April Dii:Briefing - Social Capital

In our second episode of Dii:Briefing, I attempt to tackle the HUGE topic of social capital.

Highlights:

Social Capital: Definition:
Tristan Claridge: http://www.socialcapitalresearch.com/definition.html
The commonalities of most definitions of social capital are that they focus on social relations that have productive benefits. The variety of definitions identified in the literature stem from the highly context specific nature of social capital and the complexity of its conceptualization and operationalization.
Social capital is about the value of social networks, bonding similar people and bridging between diverse people, with norms of reciprocity.

L.J. Hanifan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_capital
L. J. Hanifan's 1916 article regarding local support for rural schools is one of the first occurrences of the term "social capital"

"I do not refer to real estate, or to personal property or to cold cash, but rather to that in life which tends to make these tangible substances count for most in the daily lives of people, namely, goodwill, fellowship, mutual sympathy and social intercourse among a group of individuals and families who make up a social unit… If he may come into contact with his neighbor, and they with other neighbors, there will be an accumulation of social capital, which may immediately satisfy his social needs and which may bear a social potentiality sufficient to the substantial improvement of living conditions in the whole community. The community as a whole will benefit by the cooperation of all its parts, while the individual will find in his associations the advantages of the help, the sympathy, and the fellowship of his neighbors (pp. 130-131)."

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Cory Doctorow: http://rtctreffpunkt.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-to-read-down-and-out-in-magic.html

• Whuffie: http://www.thewhuffiebank.org/
• Social Capital not = Utopia
• Everything that can be used for good can be used negatively

Social Capital in Everyday Digital Life:
Ratings systems with profiles: http://www.freepeople.com/clothes-customer-favorites/cassidy-hoodie/
Amazon Reading List: http://ow.ly/4HZnE
Swap Goods:

• Stuffpal.com
• ActsofSharing.com
• FreeCycle

Rachel Botsman’s TED Talk: The case for collaborative consumption

• http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/rachel_botsman_the_case_for_collaborative_consumption.html
• Swaptree.com
• http://www.booklending.com/

Earn Rewards:

• MindMeister.com: Earn premium membership from referrals
• Foursquare: earn rewards for using service and checking in
• DailyFeats.com

May Recommended Read: What Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly (http://amzn.to/fooH1N)
• Bonus points: The Half-made World by Felix Gilman (http://amzn.to/gaAxqt)

Amazon Affiliate Links, FYI

May Dii: Briefing – Innovation Strategy  - May 25 at Noon, EST