Social Capital

Social media tools have become mainstream, and have been for some time now. In my Venture Partner role at JumpStart I see many entrepreneurs with variations of specialty social networking business models come through the pipeline looking for early stage funding.  I personally find myself Tweeting, Facebooking and networking on Linked In… in addition to this blog (which took most of the summer off). These tools can be useful and powerful in maintaining and strengthening relationships of all types. Anyone who has ever looked for a job; dated; needed a housekeeper, handyman, mover or babysitter; played a sport or started a business knows that social networks are one of our most powerful resources both personally and professionally.  In business these networks represent an important and valuable form of capital required for creating sustainable business models, and it is important to invest in relationships and use them wisely and responsibly. Content relevance in using social media tools is of course relative and contextual to the audience, but an important principle to adhere to in growing and maintaining strong Social Capital.