How To Take Your Network And Make It Useful

Online connectivity has magnified our ability to accumulate social capital and convert it into other forms of power. If you cannot find a way to use this social capital, then it’s hard to make it work for you. My recommendation to you is to map your contacts and convert this information into knowledge that you can apply to your advantage.

Cook Time: 30-45 minutes

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Yields multiple servings of useful information.

Ingredients:

• Personal address books
• Entire collection of accumulated business cards
• Directories (e.g., yearbooks, conference participant lists, etc.)
• Hand written contact information
• Invitation lists (e.g., graduation cards, thank you cards, holiday cards, etc.
• Contact information stored in your phone

Directions:

1. Design a basic spreadsheet that distinguishes contact information in specific categories.
2. Consolidate all physical materials and enter their accumulated data into the spreadsheet.
3. Review your email in/out boxes to identify any additional contacts from the last six months.
4. Export your friends list from facebook, myspace, gmail, linkedin, etc. (NOTE: facebook friends can be exported to yahoo).
5. Combine all of your contact lists into one spreadsheet.
6. Carefully review your spreadsheet to confirm that all data is organized correctly and remove duplicate information.

As you will see, gathering and organizing all of your contact information is easier than cleaning up your iTunes library. Take an hour once a month to review and update your contacts, and this powerful resource will serve you well when it is time to circulate strategic information to your unique network of personal and professional contacts. You can then take this information and, anytime you find yourself in need of professional support, you can easily and quickly reach out to the right part of your network.

Joseph P. A. Villescas, Ph.D. is an independent consultant, writer and instructor. He conducts extensive investigations on Latino and other multidimensional populations that explore trends in their educational development, media consumption, internet usage, voting behaviors, racial categorization, organizational capacities and readiness for future leadership roles in community settings. He is also the founder and owner of Villescas Research, Media & Instruction, LLC.