The executives are afraid of losing control. And they don't understand that you cannot control an open mind. - Jan Mulder

Thank you Jan and my likers Louis, Alex, Mike. Everyone is so obsessed with control (I'm not) and there is no such thing with networks. Networks cannot be controlled, cannot be managed. They can be led ever so gently but size restrictions are pointless. To me this illustrates that these network leaders don't truly understand what they have or the responsibility placed in their hands. Be careful, please. TPx - Thomas Power

Networks are a medium: we swim in them, we bath in them. The fish doesn't see or control the ocean. - Cliff Gerrish

hear hear Cliff great metaphor. Networks are water and thus should flow as we do within. - Thomas Power

The bottom line is this - any system or service in the networking arena must be as powerful as its most empowered users ... otherwise they miss their true target market and fade into obscurity, servicing the also-rans and networker runners-up. - King Hartuc

The metaphor belongs to Marshall McLuhan. - Cliff Gerrish

hear hear King and Cliff thank you for linking to the (MM) best. I am not the world's best networker but I probably have one of the world's largest verified email dbase and I want to see all networks integrated and united as one. Right now we are engaged in a winner takes all game and human users hate that. They are don't care if Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin win the name collection game, they only care that they can talk to their friends on whichever platform is appropriate at that moment. Just like real life offline. - Thomas Power

love to create our own network!! With no limits... and an objective of open networking...no constraints - Ivan Kaye

Ivan there are already no limits on Ecademy for any members, some like it large, some like it small - Thomas Power

How often do reams of apparently logical explanation make no sense and simply breed argument? Yet how often does a one-liner capture the essence, often as a "throw away" line and without argument? One is analytic ("left-brained") and the other synthetic ("right-brained") Yet we persist in trying to describe "how" and "what" before exposing "why"! Thomas, your (almost) throw away line catches it exactly: "Just like real life offline". [There, I have done it too!] - John W Lewis

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather, teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery - John W Lewis

thank you for your support everyone, we must allow these networks slow and gentle emergence not management opinions they are almost certainly wrong. None of us can possibly know what they will become. They need capital, talent and commitment. That is their food. - Thomas Power

I think, for one thing, creators of these services fully understand the size limitations of what a person can manage as a network. They size generally based on that with generous limits. BUT they don't recognize that technology has changed how we all relate. What used to be six degrees of separation has become our network for at least the first three degrees; probably four. That's a different scaling issue that they simply haven't adopted just yet. They have to change their thinking. - Ken Camp

One thing I think, and I just had a discussion about this, at some point the network is not really useful to us after about tier 3. Let's say, for instance, Thomas Power and I are connected, and we are, on Ecademy, What if he knows someone I don't know but have heard of and am not connected to. What if that person then knows someone I would really like to be connected to, how far do we go for the introduction? I have a limit. It may not be the same as someone else's but that's ok. Part of what makes this world fun is that we all don't do things the same way. I'm not going to ask Thomas to ask Louis to ask Jane Doe to ask John Smith for an introduction to someone. I will however make note of the fact that there are layers of connection and should it become critical I would know which path to take to get there. Great food for thought, Thomas :) - Sheryl

Sheryl good point but this is not about managing data, your time or your contacts or your introductions. As your network mushrooms in size you cannot manage the data it is truly impossible I am testament to that. What does matter is exposure across all the networks, regular blogging, posting, commenting and to see what flows. Magic happens. The more connected you are the more attractive you are. This in itself is nothing to do with network size it is to do with quality content and contribution. Networks are not size sensitive. Good input creates quality flow. Flow is what everyone seeks. Flow is what I call Connectedness. The big networks which I love are preventing me from adding flow to their networks. That judgment, that management, that control is irrelevant and illustrates network ignorance and of course fear. I want all executives to embrace network growth. It is best for humanity. Shareholders will only gain. We cannot yet know what we don't know but the networks will tell us and guide once allowed to blossom. Water them. - Thomas Power

INSHA ALLAH i deeply appricate but would like to share your applied knowledge since there exists no short cut to experience my dear Thomas Power,warm regards with thanks for what you shared with love and attention - Nawabikramullah khan

Hear hear and thank you Nawa xx - Thomas Power

Understanding the subliminal messages built into popular films gives a clue, the best one to my mind is the matrix - Glen Tucker