What makes a network work anyway?

by Byron Woodson II

Imagine you walk into a room and the scene is bustling. People are talking excitedly to each other. If you look around for a while, you'll find some people walk by others and are almost pulled into the conversations they overhear. What is it about these conversations that draws people in? In effect, we're also asking the question, "what makes a network work?"

A network is a group of nodes, sometimes people. In network theory, and in networking, they talk about connections, centrality, density . . . well, maybe most of that stuff is only talked about in network theory. These sometimes measurable features of a network don't start to answer our question "what makes a network work?"

Well, networks transmit messages. Our cell phones are useful because they transmit our voices and text messages. Our roads are useful because they transmit drivers. Commercial rail is useful because it transmits freight across long distances. The answer to what makes a network work is two-fold.

Q: What makes a net, work?

A#1: A network works when it does or can carry or transmit messages. When a train breaks down, and other trains can't get past, is the net working?

A#2: But what makes a network exist, is the demand to exchange or transmit information. Why build a railroad in the first place? Because you want to move people and freight.

In life, the excitement of an opportunity, the challenge of a project, or the prospect of a relaxing afternoon after some cleaning, these things are what excite us. When we talk about the things that excite, relax and concern us, we participate in conversations and build networks around those conversations. Sports teams, book clubs, political meetings, industry conferences, they all are centered around conversations. What draws people into the network is the quality of the conversation they hear and participate in.

If you want to be a 'networker' (whether professional, business or social), or even just connected, you have to practice telling good stories, and talking with people about interesting things both for you and for them, mostly them. This can be about business, pleasure, politics or about relationships. How much they like the conversation will impact how much they like conversing with you. How much they like you will impact how much they like the conversation. But without something to talk about, theres' nothing to talk about. So good networkers tend to have great things to talk about. Read up and ask questions!

If you want to be a Netweaver, you want to keep an eye out on developing not only your own conversational skills, you also want to introduce people who think alike. When you introduce people want to talk about the same thing, then the conversation kind of runs itself. Their enthusiasm about what they talk about creates the liveliness and bustle at parties. I know you've had these thoughts, of introducing people, those are the thoughts of your budding inner Netweaver. Netweavers take the extra step to set up meetings, parties and events to that people can meet each other.

So what makes a network work anyway? Conversation.

But who creates networks? Netweavers.