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Connor Murphy has spent most of his career building both digital and institutional networks. At Datahug, Connor built what was described as ‘LinkedIn on Steroids’ for large enterprises like KPMG and Deloitte. With Bridge, he is building a tool to serve people he calls ‘connectors’ which allows them to help their network succeed, initially by helping them make better introductions.
In this episode we talk about:
- Cultural differences around how people connect
- How the future of work will make our personal networks more important
- How LinkedIn isn’t really a network
- What characteristics ‘connectors’ share and the magical moment of the introduction
- Common pitfalls we experience during the introduction process
- How introductions build social capital
- That sometimes connectors feel uncomfortable asking for help
KEY NETWORK SCIENCE CONCEPTS
- Concept 4: Job Opportunities and Granovetter’s Strength of Weak Ties
- Concept 5: Burt’s Structural Holes and When You Can be a Broker
- Concept 7: Kevin Bacon and Six Degrees of Separation
SHOW NOTES
- How growing up in Ireland influenced Connor’s ideas around connection [1:55]
- Letting your network act as your teacher [5:04]
- What sparked the idea to create Data Hug? [5:53]
- Paying for consulting as buying access to a network [8:25]
- Discussing the balance between organisational and personal ties in networks [10:12]
- How your network becomes more important in the future of work [11:24]
- Who are connectors and how do they behave? [12:02]
- Challenges of bringing Datahug to market [15:40]
- LinkedIn isn’t really a network [16:45]
- Common pitfalls of connecting [18:06]
- How Bridge coaches people to write better introduction emails [19:45]
- Protecting people in the network by encouraging a double opt-in [20:48]
- On policing a network and getting feedback on introductions [21:25]
- How good introductions build social capital [25:23]
- We were all strangers at one point [26:01]
- Capturing metrics about the value of introductions you make [28:08]
- Organisations with large networks but low trust [29:30]
- The magical moment of the introduction [29:48]
- Connectors sometimes have a hard time asking for help [31:15]
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect to Connor Murphy: twitter
Connect to Bridge: Bridge