You've probably heard the concept that we're all connected to one another through family, friends, and business associates. The popular theory is that we're all connected by no more than six intermediate links.
| 1 | You know | Tom Davis |
| 2 | Tom Davis knows | Betsy Clarke |
| 3 | Betsy Clark knows | Amy Green |
| 4 | Amy Green knows | Stu Blake |
| 5 | Stu Blake knows | Reese Jones |
| 6 | Reese Jones knows | James Schefter |
If you follow the chart, you'll see that you're just 5 people away from knowing James Schefter, the author of All Corvettes Are Red, which documented the evolutionary history of the C5 Corvette.
So, does the "Six Degree" theory hold true in practice? Many folks certainly think it does--and sometimes you're even closer than six degrees away.
What does this have to do with past owner searches? Well, the more folks you know, the larger your contact network and the more resources you have to tap into. But, going back to the example, if you asked your friend Tom Davis whether he knew James Schefter--or anyone who did--you'd probably get a "no" for an answer. How do you tap into the contacts of your contacts?
This web site lets you build and tap into a personal contact network that starts with your first-degree contacts and expands from there. You can take advantage of the site's special bulletin board and search features to locate folks who might be able to help you. Don't expect instant results as you've first got to build your own first-degree contact list. Also, the site is designed to be a general contact network rather than an owner-search network. But, sixdegrees offers yet another resource for continuing your search.
Having already signed up for sixdegrees, I can give you a few additional tips that will help Corvetters make effective use of this contact network for both past owner searches as well as parts and other Corvette searches.
Do complete your Personal Profile.
In your wheream I section, remember to include the URL for your home page. Your home city, state, and country are automatically filled-in with required info when you signup.
In the whatam I section, for your hobbies choose both of the following major categories, then add Corvette and Vette in the comments field. Doing this adds these keywords to your hobbies profile, so other Corvette hobbyists can find you. And, if enough of us do this, maybe the nice folks at sixdegrees will make a special category. <g>
Automobiles & Motorcycles, American Classic Cars
Automobiles & Motorcycles, Collector Cars
Of course, you can add other hobbies and keywords, but lets go for a little continuity so we can easily find each other.
For skills, you may want to include Automotive/Electronics -- Automotive Mechanics as one of your skills, if you restore, maintain, or repair your own Vettes, or work on them comercially.
In your Contact Manager, feel free to include Yankee Lady with the e-mail address of yl@yankeelady.com as an associate, so that your contact circle will overlap mine and we can more quickly link everyone together.
Ok, you can already post messages on a number of Corvette forums and bulletin boards, in chat rooms, and to mailing groups...so why bother with sixdegrees?
Simple. You can never have too many contacts or resources. Also, with sixdegrees you can see how each individual is connected to you. Instead of seeking help and information from total strangers, you'll be contacting a group of folks where you can quickly check references if you need to as well as folks who probably feel a stronger commitment to help you. Let me explain with an example.
If you see a message posted on a public bulletin board asking for help locating a John Karuthers in your area, you may or may not haul out a local phone book to see if he's listed, right? But, if a friend from another area calls you and asks you to lookup John Karuthers in your local phone book, you'll probably do it, right? Why? Because you know that there's a strong possibility that someday you'll need to ask your friend for help and you wouldn't want him to decline or ignore your request.
So, take a few minutes and join the sixdegrees contact network. You may be surprised to see how quickly your contact circle grows...not to mention who you indirectly know!
All works contained herein are considered copyrighted subject matter and
cannot be reproduced without the written permission of the original author or the Yankee
Lady.
Copyright Barbara Spear 1996, 1997, January 1998