Chapter 20
The Human Network
Discovering the new influencers through network and link analysis1 allows us to see the very people who define our markets. While network analysis enables us to uncover local patterns within networks, link analysis extends these observations to determine the associations between objects. Ultimately, what we should start to see and feel is something truly more profound than any one social network. We now begin to see the genesis of a human network, a term that I have sprinkled throughout this book. The human network is representative of the connections that link us to one another across multiple social networks. This is the true social network, one without boundaries or limitations for collaboration and communication. The human network is also how Cisco Systems defines the intersection where technology meets humanity.2
Technology is facilitating the social effect and it is most certainly connecting us in ways that truly make the world a much smaller place, one in which we can participate in its definition and evolution—and also define our place within it.
BREATHING LIFE INTO THE HUMAN NETWORK
As individuals, our human network comprises both professional and personal connections and they differ from each other on the basis of shared interests as well as established relations.
The human network also illustrates the map of individuals with whom we can benefit from connecting. As a result of our research and observation, we can identify and discern tribes, ...
