Social networks existed in 1982. You reckon they didn’t? Yes, they did! I know they did because I’ve got a proof. I saw it close to me; right in my house; grew up knowing it, seeing it work and experiencing its benefits—first hand! Albeit, it existed in a different form than how it does today—it existed outside the spheres of technology (or the Web 2.0)—yet, it existed!
In the summer of 1982, my Dad had just established his own business. He was only 28 years old and had become the Founder/Chief Consultant of the first private Physiotherapy Clinic in West-Africa’s largest city—Ibadan. Moving into a four-bedroom apartment rented from his best-friend’s father-in-law, the Clinic started full operations just about the time my immediate younger brother was born. A proud father of three had also become a Director of a new establishment with the desire and determination to ensure its growth and create a laudable social-health impact in the couple-millions populated ancient-city. To become cutting-edge and a center of excellence, it was important he sourced relevant knowledge beyond the territory of the “usual, popular, local expertise” in Physiotherapy. Dad started growing his network of contacts by subscribing to International Professional Journals (via a more tedious process compared to modern-day) by mailing-back subscription post-cards to the various bodies-of-knowledge who disseminated relevant knowledge through periodic Magazines and Journals. Each of these Magazines and Journals were sent and received through the post-office—taking several weeks from point of distribution to receipt. I can remember how important it was, growing up, to frequently commute to the post-office in a bid to check the post-box for new letters. Dad would excitedly react to the receipt of any new Journal as he added to his number of subscriptions year in, year out.
In the course of time, we realized Dad had a good friend we reckoned he’d never met. In the morning prayers, he usually mentioned his patients’ diseases and afflictions to God for intervention—signifying his belief in the Clinic’s motto: “God Heals, We Care”. We noticed he’d started praying for someone else’s patients—a professional friend called Dave. Dave? That sounded strange! We knew about all of everyone in his professional network—an old-friend of his (who also went into private practice a few years on), his network of past colleagues at the University College Hospital, and old-classmates who taught at a couple of Universities, at that was all—we thought. Who then was Dave? We later got to know that Dave was Dad’s new professional buddy who is American and lives in Kentucky. Amazing! Dad had a professional friend from America?!
Their friendship grew stronger; they would exchange series of letters discussing and sharing ideas on patients’ conditions and various approaches they had applied and are applying. Dad was gradually becoming more renowned in his practice sequel to the success being achieved as regards patients’ faster recuperation rates at the Clinic. He learnt from Dave; Dave learnt from him. However, the flow of communication will be described as painstaking (in today’s world)—several months required to exchange letters on a single issue; a few telephone calls (sometimes once in several months)—albeit, they were both committed to sustaining their connection as they continually drew immense benefits from it.
After five-years of keeping in touch virtually, Dave wanted my Dad to come-over to the United States for a month or two as a Consultant in his Clinics. Due to the bad reputation of Nigerians in the late-80s and early-90s, Dad was denied visa to the US. And therefore, this professional relationship had to be continuingly sustained via post-office-delivered letters and periodic and expensive phone-calls.
Ten-years after Dad’s visa denials, Dave had the opportunity to meet his friend’s son, born the same year the Clinic was established—1982!— who incidentally studied Physiotherapy, is a practicing Physiotherapist and is posed to take-over Dad’s Clinic when he retires. My immediate younger brother had gone to the US for training and had scheduled his trip to accommodate a short stint at Dave’s Clinic. Recounting his experience of the moment they met, my brother said “he (Dave) hugged me like a long-lost son he had just found”. That, to him, was the offspring of a friend he had never met in person; however, they had spent the past 30 years as professional buddies—having met and kept in touch through the “30 year old Social Network” system—post-office-delivered letters and the “plain-old-telephone-service” (POTS) box [that had the “screamy” bell-like ringtone]. A year after, Dave offered my brother a two-year job experience in his Clinics inviting him to come learn and share professional expertise.
It’s 17th February, 2011. I’d just checked my LinkedIn profile. It tells me I have 538 Connections and a whopping 24,689 new people in my network since February 14! At least 50% of my Connections are professionally relevant to me and I perhaps have not met 20% of the 50% in person. It’s unlikely that I’ve made contact with 90% of the 20% within the past year; and yet, these are the people who are my potential professional contacts who possibly hold the future opportunities I or my kids might desperately desire years ahead. Wonder what would have happened if Dad’s commitment to his professional buddy was this lax!
Just like I did, many of my friends have linked their Twitter accounts to LinkedIn such that anytime we post tweets, it appears on our LinkedIn page and updates our Connection on our new posts. That, in itself, is not worrying! What gets me worried is the content of our tweets. We are totally and usually unaware of the impression it proclaims to our world. Those tweets tell our professional network—potential employers, potential professional buddies etc.—who we are! And subsequently, influences their decision on how and if they will like to be intensely committed to us as contacts. Wonder how carefully Dad had to frame the content of his letters and phone conversations in a way that gave Dave a great impression of him—and by extension, his Physiotherapist son who is immensely benefiting from “the 30 year-old Social Network”!
Wonder, wonder, wonder how effectively and appropriately I and you are utilizing our “Techly-Sophisticated and Instant” 21st Century Social Networks!
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