The Commodification of Connecting, or Why You Need to Kick Ass

Here's a little idea and its big implication. The idea is that in a world of increasingly robust information about social networks, simply being able to connect people is more of a "commodity" than at any time in history. The implication is that to be seen as a real "connector" --- a designation incredibly valuable in just about any type of business -- you have to think more expansively about what it means to help people.

Connectors are a business archetype that most people are familiar with. They are the people who always seem to know the right people. They're the folks you talk to when you know you have a problem, but you're not sure who is the right person to help -- or even who is the right type of person to help.

Connectors are intensely valuable, particularly in industries that rely on networks. An example is venture capital, in which networks are deployed to find great investment deals as well as to help portfolio companies find the particular resources and relationships they need to succeed. Another example is nonprofits, which rely on social capital in the place of financial capital, and in which networks are called upon every day to help the organization move forward.

Super connectors tend to be really good at three things. The first is that they keep track of lots of details about lots of their friends and professional contacts. This is the area in which the average person is catching up to the super connector. While it still takes diligence, its never been easier to keep track of who you know, the sorts of things they like and dislike, etc.

This is the social glue that is making the ability to generally connect people across your network more of a commodity. Better information about who you know means a better ability to connect people who should know each other. This is a good thing; connecting people shouldn't be the provence of a special class of people, it should just be the way we think to help each other day in and day out.

The second thing that super connectors tend to be really good at is that they keep track of lots of details about what their communities need. Really good connectors are constantly thinking about how they can help, which means figuring out ways to acquire information about the specific resources and information their people are seeking. Although the social communication infrastructure has made this easier, figuring out how to know what people need is still difficult, and great connectors still do it better than the rest.

The final thing that super connectors have is a high personal reputation that makes the people they're connecting take notice. I'm in the process of fundraising for my startup, and it had completely reinforced this fact. As I try to get access to investors, I'm not just searching for people their connected with to introduce us, I'm searching for people who they're connected to in a relevant context, and who have a high enough personal brand that the investor is going to give us a serious look. The implication of this third piece is that to truly kick ass at helping, you have to be the type of person who has a general reputation for excellence.

So, to sum up, information in social networks has made it easier for most people to keep track of, and connect, their friends and colleagues. Information about needs isn't perfect, but it will get better (Assetmap is going to solve this problem).

But the third piece -- having serious personal brand equity -- is something that technology will never really be able to supplant. That's a reputation that comes from diligence and general excellence. In the 21st century, most people will get better at making connections; the super connectors will be those who have cultivated such a high reputation that the connections they facilitate become self-fulfilling prophecies of collaboration.

Photo credit: bengrey