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For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet

Posted January 9th, 2011 in Social Capital | View Comments WeakTiesStrongTies

In the middle of 2010, I heard the story of a peer entrepreneur whose ethical flip flop company, Feelgoodz, had been derailed by the BP oil spill. Their first big customer order, a 10,000 pair shipment that was to be distributed to Whole Foods, got stuck for months in the chaotic shipping rerouting, and by the time it arrived, Whole Foods expected to be able to sell barely a fraction of the flops. The company was weeks away from defaulting on a loan, and starting to look at liquidators who would have paid less than 10% of the cost.

I heard about their problems through a friend who was one of their investors and immediately did two things. First, I wrote a story on Change.org that ended up becoming my most shared ever, generating some good buzz and good sales for them. But I knew that even if that piece was successful, it wouldn’t be able to do more than put a drop in the bucket of the ocean of 2,000+ pairs that they needed to sell for solvency. They needed a massive sales-oriented distribution channel.

To help with that, I introduced the company to the founder of Groupon, a social entrepreneur who had previously founded social activism site The Point, and in the process just happened to come up with the best business model in the history of the internet. I knew that if Groupon found a way to get the flip flops on their massive email buying list, Feelgoodz destiny could change overnight. Sure enough, three days later a deal on the flops was sent out nationally, and by the end of the weekend, the company had sold not only the 2,000 pairs it needed to settle it’s debts, but more than 6,000 pairs.

This story is exceptional only in the power of Groupon’s list. Indeed, my introduction between the two companies was fundamentally unexceptional, and its unexceptionally reveals something significant about the changing nature of professional behavior among Millennials.

People who study communities and networks refer to people’s friends as “strong ties” and their acquaintances as “weak ties.” Much of today’s social networking technology has enabled new types of relationships with weak ties. But what many analysis of weak and strong ties miss is 1) what constitutes a “weak tie” is evolving from solely referring to an “acquaintance” (or someone you know a little bit) to also including someone you don’t know but share a common context (such as membership in a loosely defined network like a conference you attended) or a common interest; and 2) the way digital natives behave towards their weak ties is increasingly more engaged, preemptive, experimental and karmic than ever before. These two realities have massive implications for entrepreneurs.

The shift in weak ties is both a product of and an enabling force for communication platforms like Twitter and Quora, which are based around asymmetrical relationships (i.e. I can follow you without you following me) and organized around an interest graph (i.e. you follow people based on what they’re interested in as much as whether you know them or not). These tools are enabling a change in our scope and definition of our weak ties by reducing the barriers for finding and interacting with people who we don’t know but with whom we share affinity or shared experience. Put simply, we increasingly behave as though people we don’t know yet but with whom we share interests with are weak business relationships that can be built upon.

The second shift is in the way we build those weak tie relationships. Professional networking used to be a behavior primarily anchored around hoarding and transactional reciprocity. The hoarding behavior was that when we made a new contact (exemplified in getting a new business card) we filed that contact away in our rolodex waiting for the day we could deploy it to our benefit. Transactional reciprocity is just a fancy way to say that the norms of value exchange were “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.”

These behaviors still exist, but they are being challenged for dominance in significant ways. The first is that hoarding is increasingly replaced by sharing as the standard use of weak business contacts. Gen Y’s superconnectors and business leaders are constantly trying to provide value in the form of introductions to contacts they’ve only just begun to establish their rapport with. This social capital experimentation gives us a chance to see how people respond and start relationships in a meaningful way, even if we’re not sure where those relationships will end up.

Second, while reciprocity for social capital exchange still matters, it’s far more Karmic than transactional. What this means is that instead of assuming that every connection we make will return value to us from the person we helped, we assume that the value will come back to us in the form of brand building (being known as a connector) and more directly from somewhere else in the networks in which we travel. In many ways, Karmic value return is much more akin to how value is distributed in communities as opposed to the transactional system which more mirrors financial markets.

Take a look at the story above. The founder of Feelgoodz was a weak tie who became a strong(er) tie whn I shared a valuable contact with him. I didn’t expect – nor do I expect – to have that value returned in the form of a “favor” from him, or anything like that. That wasn’t the point. Similarly, the founder of Groupon likely does not have a file on his computer with all the people who “owe him” for access to his list. Instead, the point is that this is just what we do to build the web of contacts and good will which animates our work.

The result of this sort of behavior is that across an entire generation of digital natives — and increasingly, older generations who are picking up our behaviors as technology reshapes the communication and business norms they’ve developed — are behaving as though there are no such thing as weak ties, just ties that aren’t strong yet. The implications – for entrepreneurs, for networkers, for society at large – are immense.

