The readings about strong and weak links caught my attention. The strong links in my world are easy to understand and value. Where the readings made a difference for me was in shifting my understanding of weak links. In some ways I have been turned off by the idea of assigning the term "friends" to people I barely know, or who are only connected because we know someone in common. It feels phony and dis-connected from reality.
The readings helped me to shift my focus away from the odd choice of words to a more powerful concept that describes varying levels of interconnection, how group size impacts trust and leadership, and the actual power of weak links. I don't have the answers, but it could be interesting to lead a discussion about intentionally cultivating weak links to enhance social change or personal goals. Is all the fuss about LinkedIn really worth paying attention to?
Here is a Wikipedia overview of interpersonal ties, including mention of Granovetter's finding that most job referrals come thru acquaintances rather than strong links. The link is tagged BGIMGT566sx on my Delicious page as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpersonal_ties
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