Comments on: Assessing Social Capital http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/ Learning stuff since 1964 Sat, 12 May 2012 00:27:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Open Monologue » Social capital philanthropist http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/comment-page-1/#comment-28124 Open Monologue » Social capital philanthropist Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:24:13 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/#comment-28124 [...] have to make sure I re-read his writing as I develop my role. Dean had a blog post recently about social capital, and Heather writes extensively about social capital. Their ideas will also inform what I [...] [...] have to make sure I re-read his writing as I develop my role. Dean had a blog post recently about social capital, and Heather writes extensively about social capital. Their ideas will also inform what I [...]

]]> By: Saskboy http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/comment-page-1/#comment-28089 Saskboy Mon, 17 Dec 2007 06:40:07 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/#comment-28089 I wonder, is social capital also built through a "blog awards" process? I wonder, is social capital also built through a “blog awards” process?

]]> By: Heather Ross http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/comment-page-1/#comment-28059 Heather Ross Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:38:33 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/#comment-28059 Dean, A few quick comments. First, great post. I'm always happy to see people get interested in the concept of social capital. I think that measuring social capital is very difficult. You can look at student blogs and see what they are writing about and who's commenting, linking, etc., but you miss out on the ways the students are communicating with each other outside of the blogs or even outside of cyberspace / cell phones and other things that we think of as newer technology. What about the conversations in the hallways or at a team practice, etc.? There are a number of great resources out there if you want to read more about social capital including the book Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam http://www.amazon.ca/Bowling-Alone-Collapse-American-Community/dp/0743203046/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197560168&sr=8-1 You may just want to start with the Wikipedia entry on it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_capital Dean,

A few quick comments. First, great post. I’m always happy to see people get interested in the concept of social capital. I think that measuring social capital is very difficult. You can look at student blogs and see what they are writing about and who’s commenting, linking, etc., but you miss out on the ways the students are communicating with each other outside of the blogs or even outside of cyberspace / cell phones and other things that we think of as newer technology. What about the conversations in the hallways or at a team practice, etc.?

There are a number of great resources out there if you want to read more about social capital including the book Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam http://www.amazon.ca/Bowling-Alone-Collapse-American-Community/dp/0743203046/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197560168&sr=8-1

You may just want to start with the Wikipedia entry on it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_capital

]]> By: Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/comment-page-1/#comment-28058 Dean Shareski Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:58:45 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/#comment-28058 I should have called this the wiki post as I knew others would add much more. Bud, Thanks for that, I'll pick it up. Alec, You dropped off the podcast the other night when this came up. I should have known you'd have some insight. Erin, I've been watching you and you'll be well on your way to getting in the black soon enough. I should have called this the wiki post as I knew others would add much more.

Bud,
Thanks for that, I’ll pick it up.

Alec,
You dropped off the podcast the other night when this came up. I should have known you’d have some insight.

Erin,
I’ve been watching you and you’ll be well on your way to getting in the black soon enough.

]]> By: Erin Remple http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/comment-page-1/#comment-28055 Erin Remple Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:44:31 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/#comment-28055 I've been sort of following this through twitter. I've been trying to develop a network and I'm following quality people. I'm learning so much by following the links that they post. I worry about these quality people 'dropping' me because it takes time for one to start contributing quality stuff (for the lack of a better word) to the network. When I have a question that the network could help me with, will they be there? It takes time for digital immigrants (I'm not sure I'm that, I think I'm more like a digital illegal alien!) to learn their way around and to find quality things to add to the network. I guess, I'm also afraid that my Social Capital is in the red! If the predictions about this are even just a bit accurate, I'm going to be in trouble. I’ve been sort of following this through twitter. I’ve been trying to develop a network and I’m following quality people. I’m learning so much by following the links that they post. I worry about these quality people ‘dropping’ me because it takes time for one to start contributing quality stuff (for the lack of a better word) to the network. When I have a question that the network could help me with, will they be there? It takes time for digital immigrants (I’m not sure I’m that, I think I’m more like a digital illegal alien!) to learn their way around and to find quality things to add to the network. I guess, I’m also afraid that my Social Capital is in the red! If the predictions about this are even just a bit accurate, I’m going to be in trouble.

]]> By: Crazy Capital » Blog Archive » Assessing Social Capital http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/comment-page-1/#comment-28052 Crazy Capital » Blog Archive » Assessing Social Capital Thu, 13 Dec 2007 06:29:28 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/#comment-28052 [...] Original post by shareski@gmail.com (Dean Shareski) [...] [...] Original post by shareski@gmail.com (Dean Shareski) [...]

]]> By: Alec Couros http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/comment-page-1/#comment-28051 Alec Couros Thu, 13 Dec 2007 05:30:06 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/#comment-28051 Yet another posse member (me) has studied social capital quite a bit. Here's a diagram I put together for my dissertation. http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035553780@N01/2107941334/ Basically, from a literature review, I look at the many characteristics of social capital (many identified in Schwier's work) and then project social capital theory as an excellent way to understand nebulous/unpredictable occurrences in the network. This fits in well with what you are saying, by measuring social capital you may be able to predict phenomenon ... and of course, by being strategic, you can see great changes in the organization. On the other side of things, I'm also a bit nervous about the term in certain contexts ... "capital" is not always the greatest way of thinking about human relationships and networks ... especially if it gets into the wrong hands. The term can be used to exploit networks as much as it can be used to help us understand and comprehend social relationships. Yet another posse member (me) has studied social capital quite a bit. Here’s a diagram I put together for my dissertation.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035553780@N01/2107941334/
Basically, from a literature review, I look at the many characteristics of social capital (many identified in Schwier’s work) and then project social capital theory as an excellent way to understand nebulous/unpredictable occurrences in the network. This fits in well with what you are saying, by measuring social capital you may be able to predict phenomenon … and of course, by being strategic, you can see great changes in the organization.

On the other side of things, I’m also a bit nervous about the term in certain contexts … “capital” is not always the greatest way of thinking about human relationships and networks … especially if it gets into the wrong hands. The term can be used to exploit networks as much as it can be used to help us understand and comprehend social relationships.

]]> By: Social Networking News for Myspace / Facebook / Etc. » Assessing Social Capital http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/comment-page-1/#comment-28050 Social Networking News for Myspace / Facebook / Etc. » Assessing Social Capital Thu, 13 Dec 2007 05:26:39 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/#comment-28050 [...] Read the rest of this great post here [...] [...] Read the rest of this great post here [...]

]]> By: Bud Hunt http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/comment-page-1/#comment-28049 Bud Hunt Thu, 13 Dec 2007 05:24:44 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/12/assessing-social-capital/#comment-28049 Dean, I think you'd be very interested in Cory Doctorow's book <i>Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom</i>. In the book, he imagines an entire economy built on social capital, which he calls <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whuffie" rel="nofollow">whuffie</a>. It's a good read, and a well developed vision of what social capital might look like. Dean,

I think you’d be very interested in Cory Doctorow’s book Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. In the book, he imagines an entire economy built on social capital, which he calls whuffie. It’s a good read, and a well developed vision of what social capital might look like.

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