  • http://twitter.com/nlw/status/24303378632806400 Nathaniel Whittemore

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/socialentrprnr/status/24304014300549120 Nathaniel Whittemore

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/hnfirehose/status/24304150737068032 HN Firehose

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet: http://bit.ly/iiT3Ez

  • http://twitter.com/slobotski/status/24305345887207424 Jeff Slobotski

    Great post from @nlw: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/brendanbaker/status/24307507514052608 brendanbaker

    RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/carolina_salas/status/24308433326972928 Carolina Salas

    RT @socialentrprnr: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/bcaffin/status/24309310985076736 Brenton Caffin

    RT @socialentrprnr: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/teecycletim/status/24310271866576896 Teecycle Tim

    I think this is true. RT @socialentrprnr: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/allisonhornery/status/24312540146180096 Allison Hornery

    A useful take on weak ties > RT @socialentrprnr: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/nakisnakis/status/24314646890549248 natalia

    @nlw @mikeyavo #intro – Hope you connect on @hashable & "There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet" post http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/hackernewsyc/status/24321804298354690 Hacker News YC

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet http://goo.gl/fb/Kd6E6

  • http://twitter.com/cindyfsolomon/status/24322188576301056 Cindy F Solomon

    RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/myikegami_bot/status/24322262186332160 m.y.ikegami_bot

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet http://goo.gl/fb/Q1zBO

  • http://twitter.com/gwbstr/status/24327462821298176 Graham Webster

    RT @nlw: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/assetmap/status/24327625128284160 Assetmap

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/erikasays/status/24331155742392320 Erika Johansson

    Not just Gen Y… RT @nlw: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/hndzerobot/status/24332636960854016 hndiary.com zerobot

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet http://hndiary.com/r/mdn

  • http://twitter.com/addy_dren/status/24333957885595648 Andreana Drencheva

    RT @ErikaSays: Not just Gen Y… RT @nlw: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/timsoerens/status/24334966863175681 Tim Soerens

    Big implications for churches too….RT
    @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/petervan/status/24338830639235072 Peter Vander Auwera

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet http://bit.ly/fle0rO > about "social capital experimentation" great post

  • http://twitter.com/lizzywilliams/status/24341898076356608 Christine O’Donnell

    RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/gregoryjrader/status/24344923939545088 Gregory Rader

    RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/tek_news/status/24347240185208832 Tech news (BOT)

    HNews: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet http://bit.ly/fjefie

  • http://twitter.com/trudavidjackson/status/24361417704472576 David Jackson

    RT @socialentrprnr: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/aunnie/status/24362491236581376 Aunnie Patton

    Totally agree, see this everyday. RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/seanlinmt/status/24368927966498816 Sean Lin

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet | Assetmap http://bit.ly/gORnpn

  • http://twitter.com/garrytan/status/24369154580545536 Garry Tan

    The new sharing: Weak business relationships are just ones that haven't become strong yet. Karmic, not transactional! http://j.mp/expnEv

  • http://twitter.com/andystoll Andy Stoll

    Excellent, excellent piece (and so succinctly put).

    My favorite of your observations in this is: “Karmic value return is much more akin to how value is distributed in communities as opposed to the transactional system which more mirrors financial markets.”

    The flip side of that challenge, I think, is that in many of our communities (and thus our politics) over the past X decades, many of our communities’ interactions/engagement have begun to mirror that financial markets model (transactional rather than karmic), as in ‘whats in it for me’ over the more traditional karmic value system that is so essential to a healthy community.

    My hope (and the hope that this piece implies) is that socially-savvy Gen Y (and our technologies) are beginning to expand this “karmic value” attitude and then leveraging it in all parts of our lives: business, social, community, etc.

    Looking forward to future posts!

  • http://twitter.com/mtrigo/status/24380006071271424 Miguel Trigo

    “@socialentrprnr: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL”(world 2.0 = interconected)

  • http://twitter.com/greenbizstartup/status/24392864846843904 Simone Veldema

    RT @socialentrprnr For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/brodiemcculloch/status/24403086135009280 Brodie McCulloch

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet http://j.mp/gqHUTG

  • http://twitter.com/kcarruthers/status/24403419401818112 Kate Carruthers

    RT @brodiemcculloch: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet http://j.mp/gqHUTG

  • http://twitter.com/andrewlinks/status/24404401179332609 Andrew’s Saved Links

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet | Assetmap: http://bit.ly/f9V7XA

  • http://twitter.com/grongl/status/24411936816889856 Matej Pangerc

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet http://t.co/SagazMH

  • http://twitter.com/sue_anne/status/24416078012616704 Sue Anne Reed

    RT @nlw: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/rachelatppm/status/24424914614231040 Rachel Minihan

    RT @sue_anne: RT @nlw: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/bpwaustralia/status/24431074004172800 BPW Australia

    RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://blog.assetmap.com Nathaniel Whittemore

    Thanks Andy.

