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Debunking the Six Degrees of Separation

Written by: Ivan R. Misner

Article Overview: Do you believe that anyone in the world is only six people removed? Here's why that theory's wrong and what it means for networking.

Debunking the Six Degrees of Separation

What do Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and Six Degrees of Separation have in common? People around the world believe in them. Since I don't want to do an exposé on Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, I'm going to tackle the six degrees of separation theory instead. This is the widely held belief that any person is connected to any other person through no more than six intermediary connections.

I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but it just isn't true. The myth stems from several "small world experiments" conducted by Stanley Milgram in the 1960s and '70s that involved sending folders or letters from a group of people in one part of the country to a specific person they didn't know in another part of the country. The people were told to get the material to someone who might know someone that would know the individual.

It was, in fact, found that the letters or folders took, on average, between five and six connections to reach the intended recipient. Though the average number of links was five or six, the majority of the connections ranged from two to 10 links. What's more, the overwhelming majority of people in Milgram's studies never got the material to the intended recipient. His most successful study only yielded a 29 percent completion rate. In one study, the number was only 5 percent.

So we aren't "all" connected to everyone else by six degrees of separation. But why would I, who has devoted most of his professional career to business networking, be telling everyone about the inaccuracy of this iconic concept upon which a lot of networking pros hang their hats?

There are two reasons. First, I believe this myth creates complacency. The notion gives some people a false sense of expectation that connections are bound to happen sooner or later, no matter what they do. If this were the case, you wouldn't need a networking columnist, would you?

Secondly, and most importantly, the studies' findings clearly indicate that some people are better connected than others. This means networking is a skill that can be developed. With reading, training and coaching, people can improve their networking skills, increase their connections and become part of the roughly 29 percent of people that are, in fact, separated from the rest of the world by only six degrees.

Milgram's work was revolutionary. It opened up a new world of discussion and understanding. It has, however, been romanticized. The mythical version of his findings doesn't serve anyone well. It gives people a false sense of security and an erroneous understanding of the networking process.
The good news is that it's possible to be a successful networker. By understanding that you can be connected to anyone through the power and potential of networking, you can set yourself apart from the competition. Just remember that being able to make connections isn't an entitlement.

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Article Tags: 1960s, business networking, common people, complacency, completion rate, degrees of separation, easter bunny, expectation, expos, false sense, folders, inaccuracy, networking pros, overwhelming majority, professional career, santa claus, separation theory, six degrees of separation, stanley milgram, world experiments



