to our cause. I would be happy to collaborate, consult, discuss, etc. We could start off by discussing the current challenges you are facing and end up envisioning future opportunities and untapped markets and needs. Who knows what could be learned from a spontaneous, unplanned and uncontrolled human interaction that we call a conversation. No man is an island and we are all in this together!