    It really is a fascinating problem. The market’s transactional value exchange is super valuable. It allowed for us to create systems for trade between people who had never met and would never meet again. Money became a proxy for trust and assumed reciprocity. For the growth of economic systems, this was good.

    The challenge is that this model is so dominant that it’s particular incentive and social structure influence all other types of exchange systems. For community systems in which it was once easy to assume that value would come back to you, break down in community communications, competition from outside institutions, etc has all chipped away at that trust that was so essential.

    What’s interesting about now is that “community” is being redefined a-spatially. You don’t have to be anchored in a physical place to be a part of a community, but the best communities are still those where members who don’t know each other well yet are still willing to help and contribute. This is a massive, massive shift.

  • http://twitter.com/yvonnert/status/24441633470685184 Yvonne Thompson

    RT @BPWAustralia: RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/ajaimk/status/24451302377394176 Ajai Karthikeyan

    @mattstech @oliviapatrick @kurtisnelson http://t.co/Cz5iBZt

  • http://twitter.com/delitzer/status/24452454418481152 Dan Elitzer

    Great observation! RT @socialentrprnr: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/chrisguselle/status/24455327340568576 Chris Guselle

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet http://j.mp/gqHUTG

  • http://twitter.com/stevedenning/status/24457715166220288 stevedenning

    Yes, the revolution IS being tweeted RT @GreenbizStartup: RT @socialentrprnr The Gen Y dimension http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/tylerdurbin/status/24458674168668160 Tyler Durbin

    Wow…this is a really good one! Spot on! "For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet" http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/rafstevens/status/24458886572417025 rafstevens

    RT @stevedenning: Yes, the revolution IS being tweeted RT @GreenbizStartup: RT @socialentrprnr The Gen Y dimension http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/claudiaberbeo/status/24467146998288384 Claudia Berbeo

    RT @stevedenning: Yes, the revolution IS being tweeted RT @GreenbizStartup: RT @socialentrprnr The Gen Y dimension http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/variable_edge/status/24470245452292096 the bleedingEDGE

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL from @assetmap

  • http://twitter.com/clayforsberg/status/24473457991360512 Clay Forsberg

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL from @assetmap

  • http://twitter.com/andystoll/status/24491032611659776 Andy Stoll

    Great piece! RT @nlw: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://www.facebook.com/micahdaigle Micah Daigle

    This nails the huge cultural shift I felt when I moved from the political world of DC to the entrepreneurial world of SF.

    In DC, it was obnoxious to attend events where people clearly had their eyes set on transactional reciprocity (and if they sized you up as having no immediate value, they’d quickly make their way to somebody else). At startup meetups in the bay area, it’s assumed from the start that you have value, and information, advice, connections are given freely.

    It’s the Burning Man principle of “gift economy” applied to professional networking. I love our generation. :)

  • http://blog.assetmap.com Nathaniel Whittemore

    I wonder how much of the difference in behavior is a difference in the pure ethos of the two places (I’m sure it’s some) versus a difference in what’s “rational.”

    What I mean is, in DC if you’re 26, unless you’re a m.f. superstar, you’re not at the top of the heap. In SF, if you’re 26, and in the web industry, you could be a billionaire (literally) or on your way. It’s much more rational here to engage with everyone.

    The interesting thing, of course, is that in the vast majority of situations, assuming that someone is and has value is the best move no matter what. The world is so complex, it’s almost impossible to tell who is going to be the next most valuable person to you.

    What’s more, investing in people actually is an act of self-fulfilling prophecy. Engaging with their ideas makes it more likely they’ll succeed.

    Finally, of course, engaging also makes you not a douche. Which is important.