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Six Degrees of Separation Is Now Three - I got this interesting peice from Techcrunch. Read and Enjoy Six Degrees of Separation Is Now Three Six degrees of separation Is it time to revise the old saw that everyone in the world is connected by just six degrees of separation? A study from French mobile carrier O2 has found that strangers are more connected to each other than they ever have been. According to the study, the average person is now connected by just three degrees within a shared “interest” or social group instead of six. In fact, it found that people are usually a part of three main networks: family, friendship, and work. O2 asked adults across three different age groups — 18-25, 35-45, 55+ — to make contact with random strangers from areas all across the globe using only personal connections. By linking their shared interests, the participants were able to connect to that person in three person-to-person links. Stanley Milgram originally coined the term “six degrees of separation” in 1967 to show that everyone in the modern world was capable of connecting to another by linking people and interests. But in today’s world of social networking, links between strangers are closer than in Milgram’s day. According to Jeff Rodrigues, a social networking specialist that carried out the study, 97 percent of the participants said they felt more connected to people today than they ever have in the past and for older respondents, email and mobile phones were the key factors in reducing the degrees of separation. But for those in the younger generation, Facebook was the main factor. Text messaging was also mentioned as an important component in reducing degrees of separation. “What the study has brought to light is that the way we now interact means it’s never been easier to make connections and build networks of contacts,” Rodrigues said in an interview. It should be noted that the research is not the epitome of a real scientific study—O2 paid for it, after all. And anyone who has a LinkedIn account knows that it is still easy to find plenty of people who are more than three degrees away from you. But the study does underscore something we all know:more so than ever before, everyone is connected (even if it is only tangentially). Maybe it is time to revisit Milgram’s study in a more robust way. It could help silence the critics who believe Facebook and the rest are nothing more than places for kids to waste their time. Let’s face it – how often will you find one service or industry that can totally transform the way people are connected?
Jennifer Barney: Barney Butter - Despite the well-known health benefits of almond butter such as vitamin E, fiber, protein, phosphorous, no partially hydrogenated oils and more magnesium than spinach, many people either don’t like almond butter’s taste, don’t like its grainy texture or think it’s a facial scrub. But Jennifer Barney is determined to change all that. It was only a few years ago that, armed with a blender and bags of blanched almonds, Jennifer started whipping up addictively delicious batches of almond butter for her kids. Several burned out appliances later she succeeded in creating the familiar taste, texture and consistency of jelly’s better half, peanut butter. While the kids clamored for more, neighbors knew Jennifer could sell it. She started a business, supplying almond ambrosia to stores across California. After partnering with an investor she recently moved into her own peanut-free manufacturing plant complete with custom-built equipment, making Barney Butter the only almond butter safe for those with peanut allergies. Barney Butter is already well-known in California, Oregon, Florida, Arizona, Washington and Nevada. By January it will line the shelves of every Fresh Market across the country, heading toward household name fame along with Jif and Skippy. This kind of success is hardly a surprise because as anyone with a peanut butter palate will tell you, Barney Butter is pure almond joy. What we learned from Jennifer: Be a dreamer, but be realistic. Set time and financial limits. Once you’ve used them up accept that something isn’t working and you need to go in another direction. It may end up being the best decision you’ve ever made. I can’t believe it’s not peanut butter When my kids were teething they wanted “real” food. I searched for almond butter but could only find coarsely ground almonds, not anything smooth that they would eat. I thought, “With a little sweetener and salt I can make great-tasting, smooth almond butter!” It wasn’t the entrepreneur in me talking. It was a mom thing. I just wanted to make almond butter that looked and felt like peanut butter for my kids. The Juiceman Cometh I broke blender after blender until I finally invested in a heavy duty machine. The one that worked best was The Juiceman I found on eBay. I burned through at least four of those but my kids loved my almond butter! I didn’t tell people what I was doing because really, somebody might have locked me up. Spread the word - spreadable almonds! Eventually I started giving my almond butter to friends. It was a hit and everyone encouraged me to start a business. At the time I only had experience in birthing children. That’s it. I had no experience in business, manufacturing or food science. But I did know that starting a business was risky. My husband and I invested a small amount of our savings that we would be ok with never seeing again. Separation anxiety I knew my almond butter would separate while sitting on store shelves so I investigated the peanut butter industry’s methods for avoiding that. You would be amazed what you can find online. I found a University of Georgia professor who had written a research paper in 1996 about the application of palm oil to peanut butter for stabilization. I called him. He explained everything I needed to know. I’m sure he had no idea he was talking to a crazy blender-breaking housewife. The taste of success By law I had to hire a contract manufacturer to make and pack my product. But to save money I had my friend’s dad design my logo. Then I made labels on sticky paper, cut them out and stuck them on the jars myself. The friendliest mom and pop stores were happy to stock my almond butter because I was local. I did lots of store tasting events to make sure my product sold. Foot-loose and peanut free Eventually we out grew our co-packer. We needed a bigger space but couldn’t afford to invest one more cent in the business. I went looking for an investor and through one of my suppliers found not only an investor but a partner. At that point I could afford to expand and I now have my own peanut-free plant and state-of-the-art equipment. Almond butter and jelly We’re working on going national. Peanut butter is such a staple, but almond butter is healthier and is perfect for people with peanut allergies. I think that this is something people will love. It’s exactly like peanut butter but made only from almonds. Curiosity is key I’m sure at Ladies Who Launch you see this all the time in entrepreneurs but when I was developing my product I didn’t see it as work. I really enjoyed what I was doing and I was driven by curiosity. It became something of an obsession. I was determined to get it right. This Featured Lady was profiled by Ladies Who Launch Associate Editor Susie Lacey.


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