 Becoming
a Social Capitalist in the Online World
Social networking web sites such as Friendster
and Plaxo allow you to store your friends’ contact details. If these friends
are also registered you can contact other people your friends know, and then the
people they know. It has been suggested that every person on the planet is
connected in as few as six links in such a chain. Are tools as this really
useful, or are they just another passing internet trend we will all have
forgotten about in six months time?
Social Networks and Social Capital
In many societies the maxim "it is who
you know rather than what you know" rings true, particularly in Africa. The
power we have to make changes in our lives often results as much from the people
we are connected to than intelligence, knowledge or skills we possess as
individuals. In finding a job, building a business, or even finding a future
husband or wife we are often successful because of the people we know.
Your social network includes all the people
you can turn to for help and who could turn to you for help: your family, your
spouse’s family, people you work with, the people you see everyday. Without
these people you would feel alone. Other connections exist and allow cooperation
– you might help your brother’s friend in building a new house. Your old
boss might know someone who can give you a job. These people who live outside
your social network, but who are linked to it in some way might be though of as
your social capital. We don’t need those people in order to survive, but
without them could we thrive?
Social networking software and web sites seek
to enhance the ways we use our social capital, and extend it.
Share your friends online
When you join a social networking community
such as Friendster or Plaxo you not only give your details, but those of people
you know. Often you will be prompted to ask some of your friends to join,
although some services allow you to just add friends contact details and access
this address book from anywhere.
Once one or more people on your contact list
is also a member, you will be able to find out about the people they know. And
the people those people know. And on and on until you have the contact details
of everyone in the world at your fingertips and an excuse for contacting them
(my uncle’s friend’s brother’s wife’s mother’s hair stylist said you
might give me a job). That is the theory anyway. In reality, it is likely that
it will only be worthwhile looking up people within two or three connections of
you. Go beyond this and you may find that the follow you down the street tactics
of Arusha’s touts are more enlightened. They at least have the fact you are in
the same place in common!
Does Social Networking work?
In many ways, social networking software is a
technology that has arisen before anyone has thought of a real purpose for it.
However, the concepts behind social networking are powerful. Networking is
already an established business activity, with events organised in capital
cities solely to introduce people to new opportunities. Can this work online
where people don’t meet face to face?
Whilst most sites are fairly free form,
providing only introductions for no specific purpose, others focus on
introducing people to potential boyfriends and girlfriends, others in building
business relationships. In these cases the whole point is to get people together
face to face – the rest is up to you. What about online only services? What is
the point?
Some sites help you use your social network to
enhance your online experience. Flickr allows you to quickly share photos with
people you know. Eurekster is a search engine which shows web pages in order of
how useful people you are linked to found them.
Of course, there are dangers associated with
such networks. If you are a very successful person, inclusion might result in
harassment from hundreds of people who expect your help with no real connection.
Also, be sure to check sites’ privacy policies before adding all your friends
email addresses – you might be signing them up to more junk mail! This last
danger is less likely through "roll your own" systems such as FOAF
(Friend of a Friend).
In years to come, surviving social networking
systems will illustrate which services are useful, and in what way. In the
meantime, if any of you have any successes through the use of social networking
systems, I’d be happy to hear them.
Interesting Links
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