  • http://twitter.com/nlw/status/24508548394258432 Nathaniel Whittemore

    Weekend blog post: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/socialentrprnr/status/24508724739571712 Nathaniel Whittemore

    New blog post: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/charity_change/status/24510507729813504 Abbe Pick

    RT @socialentrprnr: New blog post: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/trulyjoannies/status/24510557176467456 Joannie Pan

    RT @socialentrprnr New blog post: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/jainaby/status/24514382775975936 Aby Jain

    RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/nlw/status/24519584530833408 Nathaniel Whittemore

    rt @garrytan New sharing: Weak biz relationshps r just ones that haven't become strong yet. Karmic, not transactional! http://t.co/6Onw8aY

  • http://twitter.com/a_singledrop/status/24532682528526336 Emily Lu

    Some great thoughts from @nlw on how weak ties work for the digital generation http://bit.ly/i8jC2l ht @justinmassa

  • http://twitter.com/sebpaquet/status/24533870472855552 Seb Paquet

    RT @GregoryJRader: RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/kjmagee/status/24535432880455680 Joe Magee

    Change can scale via online ties. RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/cansar/status/24536924408516608 Can Sar

    My good friends @nlw & @bradfordcross are both killing it with insightful articles http://t.co/ZIXwI9c http://t.co/KsCopAU Read several!

  • http://twitter.com/assetmap/status/24539101512343553 Assetmap

    RT @cansar: My good friends @nlw & @bradfordcross are both killing it with insightful articles http://t.co/ZIXwI9c http://t.co/KsCopAU R …

  • http://twitter.com/justinpickard/status/24539184492449792 Justin Pickard

    RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/gregvnielsen/status/24545008568770560 Greg Nielsen

    There are no weak connections, only those that aren't strong yet! http://gnls.in/fNEzyQ do you believe followers equal influence?

  • David de Weerdt

    RT @sebpaquet: RT @GregoryJRader: RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/justinpickard/status/24549074699030529 Justin Pickard

    'We increasingly behave as if people we don’t know but with whom we share interests are weak business relationships': http://bit.ly/i8jC2l

  • http://twitter.com/annekejong/status/24553749028536320 anneke jong

    hit the nail on the head. great post! RT @nlw: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/jacobrwatts/status/24560558523027456 Jacob Watts

    RT @gregvnielsen: There are no weak connections, only those that aren't strong yet! http://gnls.in/fNEzyQ do you believe followers equal …

  • http://twitter.com/playtogive/status/24564627073409024 Playtogive

    RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/tammiejones/status/24592592981204992 Tammie Jones

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet – http://bit.ly/i8jC2l (here I thought it was a #Detroit thing!)

  • http://twitter.com/beunreasonable/status/24596162925305856 Unreasonable Inst…

    RT @socialentrprnr: New post: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/pamyteja/status/24597483640328192 Pamy

    RT @BeUnreasonable: RT @socialentrprnr: New post: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/coyote2099/status/24599130613481473 Hugo Araujo Cruz

    RT @BeUnreasonable: RT @socialentrprnr: New post: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/ericmeerkamper/status/24650645449474048 Eric Meerkamper

    RT @assetmap: For #GenY, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/bunsen/status/24651429700435968 bunsen

    I found this article very insightful: http://bit.ly/eZtdIc #fb

  • http://twitter.com/djmainevent/status/24653041093312514 Main Event

    RT @bunsen: I found this article very insightful: http://bit.ly/eZtdIc #fb

  • http://twitter.com/kareanderson/status/24653370316816384 Kare Anderson

    RT @sebpaquet RT @GregoryJRader: RT @assetmap: For Gen Y: No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/jaesonbrown/status/24654165955317760 Jaeson Brown

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet | Assetmap http://bit.ly/hINNjj

  • http://twitter.com/ryangoins/status/24655554047647744 Ryan Goins

    RT @bunsen: I found this article very insightful: http://bit.ly/eZtdIc #fb

  • http://twitter.com/nlw/status/24662265940676608 Nathaniel Whittemore

    @bunsen Thanks for sharing the Gen Y post! http://bit.ly/eZtdIc

  • http://twitter.com/hillens/status/24716645549219840 Andrew Hill

    RT @garrytan The new sharing: Weak business relationships are just ones that haven't become strong yet. http://j.mp/expnEv #in

  • http://www.facebook.com/bencathers Ben Cathers

    This was a fantastic article and something I see every day in my life as an entrepreneur. Over the past 10 years or so, I’ve seen a gigantic shift in relationship building. Before it took lunch or coffee before even establishing any real business relationship. Now, a few emails and a “let me give it a try” attitude, combined with even busier work schedules, has allowed for a greater ability to connect around similar interests. Thank you for writing this

  • http://twitter.com/sophiebessemer/status/24789999044009984 sophie bessemer

    RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL <– intrsting way of viewing networks

  • http://twitter.com/sanatawileh/status/24793496992878592 Sana Tawileh

    Interesting post: The "karmic value" attitude – http://goo.gl/87GZF #Networking #SM

  • http://twitter.com/socialentrprnr/status/24862835351752706 Nathaniel Whittemore

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/adamarisilver/status/24866211539976192 Adam Silver

    RT @socialentrprnr: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/twinkle_m/status/24870110166523904 Twinkle Mayekar

    RT @socialentrprnr: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/outcyde/status/24901956342382592 Ash Sud

    Awesome blog post on the power of weak social ties and how they can benefit you. http://bit.ly/grSSuC

  • http://twitter.com/bradfitchew/status/24980360177655808 Brad Fitchew

    RT @socialentrprnr: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/isss111/status/25115637651087360 Inês Silva

    RT @bradfitchew: RT @socialentrprnr: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/emmareynolds3/status/25128304293978112 Emma Reynolds

    RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/thegr8chalupa/status/25247675477659650 Erica V. Olenski

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet | Assetmap: http://disq.us/xsqkb (@assetmap)

  • http://twitter.com/taraagacayak/status/25431894178930688 Tara Agacayak

    Asymmetrical ties become relationships based on shared interest. #cesmli #globalniche #mustread http://bit.ly/hI8AFL via @socialentrprnr

  • http://twitter.com/memeticbrand/status/25599430656794624 Michael Cayley

    RT @EmmaReynolds3: RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/memeticbrand/status/25601911038148608 Michael Cayley

    RT @outcyde: Awesome blog post on the power of weak social ties and how they can benefit you. http://bit.ly/grSSuC

  • http://twitter.com/socialentrprnr/status/25632673712054272 Nathaniel Whittemore

    Do people think this is a Gen Y phenomena alone? For Gen Y, there are no weak ties, only ties that aren't strong yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/pernillan/status/25695061584908288 Pernilla Näsfors

    Really insightful! RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL (via @erikstarck)

  • http://twitter.com/bobpulver/status/25702137283481600 Bob Pulver

    RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/jgeveritt/status/25889877191036928 Jonathan Everitt

    Fascinating take on how digital natives form relationships, and how those ties go from weak to strong | http://ow.ly/3DDAm #Social

  • http://twitter.com/ynpndetroit/status/25981746805735424 ynpn|detroit

    "For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet" – http://ow.ly/3Ci88 #ynpn #networks #ynpchat

  • http://www.facebook.com/MichaelDAustin Michael D. Austin

    Nice work. And it’s also cross-generational.

  • http://twitter.com/takingchargenow/status/26823804244201472 Taking Charge™

    Weak ties, not just for entrepreneurs and gen y-ers anymore! http://ht.ly/3EPUt

  • http://twitter.com/rickcartwright/status/26825647158460416 Rick Cartwright

    RT @wendytaylor: Weak ties, not just for entrepreneurs and gen y-ers anymore! http://ht.ly/3EPVl

  • http://twitter.com/sheenatabraham/status/27018100725514240 Sheena T Abraham

    RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/virgiliasingh/status/27022574324031488 Virgilia Singh

    For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/michaelmurphy/status/27054299112542209 Michael R Murphy

    Fascinating take on how digital natives form relationships, and how those ties go from weak to strong: http://bit.ly/gVHOGE | RT @jgeveritt

  • http://twitter.com/brdthompson/status/27076333980876800 Brad Thompson

    RT @VirgiliaSingh: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/kellycleaver/status/27108162188353536 Kelly Cleaver

    "For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Strong Yet" – http://ow.ly/3Ci88 #ynpn #networks #ynpchat (via @YNPNDetroit)

  • http://twitter.com/commondeeds/status/27398628544880640 CommonDeeds

    RT @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/commondeeds/status/27480731861131265 CommonDeeds

    Excellent post on social dynamics by @assetmap: For Gen Y, There Are No Weak Ties, Only Ties That Aren't Strong Yet http://bit.ly/hI8AFL

  • http://twitter.com/nlw/status/27957162437246976 Nathaniel Whittemore

    @ganeumann Right on – that's the sort of thing I try to write about as much as I can http://t.co/arOmGtb

  • Jheuristic

    Hi – You make some good points. However, your notion of ‘strong ties’ is a grievous error. There are decades of scholarship, practical knowledge and pure common sense that strong ties are highly counterproductive. In addition, ‘absent ties,’ the transactional potential, are extremely valuable. For starters, I urge you to familiarize yourself with the following –

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consequential_strangers

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strong_ties

    Furthermore, you may wish to re-title to: 

    “For Gen Y, There Are No Absent Ties, Only Ties That Aren’t Weak Yet”
     
    Thanks for correcting. It is important. See:

    http://networksingularity.com/2011/05/27/network-boneheads-2.aspx

    Finally, the little graphic is categorically wrong. 

    -j

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